Cornflakes make a great coating for chicken or fish and I often use them instead of breadcrumbs, especially when I'm also cooking for my twins, Connor and Lucia. Before cooking they can be frozen, and once solid stored in ziplock bags. They are great finger food and you’ll find that most children will enjoy them.

Download the recipe from here.

SERVES 4

  • 50g (2oz) plain flour
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 tbsp milk
  • 150g (5oz) cornflakes, crushed
  • 4 small boneless, skinless chicken
  • breast fillets, cut into 8 evensized strips
  • olive oil spray, for cooking
  • ½ cucumber, cut into chunks
  • FOR THE HONEY MUSTARD DIP:
  • 2 tbsp thick Greek yogurt
  • 1 tbsp mayonnaise (shop-bought)
  • 1 heaped tsp Dijon mustard
  • 1 tsp runny honey
  • sea salt and freshly ground
  • black pepper

Method

1 Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F/gas mark 6).Line a large baking sheet with non-stick baking paper.

2 To make the honey mustard dip, mix the yogurt with the mayonnaise, mustard and honey in a small bowl and season to taste. Cover with cling film and chill until needed.

3 Place the flour on a plate and season to taste. Beat together the eggs and milk in a separate dish. Put the cornflakes in another dish. Toss the chicken strips lightly in the flour, then dip in the beaten egg mixture and coat with the cornflakes.

4 Arrange the coated chicken strips on the lined baking sheet and spray lightly with the olive oil. Place in the oven and cook for 8–10 minutes, until crisp and golden brown.

5 Arrange the crunchy chicken strips on plates with small bowls of the honey mustard dip and the chunks of cucumber to serve.

Spiced chicken skewers with shredded salad

These delicious chicken skewers are marinated in yogurt and spices, which makes them incredibly tender and succulent. I like to cook them on the barbecue or griddle pan, but if you decide to use the grill, you’ll need to soak the wooden skewers in water first or just use metal ones.

SERVES 4

  • juice of ½ lemon
  • 2 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 6 heaped tbsp natural yogurt
  • 3 tbsp chopped fresh coriander,
  • plus extra to garnish
  • 1 tbsp freshly grated root ginger
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp ground coriander
  • 2 tbsp rapeseed oil
  • 500g (1lb 2oz) boneless, skinless
  • chicken breast fillets or thighs, cut
  • into 2cm (¾in) cubes
  • lemon wedges, to garnish
  • FOR THE SHREDDED SALAD:
  • ½ head of red cabbage, tough core
  • removed and shredded
  • 2 carrots, cut into julienne (a
  • mandolin is best for doing this)
  • ½ small red onion, very thinly sliced
  • 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • juice of ½ lemon
  • ½ tsp runny honey
  • good pinch of ground cumin
  • good pinch of ground coriander
  • good pinch of ground turmeric
  • good pinch of paprika
  • sea salt and freshly ground
  • black pepper

Method

1 Mix together the lemon juice, garlic, yogurt, fresh coriander, ginger, spices and 1 tablespoon of the oil in a shallow nonmetallic dish. Season with pepper and stir in the cubes of chicken, then cover with cling film and leave to marinate for at least 20 minutes, or up to 2 days in the fridge is fine.

2 Heat a griddle pan until it’s smoking hot. Thread the chicken onto 15cm (6in) skewers, then brush the griddle pan with the remaining tablespoon of oil and put on the chicken skewers. Cook for 12–14 minutes, until the chicken is just tender and cooked through, turning regularly. Season lightly with salt.

3 Meanwhile, to make the salad, place all the vegetables in a bowl. Mix together the oil with the lemon juice, honey and spices (or shake in a jar with a tight-fitting lid), then use to dress the salad.

4 Serve the shredded salad alongside the spiced chicken skewers on plates and garnish with lemon wedges and chopped fresh coriander.