Chicken fritters

Ingredients:

100 g (4 oz) boneless cooked chicken, skinned and finely chopped
25 g (1 oz) margarine
40 g (1 1/2 oz) plain flour
150 ml (1/4 pint) milk
1 egg yolk
50 g (2 oz) cooked ham, finely chopped
4 button mushrooms, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
salt and freshly ground black pepper
125 g (4 oz) packet batter mix
6 rashers streaky bacon, rinds removed
vegetable oil, for deep frying

Method:

1. Make the sauce: melt margarine in a saucepan, sprinkle in 25 g (1 oz) flour and stir over low heat for 1 - 2 minutes until straw-coloured. Remove from heat and gradually stir in the milk and the egg yolk. Return to heat and simmer, stirring, until thick and smooth.

2. Stir in the chicken, ham, mushrooms and oregano and season to taste with salt and pepper. Pour the mixture on to a large plate, spread it out with a knife and leave to cool for 15 - 20 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, heat the oven to 110C/225F/Gas 1/4 and make up the batter according to the packet instructions.

4. Stretch each of the bacon rashers with the back of a knife and then cut them in half.

5. Divide the chicken mixture into 12, then roll each piece into a ball, and shape it into a roll. Wrap each roll with bacon.

6. Spread out the remaining 15 g (1/2 oz) flour on a flat plate and season with salt and pepper. Dip each roll in the flour until evenly coated.

7. Heat the oil in a deep-fat fryer to 190C/375F or until a day-old bread cube browns in 50 seconds.

8. Dip the rolls one at a time into the batter, then drop into the hot oil
and deep fry 6 at a time for about 6 minutes until golden and crispy. 9 Drain on absorbent paper and keep warm in oven while cooking the second batch.

Serve at once.


serving amount
serves 4