A light an easy dish to make, using only 5 ingredients. This chicken and cucumber risotto is a simple dinner to make perfect for a mid week meal. This dish can also work well with fresh salmon, follow the same recipe but change the chicken for freshly grilled salmon.

Ready in 45 minutes Serves 4

Ingredients

2 skinless chicken breasts

1 large onion, finely chopped

350g risotto rice

½ cucumber, coarsely grated

and excess liquid squeezed out

100g Parmesan, finely grated, plus extra shavings to garnish

2 tbsp olive oil

Method

Add the chicken breasts to a large pan and cover with 1.5 litres water. Bring to simmering point. Reduce the heat to very low and simmer gently for 10-12 minutes until just cooked through. Remove the chicken from the pan, finely slice and leave on the side. Reserve the cooking liquid.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large heavy-based saucepan and gently fry the onion for about 10 minutes until soft. Add the risotto rice and stir to coat for 1-2 minutes, then add the reserved stock a ladleful at a time, stirring constantly. Make sure the rice has fully absorbed each ladleful before adding more (you will need 1.2-1.3 litres of stock).

Once the rice is almost cooked, season well and stir in the chicken, grated cucumber and Parmesan. Cover with a lid, remove from the heat and leave to stand for a couple of minutes before serving topped with Parmesan shavings.