Pickle-Spiced Chicken with Butternut Squash Risotto

Having lived in California for almost 14 years, I am still amazed by the bounty of beautiful fruit, vegetables and herbs, which not only grace store shelves, farmers market stalls and little road side stands, but the trees that are so laden just in my street alone! Silicon Valley might be noted for being world leader in technology and innovations but I sure note it for the fact that I can walk my dog, pick some fruit off neighbors’ trees and come home with enough fruit for a fruit salad for 3 days!

So why waste this wealth…I started pickling, making jams, chutneys, sauces, and whatever else my culinary mind could come up with. Pickling spice has become a staple ingredient in my pantry and lo and behold, the idea for this recipe.

Ingredients for Pickling Spice

(This is sort of what is used in making Achar. I usually get a blend from South Africa, but with the vast amounts I’ve been using recently I had to conjure up my own version.)

1cup crushed red chili

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp black mustard seeds

1 tsp fenugreek seeds

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp granulated garlic

Mix together and store in airtight jar. To actually use this as a pickle mix, I add a few more ingredients but for this recipe we will use the above.

Marinate Chicken

4 chicken breasts

3 Tbs of the above mix

¼ cup plain yogurt

½ tsp salt

Mix everything together and marinate for about an hour in the fridge. Bake in 400F oven for 35 minutes. Make sure you slather the marinade over and cover it with foil for the for the first 20 minutes. Bake uncovered for another 10 to 15 minutes till this nice crust is formed over the chicken.

  In the meantime you can make the risotto which is nice and creamy, slightly sweet and a wonderful accompaniment to the spicy chicken. Also you don’t need a sauce or gravy because this rice dish is so moist.

Ingredients for Butternut Squash Risotto

Half stick butter

Half butternut squash cubed

Half medium onion diced

1 clove garlic crushed

1 cup brown rice

2 cups chicken stock or water

Salt and pepper to taste

On medium heat, melt the butter in a non-stick pan. Sauté the onion and garlic till translucent. Add rice and squash and toast lightly. Add small amounts of the stock and stir till it’s almost absorbed. Keep adding small amounts of stock, stirring often for a nice smooth consistency. Brown rice takes longer to cook and you might need to add more stock or water. If you choose any other rice it will be a lot faster. Cook till rice is  done and the starch renders into the stock to make a creamy base.

Be not afraid for this entire ensemble takes less than an hour to put together (if you marinated the chicken already) and you will even have time to grill some zucchini or  asparagus on the side without it taking too much of that precious time we all hold on to so endearingly.