This chicken recipe comes from my Food For Sport Cookbook.

Serves 6

600g chicken breasts, skinned and minced
1 sml clove garlic, crushed
1 egg
1 tsp mixed dried herbs or chopped fresh parsley
coarsely ground black pepper, to taste
1 tsp lemon juice
2½ cups tomato juice

1. In a bowl, combine the chicken, garlic, egg, herbs, pepper and lemon juice.  Mix well.  Leave to stand for 10 minutes.
2. With wet hands, form tablespoonfuls of the mixture into balls about the size of a walnut.
3. In a saucepan, bring the tomato juice to the boil.Reduce to a simmer.  One by one, drop the chicken balls into the tomato juice and simmer for 20 minutes.
4. Use a slotted spoon to remove the chicken balls from the tomato juice.
5. By this stage the juice should have reduced and thickened to the consistency of a sauce.  If not, simmer the sauce for a little longer.

As a main course:  Place the chicken balls in a serving dish and spoon over the sauce.  Serve hot with baked or boiled jacket potatoes and steamed vegetables.

Alternatively, arrange the chicken balls on a bed of cooked spaghetti and spoon over the tomato sauce.

As an appetiser:  Make the chicken balls a little smaller and serve on toothpicks.  Arrange around a bowl of the sauce, for dipping.

On the barbecue:  Baste with the tomato juice during cooking.

To vary:  You may substitute the chicken with lean minced veal, pork or beef.

To store:  Store chicken balls in their sauce, covered, for up to 3 days in the refrigerator.  Freeze chicken balls and sauce together.