Chicken polpette with spinach and fetta yoghurt

Name: Chicken polpette with spinach and fetta yoghurt
Cook time: 30 min
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 1 red onion, very finely sliced; 1 tsp salt; 4 tbsp lemon juice; 100g day-old bread, torn; 200ml milk; 500g minced chicken (preferably thigh); 2 tbsp grated parmesan cheese; 1 egg, beaten; 2 garlic cloves, finely grated; 2 tbsp flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped; Sea salt and pepper; 1 tbsp grated lemon zest; 2 tbsp olive oil; 200ml natural yoghurt; 100g fetta, crushed; 1/2 tsp dried oregano; 100g baby spinach; 2 tbsp Kalamata olives; 1 lemon, quartered

Jill Dupleix

June 13, 2012

Chicken polpette with spinach and fetta yoghurt.Marina Oliphant

easyTime:< 30 mins

Freshly minced thigh meat is the ideal carrier for the light, bright flavours of lemon zest, garlic and parmesan in these chicken patties.

Ingredients

1 red onion, very finely sliced
1 tsp salt
4 tbsp lemon juice
100g day-old bread, torn
200ml milk
500g minced chicken (preferably thigh)
2 tbsp grated parmesan cheese
1 egg, beaten
2 garlic cloves, finely grated
2 tbsp flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
Sea salt and pepper
1 tbsp grated lemon zest
2 tbsp olive oil
200ml natural yoghurt
100g fetta, crushed
1/2 tsp dried oregano
100g baby spinach
2 tbsp Kalamata olives
1 lemon, quartered

Method

Vegetarians, all is not lost: serve sweetcorn or chickpea fritters with the fetta yoghurt and pickled red onion instead.
To pickle red onion, slice it into rings, toss with salt and two tablespoons lemon juice and set aside.
Heat oven to 180C. Soak bread in milk for five minutes, then lightly squeeze dry. Mix with chicken, parmesan, egg, garlic, parsley, salt, pepper, lemon zest and remaining lemon juice, mulching mixture with your hands. Form meat into eight to 10 patties in your hands.
Heat oil in a pan and cook patties over medium heat, in batches, until lightly golden on both sides. Transfer to the oven and bake for 10 minutes or until cooked through.
Mix yoghurt, fetta, oregano, sea salt and pepper. Serve polpettes on a bed of spinach leaves, with fetta yoghurt, olives, lemon, and a tangle of pickled red onion.