Chicken, tomato & rocket pesto arancini

Name: Chicken, tomato & rocket pesto arancini
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: Serves 4
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: a small splash of milk; 2 eggs, beaten; 50 g/1¾ oz Parmesan cheese, grated; 250 g/9 oz/2½ cups panko breadcrumbs; 1-2 poached or roasted chicken breasts, skinned, shredded and finely chopped; 250 g/9 oz/heaped 1 cup leftover risotto rice or risotto base, chilled; 1-2 tbsp Fresh Rocket Pesto, plus extra to serve; 60 g/2¼ oz Slow-Roasted Tomatoes, drained and finely chopped; 250 g/9 oz/heaped 1 cup leftover risotto rice or risotto base, chilled; groundnut oil, for deep-frying; sea salt and freshly ground black pepper; sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preparation info

Serves
4

Difficulty
Easy
Ready in
40 min

Appears in

The Good Chicken Cookbook

By Marcus Bean

Published 2024

About

A delicious risotto-style mixture, coated in breadcrumbs and fried until golden, arancini are a Sicilian speciality that uses up risotto that you made in too generous portions. Hot or cold, they make the perfect snack food for a busy day - filling, fresh and full of flavour.

Ingredients

250 g/9 oz/heaped 1 cup leftover risotto rice or risotto base, chilled

Europe
Italy
Snack
Summer
Mediterranean

Method

Put the risotto in a bowl and mix in the chicken, tomatoes and a spoonful of pesto. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Shape the rice mixture into about 8 small balls.

Whisk together the eggs and milk in a shallow bowl to make an egg wash. Combine the breadcrumbs and Parmesan in another shallow bowl. One at a time, dip the arancini in the egg wash, coating all sides, then shake off a