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    Home » Recipes » Main Dishes » Chicken Chorizo Risotto

    Chicken Chorizo Risotto

    Published: Apr 5, 2023 by Lucy · This post may contain affiliate links · 6 Comments

    Jump to Recipe
    A close up of a creamy chicken chorizo risotto.

    This oven-baked chicken and chorizo risotto with spinach and sun dried tomato pesto is a rich, creamy and comforting meal.

    Made with a handful of basic ingredients, chicken chorizo risotto is a delicious weeknight dinner that the whole family will love!

    Just 20 minutes prep time and ready to eat in under 50 minutes!

    Chicken chorizo risotto on a white plate served with a fork.

    Packed with those traditional bold italian flavours of sun-dried tomato pesto and parmesan, and the richness a little butter adds, this baked risotto recipe is a busy weeknight dinner favourite.

    Or whether it's my bacon and roast pumpkin risotto, my 'set and forget' slow cooker chicken risotto, or this baked chorizo risotto, you really can't beat an easy risotto for a comforting winter dinner.

    Love easy chicken and rice dinners? Then do try my most popular creamy oven baked chicken and rice with bacon, or a nourishing chicken and rice soup - they both make the ultimate comfort food!

    A colourful rice meal with sausage and chicken pieces in a white baking dish.

    Why You're Going To Love This Recipe

    • Easy recipe - this no stir risotto takes just 20 minutes to prepare, then leave the oven to do the rest of the work! Risotto has a reputation for being a labour-intensive meal, but this easy chicken and chorizo risotto doesn't require constant attention!
    • Family-friendly - tasty risottos are always popular with both young and old, and by using popular kid friendly ingredients like chicken and chorizo, it guarantees clean plates are left at the end of the meal.
    • Weeknight dinner - this chicken & chorizo risotto recipe is a perfect option for a no-fuss weeknight dinner.
    • A great dish to feed a crowd - just increase the quantities and cooking time, the rice bulks it out into a very budget friendly dish to feed plenty of extra's.
    • Freezer friendly - you can freeze any leftover risotto in an airtight container for up to 1 month. Great for lunches too, just defrost and reheat thoroughly before consuming.
    A white plate piled with a serving of chicken risotto. The baking dish just visible in the background.

    What You Need

    This flavour packed chorizo chicken risotto is made from just a handful of basic ingredients.

    Note: Scroll to the recipe card at the bottom for the ingredients quantities and full detailed method.

    Ingredients weighed out in individual bowls on a bench top.
    • Olive oil.
    • Chorizo sausage - this smoky flavoured sausage goes so well with chicken and adds such a great flavour to the risotto. Use a good quality chorizo sausage for best flavour. Available from the deli section of your supermarket, or pre-packaged in the chilled section.
    • Chicken thigh fillets- I like to use skinless chicken thigh fillets but you can use chicken breast fillets if you prefer.
    • Butter - I prefer to use unsalted butter in this recipe as the stock, chorizo and parmesan all contain salt.
    • Brown onion - adds to the flavour to the risotto.
    • Minced garlic - like the onion, garlic adds a delicious flavour. You can use fresh garlic or store bought minced garlic.
    • Arborio rice - this short grain variety of rice is traditionally used to make risotto because it can absorb a large quantity of liquid, and produces an extra creamy flavour while still retaining its texture.
    • Chicken stock - I like to use liquid chicken stock in this risotto, but feel free to use vegetable stock instead if you prefer to.
    • Baby spinach leaves - if you don't have baby spinach leaves you can substitute with regular spinach, roughly chopped into pieces.
    • Parmesan cheese - parmesan is a classic ingredient in risottos, it adds a bold rich flavour which just can't be missed! I recommend using a fresh block of parmesan and grate it yourself for the best flavour and texture. Pre-grated/shredded parmesan cheese is often coated in cellulose, which can prevent it from melting into the risotto.
    • Sun-dried tomato pesto - sun-dried tomato pesto adds a slight sweet, salty and rich flavour and gives the risotto a slight reddish colour. It can be substituted for basil pesto though, if you prefer. 

    Equipment Required

    • Frying pan - to sauté the chorizo, chicken and onion.
    • Baking dish - I recommend using a large 8 cup capacity baking dish
    • Oven - I use a fan-forced oven. If you use a conventional oven, increase the temperature by 10-20 degrees celsius.

    Step By Step Instructions

    This easy baked chorizo and chicken risotto takes just 20 to prepare, then let the oven do the rest of the work to have dinner on the table in under an hour!

    Note: Scroll to the recipe card at the bottom for the ingredients quantities and full detailed method.

    Step 1 - Cook The Chorizo & Chicken

    Preheat oven to 200 degrees celsius (fan forced). 

    In a large frying pan, heat the olive oil over a high heat. Cook the sliced chorizo on either side until golden (this takes approximately 2-3 minutes). Set aside in a large baking dish, leaving the excess oil in the frying pan. 

    Slices of chorizo fried in a frying pan.

    Cook the diced chicken thigh fillets over high heat in the chorizo oil until browned and cooked through. 

    Cubes of chicken browned in a frying pan.

    Set aside in the same baking dish as the chorizo.

    Cooked chorizo and chicken in a round white baking dish.

    Step 2 - Prepare The Rice

    Turn the heat down to medium. Add the butter to the pan and melt. Saute the onion and garlic until softened. 

    Diced onion browned in a frying pan.

    Add the arborio rice and stir for for 30 seconds to coat the rice well.. 

    Rice in the frying pan with the cooked onion and garlic.

    Add the chicken stock liquid and stir. Bring to the boil and then remove from the heat. 

    Liquid chicken stock poured over the rice in the frying pan.

    Step 3 - Bake The Risotto

    Pour the risotto in to the baking dish with the chorizo and chicken. Cover the baking dish tightly with foil. 

    Rice, onion and stock transferred to white baking dish.

    Bake in the preheated oven until the liquid has absorbed and the rice is 'al dente.' 

    Cooked rice, chicken and chorizo in white baking dish once all the stock has been absorbed.

    Step 4 - Finish The Risotto

    When the risotto is cooked, stir through the baby spinach leaves, extra butter, grated parmesan cheese and sun-dried tomato pesto. 

    Baby spinach, grated parmesan cheese, and pesto added to the cooked rice dish.

    Season to taste. Serve with extra grated parmesan cheese.

    The chorizo risotto in white baking dish with the baby spinach, parmesan and pesto stirred through.

    Expert Tips

    • Use risotto rice - to make a delicious Italian style creamy risotto, I recommend you use short grain arborio rice.
    • Choose good quality chorizo sausage and preferably grate your own parmesan - these two ingredients provide so much flavour to your risotto, it's worth the extra!!
    • Pesto - sun-dried tomato pesto can be substituted for basil pesto if you prefer.
    • Storing risotto - risotto tastes its very best when served freshly made. However it also makes delicious left-overs, so if you do have extra risotto, store in an airtight container in the fridge and consume within 2 days. Reheat thoroughly before consuming.
    • Freezing - freeze any leftovers in an airtight container for up to 1 month. Allow to defrost and reheat thoroughly before consuming.
    A fork holding a mouthful of rice over the rest of the risotto in the baking dish.

    FAQs

    How many people does this risotto recipe serve?

    This makes 4 very large serves (or 6 smaller serves).

    Can I reheat oven baked risotto?

    Yes, you can! Heat leftover risotto in a pan with a few tablespoons of liquid - either water or more stock - per cup of risotto. Cook over a medium heat, stirring often, until piping hot.

    Can I use chicken breasts fillets instead of thighs?

    Yes, absolutely! I find chicken thighs are more juicy and therefore add more flavour to the risotto, but chicken breasts will work just as well in this recipe.

    A fork holding a mouthful of creamy risotto.

    Related Recipes

    Chicken is such a versatile, and reasonably inexpensive meat for family dinners. For more easy and deliciously comforting chicken dinners, check out these other favourite recipes:

    • Chicken, Corn And Noodle Soup
    • Creamy Tuscan Slow Cooker Chicken with sun-dried tomatoes, baby spinach and parmesan cheese is the ultimate winter comfort food. Serve with pasta for a simple meal the whole family will love. #creamy #tuscan #slowcooker #crockpot #chicken #dinner #family #recipe #meal 
      Creamy Tuscan Slow Cooker Chicken
    • A chicken and leek pie cut open on a plate.
      Chicken and Leek Pies with Bacon
    • This delicious One Pot Creamy Pesto Chicken Pasta is the perfect midweek meal. Family-friendly, quick and easy... does it get any better than that!?
      One Pot Creamy Pesto Chicken Pasta

    WANT EVEN MORE DELICIOUS RECIPES? Subscribe to my newsletter or follow along on Facebook or Instagram. And if you love baking, then please come and join my Facebook cooking club group or subscribe to my YouTube channel. 

    A plate full of risotto with chicken and chorizo.

    Chicken Chorizo Risotto

    This oven-baked chicken and chorizo risotto with spinach and sun-dried tomato pesto is a rich, creamy and comforting meal.
    5 from 19 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Dinner
    Cuisine: Italian
    Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 26 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 46 minutes minutes
    Servings: 6 serves
    Calories: 707kcal
    Author: Lucy - Bake Play Smile

    Ingredients

    • 1 tbs olive oil
    • 1 chorizo sausage sliced
    • 400 g chicken thigh fillets diced into 2cm pieces
    • 40 g butter
    • 1 brown onion finely diced
    • 2 tsp minced garlic
    • 360 g arborio rice
    • 1 litre chicken stock liquid
    • 40 g butter
    • 120 g parmesan cheese grated
    • 120 g baby spinach leaves
    • 190 g sun-dried tomato pesto see notes
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    Instructions

    • Preheat oven to 200 degrees celsius (fan forced).
    • In a large frying pan, heat the olive oil over a high heat. Cook the sliced chorizo on either side until golden (approximately 2-3 minutes).
      Set aside in a large 8 cup capacity baking dish (leave the excess oil in the frying pan).
    • Cook the chicken pieces over high heat until browned and cooked through.
      Set aside in the same baking dish as the chorizo.
    • Turn the heat down to medium. Add the butter and melt. Saute the onion and garlic for 3 minutes or until softened.
    • Add the arborio rice and stir for 30 seconds to coat the rice well.
      Add the chicken stock liquid and stir.
      Bring to the boil and then remove from the heat.
    • Transfer the risotto to the baking dish with the chorizo and chicken.
      Cover the baking dish tightly with foil.
      Bake until the liquid has absorbed and the rice is 'al dente' (approximately 26 minutes).
    • When the risotto is cooked, stir through the baby spinach leaves, butter, grated parmesan cheese and sun-dried tomato pesto.
    • Season to taste. Serve with extra grated parmesan cheese.

    Notes

    RECIPE NOTES & TIPS
    • Servings - this makes 4 very large serves (or 6 smaller serves).
    • Use risotto rice - to make a delicious Italian style creamy risotto, I recommend you use short grain arborio rice.
    • Choose good quality chorizo sausage and preferably grate your own parmesan - these two ingredients provide so much flavour to your risotto, it's worth the extra!!
    • Pesto - sun-dried tomato pesto can be substituted for basil pesto if you prefer.
    • Storing - store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge and consume within 2 days. Reheat thoroughly before consuming.
    • To reheat risotto - heat in a pan with a few tablespoons of liquid - either water or more stock - per cup of risotto. Cook over a medium heat, stirring often, until piping hot.
    • Freezing - freeze any leftovers in an airtight container for up to 1 month. Allow to defrost and reheat thoroughly before consuming.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 707kcal | Carbohydrates: 62g | Protein: 30g | Fat: 37g | Saturated Fat: 16g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 12g | Trans Fat: 0.5g | Cholesterol: 126mg | Sodium: 1008mg | Potassium: 526mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 2706IU | Vitamin C: 12mg | Calcium: 313mg | Iron: 5mg
    Did you try this recipe?Mention @BakePlaySmileBlog or tag #BakePlaySmile!
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Chris

      September 11, 2023 at 4:29 am

      5 stars
      Made this for dinner tonight, fabulous and so tasty

      Reply
      • Lucy

        September 11, 2023 at 8:53 am

        Fantastic!

        Reply
    2. Nic

      August 24, 2023 at 11:58 am

      This is so yummy! Making it once a week now, my whole family love it.

      Reply
      • Lucy

        August 25, 2023 at 9:18 am

        Yay! I'm thrilled to hear that!

        Reply
    3. Leanne Denz

      August 13, 2023 at 5:13 pm

      5 stars
      Delicious & so easy! Even my teen daughter who doesn't like rissotto loved it!

      Reply
      • Lucy

        August 14, 2023 at 11:13 am

        Fantastic!

        Reply

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    I’m Lucy! A mum, a wife, a food blogger and a lover of all things to do with food! I love creating delicious, no-fuss Thermomix and conventional recipes the whole family will love. Classic baking favourites, lunch box snacks, quick and easy family dinners and more!

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