Colourful Chicken, Quinoa, Amaranth and Rice Risotto

After a visit to the organics store to stock up on flour, I bought a bunch of different coloured quinoa and some amaranth to have a play with.  While I've used quinoa before, I'd never had amaranth, but I figured it'd be similar enough that I could figure something out (I also discovered that you can pop amaranth like popcorn!).  My first experiment was to make up a mix of equal parts red, black and white quinoa and amaranth.  It's very pretty.

I used this mix to make a risotto that was half quinoa, half rice and very colourful.


Colourful Chicken, Quinoa, Amaranth and Rice Risotto

200 g Chicken thigh, cut into chunks
1/2 cup arborio rice
1/2 cup quinoa/amaranth mix
2 1/2 cups chicken stock
~ 1 Tsp dried rosemary
~ 1 tsp dried parsley
a sprinkle of chilli or pepper to taste
1 flat brown mushroom, diced
~1/4 of a yellow capsicum, sliced
1 tomato, diced
generous handful of fresh spinach leaves

• In a medium saucepan, cook chicken in oil until cooked
• Add rice and quinoa and cook until rice begins to stick
• Add half a cup of stock, herbs, chilli and mushroom and cook with stirring until all liquid is absorbed
• Add stock in 1/2 cup lots, allowing to absorb and stirring frequently
• Add capsicum and tomato with last lot of stock to allow to warm through
• Add spinach leaves at the end and stir through

This recipe is even more delicious if a cup of cheese is added with the spinach, or maybe some garlic added with the rice, or a few rashers of bacon with the chicken.  The possibilities for adaptation are only limited by what you have in the house, or what you are able to eat.