Cranberry and brie chicken polpette recipe
Creamy brie and tangy cranberries give these Italian-inspired meatballs a festive flavour twist for Christmas. Serve with crusty bread to mop up the spicy tomato sauce.
See method- Serves 4
- Takes 55 mins
- 403 calories / serving
- Freezable
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 onions, finely chopped
- 500g pack 5% fat chicken mince
- 50g dried cranberries
- 2 tsp dried thyme
- 100g brie, cut into 5mm chunks
- 1 medium carrot, peeled and finely chopped
- 1 celery stick, finely chopped
- 2 large garlic cloves, finely crushed
- 1 tsp crushed chillies
- 500ml passata
- ½ tsp caster sugar
- 10g fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
- crusty bread, to serve (optional)
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Shop ingredientsEach serving contains
- Energy
- 1685kJ 403.0kcal
- Fat
- 19g
- Saturates
- 7g
- Salt
- 0.7g
- Sugars
- 20g
of the Reference intake
Carbohydrate 24.0gProtein 31.1gFibre 5.1g
Method
- Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large nonstick frying pan over a medium heat. Add the onion, cover with a lid and cook for 10 mins, stirring occasionally, until softened. Spoon into a bowl and add half to a second bowl with the chicken mince, cranberries and thyme. Mix well with a wooden spoon, then fold through 60g brie. With damp hands, shape the mix into 24 even-sized balls, roughly 25g each.
- Add the remaining oil to the frying pan, set over a medium heat and brown the chicken polpette for 5 mins until golden all over; set aside.
- Return the onion to the frying pan, along with the carrot and celery, and cook for 5 mins until starting to soften, scraping any caramelised polpette off the pan. Stir through the garlic and chilli and cook for a further 2 mins, then add the passata and sugar. Bring to the boil, cover and simmer for 10 mins, stirring often. Season with black pepper. Nestle the polpette into the sauce, re-cover and cook for 6-8 mins until the chicken is cooked. Top with the remaining brie and cook for 1-2 mins until melted.
- Sprinkle with fresh parsley and serve with crusty bread, if you like.
- See more Christmas recipes
Freezing and defrosting guidelines
Freeze the cooked polpette in the sauce for up to 1 month. Defrost fully overnight in the fridge, then gently cook in a frying pan until piping hot before topping with the brie. In order to enjoy optimum flavour and quality, frozen items are best used within 3 months of their freezing date. For more tips on freezing and defrosting food, read our article Love Your Freezer.
- For top tips on protecting you and your family when preparing raw meat and poultry, visit Food Safety in the Home.
