Springtime Sorrel, Chicken And Leek Risotto

Springtime classic recipes don’t get much more fresh and exciting than this. Using sorrel straight from the garden allows for a speedy meal that can be created from leftovers. Use other leafy greens as they become available and keep this dish new and interesting all year round.

The sorrel in this recipe goes well with leek and chicken as it gives a lemony zing. The more you use the more the zing. Cooking sorrel takes away the really sharp and almost harsh flavor that you can get.

TOP TIP – Leftovers are a great way to make meals go further, but we have started cooking more than we need each meal in order to save costs of cooking more for the next day. So meal planning will help with this. For the chicken we use leftovers from the Sunday lunch and if we are having a meat free Monday we may use butternut squash that we have leftover from roasted veg. You can choose to use any leftovers that you have though and be carefree!

Springtime Risotto Ingredients;

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 leek chopped into 1/2 inch slices
• 2 pints (5 cups) simmering chicken stock
• 275g (1 1/2 cups) arborio rice
• 1 cup leftover roast chicken or any other cooked chicken
• 1 cup roughly chopped sorrel leaves – stalk removed
• 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese (if you are making this as a weeknight leftover type meal just use cheddar or any other cheese you have that maybe suitable)

How To Make Springtime Risotto

• Heat the oil in a pan and add the chopped leeks.
• Fry the leeks gently for about 4 minutes on a medium heat. Move them around to avoid burning, but develop a little color.
• Add the rice and fry nice and low until the risotto rice has gone a little clear on the outer edges.
• Make up the stock and keep on the simmer to ladle into the rice and leek mixture.
• One ladle of stock at a time to avoid the risotto from boiling in the water, rather it simmers and absorbs the liquid. Keep it moving to get the grains to bump together and develop that thick creamy texture.
• Once you have slowly added half of the liquid you will then be able to mix in your sorrel leaves. These should be roughly chopped as they will wilt into the dish. Stir them through and add the cooked chicken.
• Keep adding your stock and moving the rice as you go from now onwards.
• Once all but a ladle worth of stock is incorporated have a taste. I like a little nuttiness to our risotto, but some like the creaminess. So taste tests are required!
• Just before serving stir the parmesan through the risotto and pop a sprig of fresh basil or parsley on top.

TOP TIP – We don’t add additional salt as the stock has enough already added. You can add to taste if you use a salt free stock though. The parmesan is also an optional extra as the risotto is a lighter way to enjoy chicken, leek and lemony flavors together.

Springtime Vegetarian Risotto Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 leek chopped into 1/2 inch slices
• 2 pints (5 cups) simmering vegetable stock
• 275g (1 1/2 cups) arborio rice
• 1 cup cooked butternut squash, cubed or diced. You kind of want them to be on the crunchy side of cooked as they will go soggy and mushy otherwise.
• 1 cup roughly chopped sorrel leaves – stalk removed
• 1/2 cup freshly grated vegetarian parmesan cheese (if you are making this as a weeknight leftover type meal just use cheddar or any other cheese you have that maybe suitable)

How To Make A Veggie Springtime Sorrel Risotto

• Heat the oil in a pan and add the chopped leeks.
• Fry the leeks gently for about 4 minutes on a medium heat. Move them around to avoid burning, but develop a little color.
• Add the rice and fry nice and low until the risotto rice has gone a little clear on the outer edges.
• Make up the stock and keep on the simmer to ladle into the rice and leek mixture.
• One ladle of stock at a time to avoid the risotto from boiling in the water, rather it simmers and absorbs the liquid. Keep it moving to get the grains to bump together and develop that thick creamy texture.
• Once you have slowly added half of the liquid you will then be able to mix in your sorrel leaves. These should be roughly chopped as they will wilt into the dish. Stir them through and add the cooked butternut squash.
• Keep adding your stock and moving the rice as you go from now onwards.
• Once all but a ladle worth of stock is incorporated have a taste. I like a little nuttiness to our risotto, but some like the creaminess. So taste tests are required!
• Just before serving add your parmesan and

TOP TIP – be creative with your vegetables that you add here. You can add courgette (zucchini) or aubergine (egg plant) raw and allow it to gently warm and cook through with the leek.

Further Reading

• Is Sorrel Easy to Grow?
• What To Use Instead Of Sorrel
• Basil, Parmesan and Saffron Risotto
• 37 Quotes About Spring To Inspire Us All
• Spring Recipes (Angela Gray’s Cookery School): 5 by Angela Gray
• How To Use Sorrel In Family Favorite Recipes

What Next

Get started with these basic recipes and then mix them up a bit. We like to have a handful of weeknight meal ideas to fall back on when we are bored of eating the same meals over again. Fresh herbs like sorrel lend a real twist and invigorate the many dishes that can otherwise get a bit same same.