Crispy Star-Shaped Chicken & Sweet Potato Bites

Ingredients

Tick the ingredients as you go

For the bites

• 350 g boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into 2 cm (3/4 in) dice
• 300 g sweet potato, peeled, cut into 3 cm (1 in) chunks
• 1 sprig fresh rosemary
• 1/2 tsp black peppercorns
• 750 ml water, enough to just cover
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 3/4 tsp fine salt
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 2 tbsp cornstarch

For the coating

• 50 g all-purpose flour, about 1/3 cup plus 1 tbsp
• 1 large egg
• 4 tbsp cold water
• 100 g panko breadcrumbs, about 1 1/2 cups
• 2 tbsp neutral oil, for brushing or spraying when air frying; for deep frying use about 1 litre (4 cups) instead

For the orange dip

• 3 tbsp mayonnaise
• 1 tbsp ketchup
• 1 tsp honey
• 1/4 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp lemon juice

To serve

• 1 tbsp fresh parsley, finely chopped

Instructions

1. 1

   Boil chicken and potato

   Put the chicken, sweet potato, rosemary and peppercorns in a pot and add the water. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer on medium-low for 15 minutes, until a knife slides easily into the sweet potato and the chicken is white all the way through with no pink (74°C / 165°F).

2. 2

   Drain and steam-dry

   Drain well in a colander, pick out the rosemary and as many peppercorns as you can, and let everything sit for 10 minutes. The pieces should look dry on the surface with steam no longer rising heavily. Excess water makes a sticky paste.

   
3. 3

   Blend the paste

   Add the chicken and sweet potato to a food processor with the paprika, salt, garlic powder and cornstarch. Blend for 45-60 seconds, scraping down twice, until the mixture is a smooth, pale-orange paste with no visible chicken strands and a texture like thick mashed potato.

   
4. 4

   Roll and chill

   Scrape the paste into a large zip-top bag, press it flat into the corners, and roll it to an even 1 cm (3/8 in) thickness. Refrigerate the flat bag for 20 minutes until it feels firm and holds a fingerprint without smearing.

5. 5

   Cut the stars

   Snip open the bag along both sides and peel back the top layer. Press a 5 cm (2 in) star cutter straight down, lift the stars out with a thin spatula, and place them on a parchment-lined tray. Gather the scraps, re-roll once, and cut again for about 36 stars in total.

   
6. 6

   Make batter and crumbs

   Whisk the flour, egg and cold water in a shallow bowl until it looks like thin pancake batter that coats a spoon in a see-through layer. Spread the panko in a second shallow dish.

   
8. 7

   Bread the stars

   Dip each star in the batter and let the excess drip off, then lay it in the panko and press the crumbs on gently with a fork and your fingertips. Every surface and point should be fully covered with no wet patches. To freeze some, set them on a tray and freeze for 1 hour before bagging.

   
9. 8

   Stir the dip

   Stir the mayonnaise, ketchup, honey, paprika and lemon juice in a small bowl until the sauce is smooth and a uniform pale orange. Cover and refrigerate until serving.

10. 9

    Air fry until golden

    Preheat the air fryer to 200°C (400°F) for 3 minutes. Brush or spray the stars lightly with oil, arrange them in a single layer without touching (about 12-16 per batch), and cook 10-12 minutes, flipping halfway, until the crumbs are deep golden and crisp to the touch.

    
11. 10

    Or deep fry

    Heat about 5 cm (2 in) of oil in a heavy pot to 175°C (350°F). Fry 6-8 stars at a time for 2 1/2-3 minutes until deep golden and floating, then drain on a wire rack. Let the oil come back to temperature between batches.

    
12. 11

    Serve hot

    Rest the stars for 2 minutes so the centers settle. Pile them on a board, scatter the parsley over, and serve with the orange dip. A broken star should show a soft, steamy, pale-orange interior.