There are 3-parts to this recipe – I have written them below in the order I would usually do them. Get your chicken breaded and in the oven first, then make your fritters and finally whip up a creamy horseradish sauce. Serve with whatever you like – green veg, crunchy salad, fried bananas!

I’ve popped this in the Vegetarian category too because the sweetcorn fritters are fully veggie and downright delicious!

Ingredients (chicken)

• ~2 pieces of chicken per person, breast or thigh
• Fresh breadcrumbs
• Egg, whisked
• Plain flour
• Salt & pepper
• Butter for greasing

Method (chicken)

1. Pre-heat oven to 180°C
2. To bread the chicken pieces, cover first in flour, then coat in whisked egg, finally rolling in the breadcrumbs, patting extra into all the nooks and crannies.
3. Place the breaded chicken in a buttered oven-proof dish, then season with salt and pepper.
4. Cut a sheet of baking parchment to the size of the baking dish, and spread with a generous amount of butter (oh so healthy!). Place the sheet butter-side-down on top of the chicken, and bake for around 40 mins or until the chicken is cooked through, removing the buttered sheet for 5-10 mins towards the end to allow the top to crisp up.
5. Turn off oven, leaving the chicken in the bottom so it stays warm.

Ingredients (sweetcorn fritters)

• 1 cup frozen/canned sweetcorn
• 2 eggs, separated
• Pinch of caster sugar
• Salt & pepper
• 1/2-1 cup of fresh breadcrumbs
• 1tsp baking powder

Method (sweetcorn fritters)

1. Beat egg yokes with the sugar and seasoning in a small bowl, then add the sweetcorn.
2. In a separate bowl, whisk egg whites until stiff peaks form.
3. Fold a large spoon of the egg white into the sweet corn to loosen the mixture, then carefully fold the loosened mixture into the rest of the egg white along with the baking powder.
4. Fold in enough breadcrumbs to bring the mixture to a dropping consistency. It needs to be dry enough to hold together, but loose enough that it can be dropped easily into the pan.
5. Heat a generous drizzle of sunflower or vegetable oil in a pan, and fry dessert spoon sized portions in batches until golden brown on both sides.
6. Put fritters on a plate on top of a few sheets of kitchen towel, and place in the bottom of the oven with the chicken to keep warm.

Ingredients (horseradish sauce)

• 30g butter
• 1 heaped tbsp plain flour
• 3/4 cup chicken stock
• 1 dessert spoon of hot horseradish sauce
• 5 tbsp single cream or cooking cream
• A squeeze of lemon juice
• Salt & pepper

Method (horseradish sauce)

1. Melt butter in a small saucepan, and whisk in flour to make a rue.
2. Add a splash of chicken stock, bring to the boil, then remove from heat and whisk into a smooth paste. Repeat this step, adding a little stock at a time, until the sauce is a thick, but pourable, consistency.
3. Stir in the hot horseradish, lemon juice, seasoning, and finally the cream.
4. Serve with chicken and fritters!

Story time…

For me “comfort food” is food that reminds me of home. Food that I have had the pleasure of enjoying time and time again. Food that I can pretty much make from memory. And this recipe is exactly that.

My Nan & Grandad have been making these fritters for years, passing the recipe along to my mum, and then naturally on to me. It is straightforward enough to whip up one evening at home, but still interesting enough that it works really well for dinner parties – I have used it countless times!

The pièce de résistance of this feast is definitely the corn fritters. They always go down well with anyone I serve them too. I would quite happily munch a pile of them on their own, but the breaded chicken with horseradish sauce makes it into more of a meal. This time round, I served this with green beans and sautéed potatoes, but other alternatives which work well include:

• fresh crunchy green salad, topped with grilled pineapple slices and balsamic dressing
• fried banana
• crispy bacon

You can use any combo of side-dishes you want, or none at all! Completely up to you. Do let me know if you come across any particularly spectacular accompaniments I need to know about! Enjoy…

The quantities here totally depend on how many people you are feeding and the size of the chicken pieces you are using. I usually make enough for two pieces per person – either breast or thigh. Leftovers can be saved for the next day – although I can assure you that the fritters won’t make it! They’ll be gobbled in an instant! You essentially need enough breadcrumbs to cover the chicken. Egg-wise you can always whisk up another one if you run out.