Risoni is somewhat of a revelation to me. I am one of the few on earth that don’t particularly go for pasta finding it too heavy. I didn’t realise this until a few years ago but my whole life I’d been unwittingly eating something of an Atkins diet eschewing breads and breadlike carbs in favour of meat and salads. But Risoni is another matter altogether. I can eat copious amounts of the slender, hard to catch, rice shaped grains.
This whole salad can be put together hours ahead of time and served cold if its a particularly hot day. Or if you happen to be in the Northern Hemisphere round about now where its much chillier, serving it hot is just as nice. It is simplicity personified and wonderfully healthy to boot.
Risoni with chicken, pesto and peas
Serves 2
- 300grams Risoni
- Chicken breast or tenderloins
- 100g pesto (I used a basil and cashew pesto dip by Always Fresh)
- Lemon juice and olive oil
- 1 cup cooked peas
1. Cook risoni in water for 10 mins until al dente
2. While it is cooking, cook chicken pieces under grill or in frypan
3. When risoni is done, rinse and mix with 2 tablespoons of pesto and peas, 1-2 tablespoons of oil and a squeeze of lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper
4. Plate risoni and plate grilled chicken on top. Drizzle pesto on top of the chicken.
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3 Comments | Add your own
Indeed risoni is “hard to catch”.. great way of putting it! Though I love risoni.. I’ve avoided it because all of my big-holed strainers/colanders seem to let a third of my cooked risoni escape into my kitchen sink plug hole!
I love the texture and taste of it though.. and this sounds like a great recipe. Ever since reading a foodie article about a pesto-making family in Italy - I have been buying their pesto - being ‘Sacla’ pesto.. and particularly the Wild Rocket pesto which is still dense in basil.
You could make this recipe with chopped up deli BBQ chicken too I imagine… making it even quicker (though higher fat content.
Thank you for sharing your culinary delight!
this recipe looks easy enough for me to make (i might buy the chicken pre-cooked though).
btw in the uk, they call risoni orzo, which is why i couldn’t find it on the british supermarket sites.
Hi Maria-Yes beware the colander and the escaping risoni making a break for it!
Oh yes I think I’ve seen Sacla pesto at the supermarket. Thanks for the rec, the Wild Rocket one sounds fab! 
Hi blythe-Yes there’s no shame in buying a pre cooked chicken. I personally don’t like the smell of raw chicken as it makes me nauseous so I buy it cooked more often that not. Ahh ok, orzo it is!
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