Chicken, basil pesto & courgette risotto:

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Dad of three, Marcus Bean, is a chef, author, and presenter who learned to cook by taking charge of the kitchen in his Shropshire pub. Teaching himself how to cook from scratch, he then went on to win Iron Chef UK on Channel 4, beating a two Michelin starred chef!
Since then, Marcus has become a regular chef on ITV’s “This Morning”, creating quick and tasty recipes for numerous presenters and has even cooked for the Duchess of York.
Marcus has also become a popular host at the BBC Good Food shows, appeared on Good Food Channel’s “Market Kitchen”, Channel 4’s “What’s Cooking” shows and on Food Network & ITV’s children’s cookery show “The Munch Box” & The Saturday Show.
Marcus released his cookery book, The Good Chicken Cookbook: with Over 100 Delicious and Sustainable Recipes, in July 2024, some of which Marcus has kindly shared with BROOD, so that we can each cook and share with our broods!

Once you master the basics of risotto, the options are endless. To make it easier on busy weekdays, you can make the base in advance, then finish it off just before serving.

Prep time: 20 minutes, plus making the stock

Cooking time: 35 minutes

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

For the risotto base

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 75g unsalted butter
• 1 large onion, finely diced
• 2 garlic cloves, finely diced
• 250g risotto rice, such as Arborio
• 200ml dry white wine
• 750ml hot Vegetable Stock (see page 207)
• 1 courgette, finely diced

For the risotto:

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 4 skinless chicken breasts
• 3–4 tbsp basil pesto
• 100ml double (heavy) cream
• 150g Parmesan cheese, grated, plus extra for serving
• Juice and zest of 1/2 lemon
• 1 tbsp chives
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method:

1) Make the risotto base

1. Heat the olive oil and butter in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and fry for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened.
2. Stir in the rice to coat it in the onion mixture. Pour in the wine and stir until it is absorbed by the rice.
3. Add a small ladleful of the hot stock and stir until absorbed before adding the next ladleful. Add the courgette, then continue adding the stock for about 5 minutes, stirring so the rice cooks evenly, until you have used half of it.
4. Optional pause: Transfer the rice to a lidded container and leave to cool completely. When cool, cover and chill for up to 2 days.

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