Oven-Baked Rice with Chicken, Butternut & Sage

📝 Ingredients

• 240 g long-grain rice
• 1 small butternut squash (about 800 g, giving 600 g flesh)
• 1 brown onion (about 120 g)
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 chicken stock cube + 600 ml boiling water
• 4 chicken breasts (about 150 g each)
• 12 fresh sage leaves (4 whole for the rice, 8 chopped for the chicken)
• 2 tbsp olive oil (1 for the rice, 1 for the chicken)
• 1 tsp sweet paprika
• 30 g grated Parmesan
• Salt, black pepper

🍴 Utensils

• Large baking dish (30 × 22 cm)
• Aluminium foil
• Vegetable peeler
• Colander
• Knife and cutting board

📖 Steps

1. Preheat the oven to 200 °C. Peel the butternut with a vegetable peeler, cut it in half, scoop out the seeds with a spoon and cut the flesh into 1.5 cm cubes: any bigger and they wouldn't cook at the same time as the rice.
2. Peel and chop the onion and garlic. Rinse the rice in a sieve under cold water, stirring it with your hand, until the water runs almost clear: this removes the starch that would make it sticky.
3. In a large baking dish of about 30 × 22 cm, mix the rice, butternut cubes, onion, garlic, 1 tbsp olive oil, a good pinch of salt and some pepper. Spread out in an even layer and lay the 4 whole sage leaves on top.
4. Dissolve the stock cube in 600 ml boiling water and pour it straight over the rice: it should cover it completely. Cover the dish with foil, pinching the edges tightly to trap the steam that cooks the rice, and bake for 20 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, finely chop the other 8 sage leaves. On a plate, rub the chicken breasts all over with 1 tbsp olive oil, the chopped sage, paprika, salt and pepper.
6. Take out the dish and carefully lift the foil, as the steam is scalding. Lay the chicken breasts on the rice, pressing them in slightly, cover tightly again and return to the oven for 15 minutes.
7. Remove the foil and bake uncovered for a further 10 minutes, until the chicken is golden and cooked through (its juices should run clear when pierced) and the rice has absorbed the liquid. If there is still some at the bottom, give it another 5 minutes.
8. Sprinkle with Parmesan, cover with a clean tea towel and leave to rest for 5 minutes so the rice finishes swelling. Cut the chicken breasts into thick slices, fluff up the rice with a fork and serve piping hot.