Oven Baked Risotto with Caprese Chicken

I love risotto, but whenever I see a recipe for it, I immediately picture myself standing in the kitchen, stirring and stirring and stirring.  Not so fast! This was my first attempt at this recipe, and I wouldn't change a thing!  It was a great weeknight dinner, and leftovers the next day were equally as good.

Oven Baked Risotto with Caprese Chicken
Adapted from Baked Bree
Total time: 45 minutes
Serves 2-3

Ingredients
2 Tablespoons butter
2 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 cup Arborio rice
1 chopped small onion
salt & pepper to taste
1 lb cooked chicken
1 (8-ounce) ball fresh mozzarella, cubed
1 cup grape tomatoes, sliced in half
3 Tablespoons olive oil
2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
Favorite Italian seasonings to taste
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place the butter in a 9×13 baking dish or a 2 quart baker. Bake the butter in the oven until it melts, about 5 minutes.

2. Add the Arborio rice and onions; season with salt and pepper.

3. Pour the chicken broth over and cover with tin foil and bake for 35 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, combine the sliced tomatoes, olive oil,  balsamic. I also added dashes of oregano, garlic powder, and rosemary.  Gently toss in the mozzarella and basil. Set aside.

5. If you don't have cooked chicken on hand, now's the time to cook the chicken as desired   I had pre-chopped chicken, so I cooked it on a skillet over medium-high heat.

6. Take the rice out of the oven and fluff with a fork.Top the rice with chicken and the caprese mixture.