Chicken rolls
Chicken rolls
Here’s a twist on the humble sausage roll, made with chicken and spring onions instead. It’s really easy to do and makes lots of chunky nibbles – perfect for when you’re settling down to watch a game.
Makes around 14
For the pastry
200g plain flour
100g butter, cubed and chilled, plus a little extra to grease
For the filling
2 SuperValu chicken breasts (around 325g), roughly chopped
4 spring onions, roughly chopped
100g breadcrumbs
1 tablespoon each freshly chopped parsley, sage and thyme
A little plain flour
1 egg, beaten
Salt and ground white pepper
To serve
Tomato ketchup
- Put the flour in a food processor and add the butter. Whiz until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add 3-4 tbsp cold water and whiz again until the mixture just starts to come together. Tip into a bowl and knead lightly until the mixture is smooth, then shape into a rough flat square, wrap in clingfilm and chill for 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, make the filling. Put the chicken in a food processor and add the spring onions, breadcrumbs, parsley, sage and thyme. Whiz together until everything is well mixed and looks like sausagemeat. Season well; whiz again. Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan oven/gas mark 6. Grease a large baking sheet or line with baking parchment.
- Roll the pastry out on a lightly floured board until it measures a rough 30cm square. Divide the chicken mixture roughly in half. Dust lightly with flour and, taking one half, mould into a long sausage to fit the width of the pastry. Place about a third of the way up, horizontally. Do the same with the remaining chicken mixture and place it above the first roll, leaving a gap in the middle. Cut the pastry in two, through this gap, to divide the two long sausages of chicken mixture.
- Brush the edges with beaten egg and fold over. Seal the edges. Brush all over with beaten egg, then cut into 3cm pieces. Use a sharp knife to slash each roll. Put on the prepared baking sheet and bake in the oven for 20 minutes until golden and cooked through (cut one in half to check there are no pink spots from the chicken). Serve warm with tomato ketchup to dip into.
Individual Mexican chilli pies
A pot of something hot and spicy is the side to a feast of sport. If you like your chilli hot, stir in an extra ½ teaspoon chilli flakes.
Serves 6
600g beef mince
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tablespoon freshly chopped thyme
½ teaspoon chilli flakes
400g can kidney beans, drained
400g can SuperValu chopped tomatoes
200ml hot beef stock
½ pack of 375g SuperValu mixed vegetables, thawed
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the mash
650g potatoes, roughly chopped
550g sweet potatoes, roughly chopped
50g SuperValu butter
75g SuperValu mature cheddar, grated
To serve
Salad leaves, tomato and cucumber
- Brown half the mince in a pan, over a medium heat, until golden, breaking it down with the back of a spoon as it cooks. Rest a sieve over a bowl and spoon the mince into it, to drain away the fat. Brown the remaining half of mince and, once browned, add to the cooked mince to drain away the fat once again.
- Add the crushed garlic, thyme and chilli flakes to the pan and cook for 1 minute, then return the mince to the pan with the kidney beans, chopped tomatoes and hot beef stock. Season well, cover with a lid and bring to the boil. Turn the heat down low and cook for 1 hour. This ensures the mince is lovely and tender. Ten minutes before the end of cooking time, stir in the thawed mixed vegetables.
- Make the mash topping around 20 minutes before the end of the mince’s cooking time. Put the white potatoes in a pan of cold water. Bring to the boil and cook for 10 minutes. Add the sweet potatoes to the pan and bring to the boil again. Continue to cook for 5-10 minutes until both potatoes are tender. Drain well, return to the pan and add the butter. Mash well. Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/gas mark 6.
- Divide the chilli among six individual ovenproof dishes (around 350-400ml). Spoon the mash on top and spread it out to cover the chilli. Scatter the cheese over the top. Cook in the oven for 15 minutes until bubbling hot and golden. Serve with salad.
Help Yourself Pittas
Marinating chicken gives it a delicious flavour and makes it really tender, too. This recipe calls for juicy lemons, a kick of garlic and some fragrant cumin seeds. Once you’ve cooked the chicken kebabs, serve the dip and salad in separate bowls, put the pitta on a plate and let everyone tuck in.
Serves 6
750g SuperValu chicken breast, cut into cubes
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 teaspoon cumin seeds, toasted
2 tablespoons olive oil
6 pitta breads, toasted
170g pot SuperValu tzatziki
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the salad
100g spinach
2 tomatoes, cut into wedges
1 red onion, finely sliced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- Put the chicken in a sealable container and stir in the lemon zest, garlic, cumin and oil. Chill for at least two hours to allow to marinate. Soak 12 wooden sticks in cold water.
- Stir together the yogurt, cucumber, garlic, mint and vinegar and season well. Chill.
- When ready to cook the chicken, preheat the grill. Push the cubes of meat onto the skewers and cook under the grill for 10-15 minutes, turning over halfway through. Check the chicken is cooked by piercing one chunk with the tip of a knife. It’s ready if the juices run clear.
- Put the spinach tomatoes and red onion in a bowl. Whisk together the oil and vinegar and season and drizzle over the salad. Toast the pitta bread.
- Serve the skewers with the salad, pitta and tzatziki spooned over the top.
Budgens cook’s tip
If you want to make your own tzatziki, here’s what to do. Halve 1 whole cucumber lengthways and scoop out the seeds. Grate the flesh and put in a bowl. Add 300g Greek yogurt, 1 crushed garlic clove, 1 tbsp freshly chopped mint and 1 tbsp white wine vinegar. Stir everything together and season well.
All Budgens stores, which are owned by independent retailers, stock the new SuperValu range. To find your nearest store visit www.budgens.co.uk
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