No beating chicken & cheese balls
Try these moreish savoury balls paired with roasted kumara.
CHICKEN & CHEESE BALLS WITH ROAST KUMARA CHUNKS
Ready in: 35 minutes Prep: 20 minutes Cook: 20 minutes Serves: 4-5 people.
Roast kumara chunks
600g orange or red kumara, scrubbed and diced 2cm Chicken and cheese balls
cup panko breadcrumbs (for rolling)
1 courgette
450g chicken mince
cup panko breadcrumbs 1 teaspoon chicken spice mix (see recipe below)
teaspoon salt
70g cheese, diced 1cm (for example, Colby, Edam) Chicken spice mix teaspoon smoked paprika teaspoon ground cumin Spinach and kiwi salad 2 teaspoons olive oil 2 teaspoons vinegar (for example, red wine, white wine)
telegraph cucumber 2 kiwifruit
2-3 handfuls baby spinach Each week Nadia gives you another easy recipe for your family and you’ll find all the ingredients in My Food Bag. myfoodbag.co.nz
leaves
Sweet chilli mayo cup mayonnaise 1 tablespoon mild sweet chilli sauce
Preheat oven to 220 degrees Celsius. Line two oven trays with baking paper. Toss kumara on first prepared tray with a drizzle of oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast for 15-18 minutes, until tender. Turn once during cooking.
Place first measure of breadcrumbs onto a plate and set aside. While kumara cooks, grate courgette until you have a cup worth. Place in a clean tea towel and squeeze out excess moisture. Add to a bowl with chicken mince, second measure of breadcrumbs, chicken spice mix and salt. Mix to combine using clean hands.
Using a tablespoon measure, scoop out mince mixture, take a piece of cheese and completely encase it in mince mixture, rolling into a ball. Place balls onto plate with breadcrumbs and roll to coat with crumbs. Heat a drizzle of oil in a large fry-pan on medium-high heat. Cook chicken and cheese balls for about 3-4 minutes, until browned on all sides. Transfer to second prepared tray and finish cooking in oven for 5-7 minutes, until cooked through.
In a medium bowl, whisk oil and vinegar. Dice cucumber
1cm; scoop out flesh from kiwifruit (discarding skin) and roughly chop; roughly chop baby spinach leaves. Add all to bowl with dressing, toss to combine and season.
In a small bowl, combine mayonnaise and sweet chilli sauce. To serve, divide roast kumara chunks, chicken and cheese balls between plates. Serve spinach and kiwi salad and sweet chilli mayo on the side.