Nettles and Chicken Risotto

Ingredients

For 4 people

1 teaspoon oil, preferably olive
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed
2 skinless chicken breasts, cubed
225 g risotto rice (a brown rice (preferable in terms of sugar load – see the section on Healthy Living Recommendations)
1 L hot chicken stock
40 g dried nettles
150 g frozen peas
2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons freshly chopped parsley
Freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

Heat the oil in a large non-stick frying pan, add the onion and garlic and fry for 1 minute. Add the chicken and continue to fry for 2–3 minutes.
Stir in the rice and coat with the oil. Gradually add the hot stock, stirring continuously, absorbing each addition before adding the next.
Stir in the peas with the last addition of stock and continue to cook. The whole cooking process should take about 20 minutes and the rice should be ‘al dente’.
Out of the fire, add the dried nettles.
Stir through the Parmesan cheese and parsley before serving.

Recommended daily portion

Eat one portion of this recipe to cover your daily intake of nettles.

Preparation and dosage

Consume 10 g/day (= 5 tablespoons) of dried nettle corresponding to approximatively 25 g of fresh nettles.

We recommend consuming nettle dried, or fresh and steamed for only a few minutes, in order not to lose its hypoglycaemic activity.

Proven health benefits of Nettle

Nettles are effective against prostate hyperplasia and seem also beneficial for kidney stone management and for their anti-inflammatory properties, even though further investigations are required to confirm these health benefits.

Recipes with Nettle

Nettle Crepes

Nettles CrepesIngredients For 2 people 20 g dried nettle 150 g whole grain what flour 2 eggs 300 ml milk, skimmed (a vegetal substitute might also work) Instructions Pour the dried nettles into the milk and let them rehydrate for about 15 minutes. Add the eggs, flour...

Nettle Soup

Nettle SoupIngredients For 4 people 100 g fresh nettle leaves (without the stalks) 1 onion Curry powder 1 L water Salt Plain yoghurt, low-fat (optional Instructions Wash the nettles, pick them over and discard the tough stalks. Chop the onion and brown it in a pan...