Fruity Chicken Balls are a great finger food for kids of all ages. Great for baby-led weaning (BLW), for toddlers or in a kids lunch box.
The first time that I made these fruity chicken balls was when Rory was a baby. He did baby-led weaning and I found that these were a great little finger food to have at home or to pop into a lunch box when going out and about.
The only way Rory would eat chicken as a baby was if it was thigh meat or minced and made into burgers or balls such as these. As he got older he was more able /willing to eat chunks of meat but even now, at two years old, he prefers meat served like this.
Now that Finn has started school I have been thrown into the world of lunch boxes. It is important to me that Finn has a healthy and varied lunch box as, after all, it makes up a third of his daily food. Lately, I have been thinking of different foods that I can add to the lunch box and thought that these would be perfect; they can be frozen and taste really good cold.
I often serve these as part of the main meal or with a small salad at lunchtime. Usually, I cut up some fruit and vegetables to make fun little kebab sticks with them. I’m not sure why, but kids generally find food instantly more appealing when it is on a stick!
The reason I add milk-soaked breadcrumbs to the mixture is to produce a lighter, more tender ball. If you or your kid have allergies then you can miss this out, they still taste great!
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Fruity Chicken Balls
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion , finely chopped
- 1 carrot , peeled and grated
- 40g (3/4 cup) Fresh Breadcrumbs (optional see notes)
- 2 tbsp Milk (optional see notes)
- 1 Small pear , peeled and grated
- 1 Apple , peeled and grated
- 500 g Chicken mince
- 2 tsp Fresh chopped parsley
- 1 tsp Smoked paprika
- Oil for frying
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a pan and fry the onion and carrot, over a low heat, until soft. (For around 5 mins)
- Add the milk to the breadcrumbs and allow to sit for 5 mins.
- Place the apple and pear onto a clean dishcloth and squeeze as much juice as you can out of them. (save the juice for smoothies etc)
- Add all the ingredients to a mixing bowl and mix with your hands until all the ingredients are mixed together.
- Form around 25 balls with your hands. Shallow fry for around five minutes, until golden on both sides.
Recipe Notes
- I add the soaked breadcrumbs to the mixture to produce a lighter, more tender ball. If you have a dairy/gluten allergy then you can miss this out but the ball will be tougher.
Jessie says
Hey!
Would you freeze these before or after cooking?
Amy says
Hi Jessie, you can do either. I usually cook them before freezing as the kids enjoy them cold 🙂
Helen says
When you say your kids like them cold, do you just defrost and eat? No need to reheat? Thanks x
Amy says
Hi Helen, yes they are happy to eat them without re heating 🙂
BLW momma says
I used a parsnip instead of carrot and just one apple (no pear). It was delish and my 11 month old loved them too.
Amy says
Sounds great, happy they worked for you 🙂
Sarah says
This recipe sounded intriguing to me with all the healthy ingredients. I tweaked it a bit. I used a food processor to make fresh breadcrumbs from a hearty oat bread and then to shred the carrot, then the apple and pear. I left the skin on for the vitamins and fiber. I cooked the meatballs 1/2 a batch at a time. By the time they cooked through, the outside was too dark. For the second half, I mashed them slightly into thick patties, turned the heat down to Med-low and put a lid on the skillet. Much, much better! Mine didn’t hold up on a skewer for serving but I piled them on brown rice and they were well received by my husband and 23 month old. My 6 year old and 3 year old wouldn’t try them. Overall, pretty good. Any drawbacks I had are likely because I changed the recipe.
Amy says
Hi Sarah, thank you for your detailed feedback. I’ve never had a problem with the outside cooking too quickly, perhaps my heat was lower? I’m glad you found a way to work for you in the end and that your youngest was happy to eat them. Thanks for taking the time to rate and comment, it means a lot 🙂