Chicken & Spinach Risotto

Ingredients

• 400g chicken breast, sliced
• 30ml garlic-infused oil
• 320g arborio rice
• 1,000ml hot low-FODMAP chicken stock
• 60ml dry white wine (optional)
• 20g butter
• 50g grated Parmesan
• 150g baby spinach
• 15g chive green tops, chopped
• 1 lemon, zest only (optional)
• salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• Crusty ciabatta, to serve
• Fresh basil, to serve

Method

1. Pat the chicken dry and season generously with salt and pepper — water on the surface means steam, and steam means no browning. Heat half the garlic-infused oil in a wide stainless or cast iron pan over medium-high until it shimmers.
2. Sear the chicken in two batches, in a single layer — don't crowd the pan or the meat will release water and boil instead of brown. Cook 3–4 minutes until the edges are deep gold and the chicken is just cooked through. Lift out and keep warm. The garlic-infused oil should stay pale and fragrant — if it ever looks like it's darkening past gold, pull the pan off the heat. Burnt garlic oil turns the whole risotto bitter.
3. Lower the heat and add the remaining garlic-infused oil. Tip in the arborio and stir for 1–2 minutes until the grain edges turn translucent and the rice smells faintly nutty — this is the toast that gives the risotto its depth.
4. Pour in the white wine, if using, and let it bubble away until almost gone, scraping any golden bits from the chicken into the rice. Now add the hot stock a ladle at a time, stirring often, waiting until each ladle is nearly absorbed before adding the next. After 18–20 minutes the rice should be creamy with a slight bite at the centre — al dente, not soft.
5. As the rice approaches done, stir in the baby spinach a handful at a time, letting each addition wilt into the grains so the texture stays silky and ribboned, not sodden.
6. Return the chicken to the pan to warm through for a minute, then pull off the heat. Beat in the butter and Parmesan vigorously — this is the mantecatura, and the off-heat beating is what turns the rice glossy and loose rather than gluey. Taste, season, taste again. Adjust the salt now — at the end, not at the table. Most of the savoury depth comes from the Parmesan, but a final pinch of salt ties it together.
7. Spoon onto warm plates, scatter with the chopped chive greens, finish with a flick of lemon zest over each bowl and a final shower of Parmesan, and serve straight away while the texture is at its silkiest.