The protein cooking time listed in this recipe has been updated.
As of December 2025, we’ve revised cooking times for all our proteins to reflect improved food safety guidance.
Check out the latest recommended times in our Cooking Guidelines.
Primavera Chicken Risotto with Courgette & Pesto Drizzle
Celebrate spring with this vibrant risotto, starring tender free-range British chicken, seasonal courgette and leafy spinach. Our new quick-cook risotto style rice adds speed and ease. Swirls soft cheese create a velvety smooth texture. A creamy pesto drizzle completes the dish. Buon appetito!
High protein
5 plants
Low sat fat
Serving size
Ingredients
- 250g cooked short grain brown rice (Cooked Wholegrain Risotto Rice 97% (Water, Risotto Rice), Sunflower Oil, Salt.)
- 2 tbsp green pesto (Rapeseed Oil, Broccoli, Spinach, Broad Beans, Basil, Sunflower Seed, Garlic, Salt, Yeast extract powder (Yeast Extract, Salt), Pumpkin Seeds, Porcini Mushrooms, Kale, Golden Linseeds, Citric Acid, White Quinoa, Ascorbic Acid.)
- 10g chicken stock powder (Chicory Extract, Yeast Extract, Natural Flavouring, Salt, Onion Powder, Chicken Stock Powder, Rapeseed Oil.)
- 40g Soft Cheese (Milk) (10% fat cheese base (skimmed milk, cream, bacterial starter culture), salt)
- 2 tbsp sundried tomato paste (Tomato Puree, Sundried Tomatoes, Rapeseed Oil, Water, Pine Kernels, Salt)
- 10g pine nuts
- 1 onion
- 1 courgette
- 40g baby spinach
- 2 garlic clove
- 300g diced British Free Range chicken breast
Nutritional Information
Calories: 762
Protein: 52g
Carbs: 61g
Fat: 36g
Ingredients
- 40g Soft Cheese (use half) (Milk) (10% fat cheese base (skimmed milk, cream, bacterial starter culture), salt)
- 10g chicken stock powder (use half) (Chicory Extract, Yeast Extract, Natural Flavouring, Salt, Onion Powder, Chicken Stock Powder, Rapeseed Oil.)
- 1 onion (use half)
- 10g pine nuts (use half)
- 1 courgette (use half)
- 2 tbsp green pesto (use half) (Rapeseed Oil, Broccoli, Spinach, Broad Beans, Basil, Sunflower Seed, Garlic, Salt, Yeast extract powder (Yeast Extract, Salt), Pumpkin Seeds, Porcini Mushrooms, Kale, Golden Linseeds, Citric Acid, White Quinoa, Ascorbic Acid.)
- 40g baby spinach (use half)
- 2 garlic clove
- 250g cooked short grain brown rice (use half) (Cooked Wholegrain Risotto Rice 97% (Water, Risotto Rice), Sunflower Oil, Salt.)
- 150g diced British Free Range chicken breast
- 2 tbsp sundried tomato paste (use half) (Tomato Puree, Sundried Tomatoes, Rapeseed Oil, Water, Pine Kernels, Salt)
Nutritional Information
Calories: 856
Protein: 52g
Carbs: 62g
Fat: 46g
Primavera Chicken Risotto with Courgette & Pesto Drizzle
Celebrate spring with this vibrant risotto, starring tender free-range British chicken, seasonal courgette and leafy spinach. Our new quick-cook risotto style rice adds speed and ease. Swirls soft cheese create a velvety smooth texture. A creamy pesto drizzle completes the dish. Buon appetito!
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Cooking Instructions
Before you start
- Pull out a large frying pan, a small bowl, a sieve & a measuring jug
Toast the pine nuts
- Roughly chop the pine nuts
- Heat the large frying pan on medium heat. Once hot, add the pine nuts and toast for 2-3 mins, tossing regularly, until golden brown. Remove and set aside
- Thinly slice the courgette into 1/2cm half-moons
Get sizzlin'
- Reheat the frying pan with 2 tsp oil on medium-high heat. Once hot, add the chicken and courgette cook for 8 mins, stirring occasionally, until golden
- Meanwhile, finely slice the onion. Finely chop or crush the garlic. Rinse the spinach
Build the flavour
- Add the onion to the chicken pan and cook for 4 mins, until softened. Stir in the garlic and sundried tomato paste and cook for another 2 mins, until fragrant
- Stir in the soft cheese, stock powder and 150ml hot water (75ml for 1 person)
- Bring to a boil and simmer for 4-5 mins, until the sauce has thickened and the chicken is cooked through
Make the pesto drizzle
- In the small bowl, combine the pesto and toasted pine nuts with 2 tsp olive oil. Loosen with a splash of water if needed. Season to taste with salt and pepper
Finish the risotto & plate up
- Check your chicken is cooked through by cutting a large piece in half; the flesh should be white and the juices running clear
- Stir the rice and spinach into the chicken pan and cook for 2 mins, until the spinach wilts. Add a splash of hot water to loosen the risotto, if necessary
- Share the chicken risotto between bowls. Drizzle with the pesto
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