One Pan Chicken Risotto Bake
Another one pot wonder that is big on flavour and low on effort. This dish is suitable for everyone at the table and just needs a little modification for babies early in their solids journey.
We know that the benefits of family mealtime are huge. Modelling eating behaviour for our kid’s right from the start is a powerful way to teach them about food. Family meals also help to expose your baby to a wide variety of foods early on and can reduce fussy eating! So, we love a meal that means everyone can eat the same food at the same time.
Age Recommendation - early in the solids journey with the following suggested modification.
Meat can be tough for little gums, so check the texture of the chicken using the squish test. Simply squish between your index finger and thumb and if it squishes easily, it is a good texture for babies. You can also easily fork mash, puree or mince this dish, if that’s what you are more comfortable with (there is no right or wrong way to do solids!).
One Pan Chicken Risotto Bake
What You Will Need
- 1 tbs olive oil
- 1 onion diced
- 1 carrot diced finely
- 1 cup of finely diced mushroom (or grated for little bubs- this is 4-5 mushrooms)
- 1 zucchini finely diced (or grated for little bubs)
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1 tsp dried rosemary
- Good crack of pepper
- 1 tbs garlic minced
- 1.5 kg of chicken thigh (skin on and with the bone for more flavour if possible. The skin also prevents it from drying out in the oven)
- 1 bag of frozen spinach
- 1 x lemon (juice and 1-2 tbs of zest)
- 1 ½ cups of risotto rice
- 1 cup of milk (can use plant milk)
- 4 cups of low sodium chicken or vegetable stock
- Parmesan to serve (optional)
What To Do
- Preheat the oven to 160 degrees
- Heat an oven proof pan on the stove top*
- Add in your olive oil, onion, carrot, mushrooms, zucchini, herbs and garlic and then cook until softening
- Add your chicken thigh in and brown
- Add the rest of your ingredients and mix through
- Add in 3 cups of stock and the milk in and stir
- Pop on the lid and put in the oven for 45 minutes
- Take the lid off, add the last cup of stock over the top and cook for another 10-15 minutes to brown a little
- For the adults and big kids at the table add some parmesan to the plate
*This means less washing up! If you don’t have a dish that you can use on the stove and then transfer to the oven, you can move everything from a pan to an oven proof dish.
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