Chicken and bacon risotto with vegetables
Build muscle over the festive season with this wintry workout dish
Ingredients
¼ red pepper, diced
½ red onion, diced
1 clove of garlic, crushed
½ chicken breast, chopped
1 rasher of smoked bacon, diced
125g arborio risotto rice
2tsp olive oil
100ml white wine
250ml chicken stock
5 asparagus spears, halved
Handful of spinach leaves
25g parmesan cheese, grated
To make
Heat the olive oil in a deep pan. Add the onion, pepper and garlic and cook over a low heat until softened. Add the chicken and bacon to the pan and brown, then add the rice and cook for one to two minutes, stirring regularly. Add the wine and cook for a further two minutes, then add the chicken stock a little at a time, stirring throughout. Continue to cook for ten to 12 minutes, making sure you stir well. When the stock is all gone, add the asparagus and cook for a further three minutes. Take off the heat, stir in the spinach and parmesan, and serve.
Chicken
The protein feeds muscle and regulates digestion, while the vitamin B3 helps the body break down carbs and fat into energy.
Asparagus
The spears have vitamin K to help maintain healthy bones, and manganese to protect cells from the oxidative stress caused by exercise.
Garlic
Garlic contains bone-building manganese and anti-inflammatory gingerols to help reduce muscle soreness after a workout session.
Risotto rice
This is full of high-GI carbohydrates for energy and B vitamins, which are needed to release that energy and boost red blood cells.
Want another bulk-building meal? Then check out these tasty tacos.
Coach is a health and fitness title. This byline is used for posting sponsored content, book extracts and the like. It is also used as a placeholder for articles published a long time ago when the original author is unclear. You can find out more about this publication and find the contact details of the editorial team on the About Us page.