Dijon Chicken and Tomato Risotto

INGREDIENTS

Chicken

2   chicken breast halves, skinless, boneless or
6   chicken thighs, skinless, boneless
2   tablespoons sour cream
2   tablespoons Dijon style mustard
1   tablespoon Herb de Provence or mixed herbs of your choice
 
Risotto
1   can (8 ounces) tomato sauce
1   can (154 ounces) diced tomatoes
2   tablespoons olive oil
1   medium white onion, chopped
1   cup Arborio rice
½  cup dry white table wine
1   tablespoon dried basil
1   tablespoon butter
3   tablespoons Parmigiano-Romano cheese, grated

METHOD

Chicken
Preheat the oven to 375 F. Cut the chicken breasts into six even sized pieces. In a small bowl, whisk together the sour cream, mustard and herbs. Dredge each chicken piece in the mixture and place onto a wire rack placed on a baking sheet. Be sure all surfaces have an even coating of the sour cream-mustard mixture. Place the rack into the middle of the oven and bake for about 20 minutes, until the chicken pieces have begun to brown. Remove from the oven and set aside.

Risotto.

Pour the tomato sauce into a 2 cup measuring cup and add 1 can of water. Drain the diced tomatoes into the measuring cup, squeezing all the liquid out of the tomatoes. Fill the measuring cup to 2 cups with water and set aside.

As the chicken cooks, prepare the rice in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the olive oil and swirl to evenly distribute. Add the onions and cook for 5 to 6 minutes until translucent. Add the rice and mix thoroughly. Cook the rice until it begins to sizzle, about 2 to 3 minutes.

Add the white wine and stir until it is absorbed. Add ½ cup of the tomato-water mixture, stir and wait until it has been absorbed. Continue to ad small amounts of liquid and stirring until the rice becomes al dente, about 20 minutes. (Check the chicken if you haven’t already removed it from the oven.) Add the diced tomatoes and basil and mix in to the rice. Add the butter and stir until it melts. Add the cheese, remove from the heat and stir it into the rice. It is now ready to serve alongside two or three pieces of chicken.