Basil Chicken with Risoni and Vegies

Basil Chicken with Risoni and Vegies

 

This is another weight watchers recipe. I hadn't done it in a long time and then my mum gave me a huge bunch of fresh basil from her garden, so i thought- what better time to cook basil chicken?

Hubby loved this one, he had seconds. And neither of us are big fans of zucchini either but didn't mind it in this! Little mister 2 year old (who is now almost a 3 year old) only ate the chicken, couldn't get him to eat the risoni with vegies as they were not 'hidden' enough!

Time Taken?: About 35 minutes all up. Not the quickest of weeknight dishes, but definately an easy dish and worth the wait. So healthy and tasty!

2 year old friendly?: See above

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS'
1 cup risoni pasta (it's a small pasta that is shaped like large grains of rice. You can find it with all the other pasta in the supermarket)
About 1 cup fresh basil leaves
4 x 125 lean chicken breast fillets, fat trimmed, halved horizontally* (see note)
The rind AND juice of 1 lemon
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 medium zucchini, halved lengthways and then thinly sliced
300g green beans, trimmed, cut into 3cm lengths
200g cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup chicken stock
Olive oil

*Note: I got a big batch of chicken breast, about 1.5 kg, and got the best breast fillets out of that lot, took the tenders off and trimmed them up and then halved them diagonally to get a more even  thickness.I also bashed out some of the thicker pieces with a meat mallet- just so they all cooked at the same time. I then used the rest of the chicken in a recipe calling for diced chicken the next night. Best way to get the right cut without wastage!).

METHOD
Cook pasta in a large saucepan of boiling salted water until just tender. Drain.
Meanwhile, finely shred about a 1/2 of the basil. Place chicken, rind, juice, shredded basil, garlic and half the oil in a large bowl. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper. Toss to coat well.
Heat about 1 tbs oil in a large non-stick frypan over medium-high heat. Cook chicken until cooked through and golden brown on the outside. Transfer to plate and cover top keep warm.
Heat another 1tbs oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook zucchini, beans and tomatoes, stirring for 2 minutes or until vegetables are softened. Add stock and cooked risoni and cook, stirring for 2 mins or until heated through. Stir in remaining basil and season with salt and freshly ground pepper.
Serve risoni aside the chicken.