Get an instant hit of nostalgia by sinking your knife into a chicken kiev, without the worry of allergens.
Mushrooms, parsley, soya cream and a few store cupboard staples can transform a plain chicken breast into a tasty meal suitable for gluten-free, dairy-free and egg-free diets (not that you would know by the taste).
Serves 4
50g chestnut mushrooms, chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely diced
2 tsp olive oil, for frying
4 tsp chopped fresh parsley
125ml soya cream
Salt
4 chicken breasts, skin and fat removed
For the coating
100g gluten-free cornflakes
¼ tsp gluten-free vegetable stock powder
4 tsp cornflour
4 tbsp boiling water
1 Gently fry the mushrooms and garlic until soft. Add the parsley, soya cream and salt to taste, then blend for a moment using a stick blender to get a creamy mushroom sauce. Freeze for an hour until firm, but not hard.
2 Meanwhile, make the coating. Blend the cornflakes and stock into fine crumbs. Spread on to a large plate. In a cup, mix the cornflour with 2 tbsp boiling water to form a smooth paste. Slowly add the remaining water. Tip everything out on to another large plate.
3 Preheat the oven to 160C/325F/gas mark 3. Prepare the chicken by removing any skin and bits of fat. Place the chicken on the worktop, and keeping the knife parallel, carefully cut a 2cm incision in the side of the thickest part of each chicken breast using the tip of a small sharp knife, move the knife about inside the hole until you have a pocket.
4 Insert about 3 tsp frozen filling into the pocket of the chicken breast. Use a cocktail stick to pin the hole shut (use extra sticks to mend any other holes). Coat each side of the chicken first in the cornflour liquid, then the crumbs. Repeat for all the chicken breasts. Place on a baking tray and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the cocktail sticks before serving.
5 Add 50ml boiling water to any remaining mushroom filling to create extra sauce to serve with potatoes, for example. Heat to almost boiling before use.
What to watch out for
Make sure your stock powder doesn't contain any egg or dairy.
Susanna Booth is a food writer and food stylist based in London; widecirclecooking.com
Photograph: There's almost no telling that this chicken kiev has no dairy, gluten or egg in it by JIll Mead for the Guardian