Chicken with apple balls

This is a tasty recipe, very easy to make and the apple blends really well with the chicken to bring out their flavour and keep it moist. These little balls make great finger food.

MAKES 10 GOLF-BALLS

3 breasts of chicken or 6 thighs, off the bone & skinned
1 large tablespoon chopped fresh thyme or parsley
1 large eating apple, peeled   1 tablespoon lemon juice
½ small onion, peeled & thinly chopped  1 small egg, beaten
pinch mixed dried herbs   plain flour
vegetable oil

Chop the chicken very finely in the food processor and grate the apple. Mix the lemon juice with the apple. Combine chicken, apple, onion, fresh herbs and enough beaten egg to moisten. Mix well together and season with a pinch of mixed herbs. Form into little balls and roll in flour. Heat in oil in a frying pan and when it is really hot, shallow-fry the balls until they are golden and cooked through (about 6 minutes)

Bang Bang Chicken

So called, because the chicken is flattened by hitting with a mallet.

MAKES 8 PORTIONS

2 chicken breasts, skinned & off the bone   1 egg, beaten
3 slices wholemeal bread   1 tablespoon chopped parsley(optional)
1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese   1 tablespoon of chopped parsley
vegetable oil

Cover the chicken with greaseproof paper and flatten with a mallet or rolling pin. Make breadcrumbs from the slices of bread in a food processor. If you are using parmesan and parsley, mix these together with the breadcrumbs in a bowl. Dip the chicken into the flour, then into the egg and then finally into the breadcrumbs. Fry in oil for 3-4 minutes each side until golden on the outside and cooked through. Drain well. cool. cut the chicken breasts into strips and let your baby hold them as he eats.

Chicken in Tomato sauce

This is good served with some rice

MAKES 3 PORTIONS

1 chicken breast, on the bone, skinned    85ml 3floz chicken stock
a little margarine    50g/2oz button mushrooms, washed & sliced
1 onion, peeled & finely chopped    1 large tomato, skinned & chopped
1 tablespoon plain flour    a bouquet garni
1 dessertspoon tomato purée    2.5 cm/1 inch celery stalk, finely chopped

Fry the chicken until golden in a little margarine (approx 5 min's). Meanwhile fry the onion and celery and stir to make a paste. Stir in the tomato purée and chicken stock and bring to the boil. Fry the sliced mushrooms in a little margarine for 2 minutes. Put the chicken into a small casserole dish, pour over the tomato sauce and add the chopped tomato, the mushrooms and bouquet garni. Cook in an oven preheated to 350ºF(180ºC) Gas 4 for 35 minutes. Remove the bouquet garni, take the chicken off the bone and cut into chunks or strips

Chicken with summer vegetables

In the summer, you can often find different varieties of squash - some are round, some green and some yellow. They are all delicious, but this recipe can also be made simply with courgette's.

MAKES 3 PORTIONS

1 chicken breast, on the bone, skinned   vegetable oil
120ml/4floz chicken stock   3 courgette's, washed & finely chopped
¼ red sweet pepper seeded & finely chopped   1 shallot, peeled & finely chopped
a small piece of yellow squash, finely chopped   ½ tablespoon chopped basil

Fry the chicken breast in a little oil for about 5 minutes. Pour the chicken stock over and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the finely chopped vegetables and basil, cover and simmer for a further 10 minutes. Remove the chicken from the bone, cut flesh into very small pieces and serve it with the vegetables and chicken stock. If necessary you can make it into a rough purée in a blender or food processor.

Chicken with cornflakes

Cornflakes are very versatile, and they are nice when used instead of breadcrumbs to coat both chicken and fish

MAKE 6 PORTIONS

1 egg beaten   2 chicken breast, skinned & off the bone
2 tablespoons milk   25 g/1oz margarine, melted
50g/2oz cornflakes, crushed

Mix together the beaten egg and milk in a shallow dish. In a separate dish, spread out the cornflake crumbs. Dip the chicken breasts into the egg and then coat with the cornflakes. Put the chicken into a greased ovenproof dish and pour over the melted margarine. Bake for about 1 hour in the oven preheated to 350ºF(180ºC) Gas 4.