Smoked Cheese & Chicken Risotto with Dukkah

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An Italian-Egyptian fusion, this Smoked Cheese & Chicken Risotto with Dukkah packs in heaps of flavour. From the smokiness of the cheese to the lovely salty and rich chicken stock and the earthy and warm flavours of the nutty Dukkah, this risotto is both exhilarating and unconventional!

Ever since I made my last batch of Dukkah, I had this nagging feeling in my head that Dukkah would go very well with an Italian risotto. I did a bit of research online and couldn't find any risotto (or any rice recipes for that matter) that use dukkah. So I thought to myself that maybe my gut feeling is wrong and people don't use dukkah with rice for a good reason. A couple of weeks later, I was eating a lovely Spinach & Ricotta Tart by My Kitchen Mood (great Italian recipes by an Italian chef), and was inspired to experiment with smoked cheese a bit more in my cooking (something I rarely used before). And the idea was born! I was going to make a Smoked Cheese & Chicken Risotto with Dukkah sprinkled all over.

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A simple risotto cooked in chicken stock with some shredded chicken breast and LOTS of smoked cheese - what's not to like? But the addition of Egyptian Dukkah took it to another level! Not only does Dukkah add another layer of flavour (that I think goes extremely well with the smokiness of the cheese), it gives the dish that extra texture that risotto often needs.

Eight ingredients, 35 minutes of your time and you have yourself an extremely flavoursome dinner dish! The sight of strings of smoky cheese drooping off your fork is one of the most satisfying things I can think of!

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp oil: use odourless oil, like vegetable, sunflower or rapeseed in this recipe. There's definitely enough flavour in this risotto...
• 1 brown onion: or shallots.
• 160 g risotto rice: my favourite kind is Carnaroli (which makes extra creamy risottos), but Arborio will work too.
• ½ tsp paprika: if you don't have any, don't fret. We add some paprika to enhance the colour of the risotto, but the flavour won't suffer much if you omit it.
• 700 ml chicken stock: you can use vegetable stock instead if you wish.
• 1 chicken breast: because of the amount of cheese in this recipe, this risotto is quite filling, so choose a smaller chicken breast. Since we cook the breast in the frying pan, ideally you want a flatter piece that will cook through quicker.
• 100 g smoked cheddar: we made it with smoked cheddar, but you may choose to use smoked provolone or smoked Gouda.
• 2 tsp dukkah: you can buy Dukkah in most large supermarkets these days (choose a coarse one if you can), but if you fancy making your own, it's really not much effort. Our recipe for Egyptian Dukkah is here.

How to Make Smoked Cheese & Chicken Risotto with Dukkah?

Gather all the ingredients. Finely chop a small brown onion. Make the stock and keep it warm in a pan on low heat.

Heat a tablespoon of oil in a small frying pan on low heat, add the chicken breast and cover with a lid (you may choose to sprinkle it with some dried herbs). Cook for about 8-10 minutes, then turn it over, cover and cook for another 5-10 minutes or until it's fully cooked through. Once cooked, take it out of the pan onto a chopping board and, using two forks, shred it into bite-size pieces.

In the meantime, heat a tablespoon of oil in a large frying pan.

Add the chopped onion and sautee on low heat for 5 minutes until softened.

Add the risotto rice and ½ teaspoon of paprika. Stir and cook for a couple of minutes until the rice grains turn slightly translucent.

One ladle at a time, start adding the stock and stir until all the stock is absorbed. Stir continuously. Add another ladle of stock and keep on cooking until you have no stock left or until your rice is cooked al dente.

Once the rice is cooked, add the shredded chicken and grated smoked cheese. Take the pan off the heat and leave for a minute, covered, for the cheese to melt. Taste and season if needed.

Divide the risotto between bowls and sprinkle Dukkah on top!

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If you're looking for more ways to use Dukkah, why not try our Dukkah Salmon, Aubergine & Courgette with Harissa Drizzle and Mint Yoghurt or Turkish Eggs with Dukkah.

For other risotto recipes, have a look at some of our favourites below:

• Spinach and Mushroom Risotto with Pecan & Garlic Drizzle
• Chicken and Chorizo Risotto
• Creamy Apple Risotto With Bacon
• Sweet Chilli Pepper Risotto
• Blue Cheese Risotto with Sweet Potatoes & Walnuts