Harissa Chicken with Parmesan and Piquanté Pepper Oven Baked Risotto

Ingredients - serves 4

8 chicken thighs 

150g harissa paste 

200g shallots 

2 pointed peppers 

10 Piquanté peppers 

300g basmati rice  

400g chopped tomatoes 

2 chicken stock cubes in 1 pint of water 

100g parmesan 

Bunch fresh parsley 

Salt and pepper 

Olive oil 

Method

To start, marinade the chicken thighs with the harissa paste and leave in the fridge for 6 hours. Once you’re ready to cook, preheat your oven to gas 6/200 C. Next place a little olive oil in a wok or large frying pan and lightly warm. Place the chicken thighs in the wok and season well. Cook until the chicken is virtually cooked and the skins have browned. Take out of the wok and place on a plate with some kitchen roll to soak up any fat juices. 

Next place the chopped shallot, piquanté peppers and pointed peppers in the wok and fry off until tender. Add the chopped tomatoes and cook for a couple of minutes. Add the rice and the stock, then stir through the parmesan and parsley.  

Cook for 1 minute before transferring to an ovenproof pan and place the chicken thighs on top. Cook for 20-25 minutes until the chicken is cooked through, the rice is tender and the stock has absorbed.  

If the rice is a little tender, remove the chicken, add some boiling water, stir and replace the chicken before returning to the oven and cooking for 10-15 more minutes. Once cooked, dish up and serve for a delicious dinner.