When Mr NQN and I were getting married, I decided to join some wedding forums as I thought I might get some great recommendations from them and truthfully, there’s nobody quite as enthusiastic about weddings as brides. Some of the members were lovely and I got lots of great advice not to mention an unexpected source of sympathy whenever an law would throw us a curve ball (and there were a lot of these curve balls mainly from Mr NQN’s mum Tuulikki! 
).
Some forum member were more welcoming than others. I remember writing that I really enjoyed having friends over for dinner parties. That prompted one member to go on a diatribe about how she hated the term dinner party and that it was just for pretentious snobs. I couldn’t even defend my use of what I consider to be a fairly normal term and explain that my dinner parties aren’t stuffy affairs and instead often start with costumes and end with playing games. My friends are way too down to earth to put up with any sort of stuffy nonsense. I decided that the forum wasn’t for me and I backed out of there as quickly as I could.
I’ve told Mr NQN that if I start spinning toffee just before guests arrive, settle me down with a tranquiliser gun and tuck me into bed with a cup of tea and a few episodes of True Blood. As much as I love having friends over for dinner parties and making slightly odd and crazy concoctions I also love making regular sorts of treats. For friends like Hot Dog who came over to help Mr NQN install some new doors, I decided to bake these sausage rolls. Hot Dog is as down to earth as they get, a loyal friend and mate to Mr NQN. He is also a lover of pies and sausage rolls and I thought that I’d make them some lunch which was a little healthier than a takeaway shop offering.
I used chicken breast mince which is lower in fat than the usual sausage mince filling. Instead of adding fillers and to lower the amount of meat in them, I also added broccoli as well as apricots as I was discussing the merits of classic winter dishes from our childhood and apricot chicken was one of them. I fed them to the slightly vegetable phobic Hot Dog and they got his thumbs up. As for Mr NQN his approval was in the wolfing down of six of these babies. And yet he still remains infuriatingly skinny!
So tell me Dear Reader, do you have dinner parties? And do you think that it’s a pretentious term?
Healthy Chicken & Apricot Sausage Rolls
An Original Recipe by Not Quite Nigella
- 500g/1 pound chicken breast mince
- 1 onion, chopped finely
- 1 carrot, chopped finely
- 1/2 head of broccoli, chopped finely
- 2/3 cup of dried apricots, chopped finely
- 1 egg
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 4 sheets of reduced fat puff pastry
- 1 egg, whisked for egg wash
- Sesame seeds to sprinkle
1. Preheat oven to 200C/400F. Line two large trays with baking parchment. Take out the sheets of puff pastry to defrost.
2. In a bowl mix the mince, onion, carrot, broccoli, apricots, egg, salt and pepper. I put them all in a food processor and whizzed it together. Divide each square of pastry in half and with a teaspoon, place the filling to one side of the pastry. Roll up and seal the pastry edges gently with a little of the eggwash.
When food turns unsexy…
3. Place on the baking tray and cut clashes in them. Brush with egg wash (I do this twice to get a nice golden shade) and then sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake for 25 minutes. Serve with tomato sauce or a chilli tomato sauce.
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74 Comments | Add your own
I’ve never seen reduced fat puff pastry! I’m do excited I will stop by my grocery store to see if they have it! I just got the KitchenAid attachment that grinds meat so this would be perfect, Lorraine.
That woman sounds like a snob; who doesn’t like dinner parties? I throw them all the time (about 20 per year!) I keep notes on what I served and to whom do I don’t repeat too often!
A great idea! That filling sounds delicious.
Cheers,
Rosa
My my, you know these are good if Mr NQN ate 6 of them – love the apricots here
Oh, these look so good Lorraine. I just love sausage rolls. Love the spin on apricot chicken! I make sausage rolls with pork and veal mince and apple so a bit of fruit is a great touch. My husband would agree with you that those who can wolf down whatever they like and remain rake thin are very annoying – he’s currently swimming in 14 degree water trying to shed a few kilos because he’s one of those who can gain weight just by thinking about food. And dinner parties are fun social gatherings and I’m a firm believer in them xx
That is ridiculous! Dinner party is not a pretentious term at all! Now if you go around saying you host soirees, that I might question a little
I adore having dinner parties as there is nothing I like more than having friends and family over to eat delicious things and have a great time, whether it be for a giant crockpot of soup or something more fancy.
I loooove dinner parties. I especially love the creative/cooking process and will happily spend days preparing. I never repeat dishes (well only if they were super successful!) – there is so much out there to try. My friends understand this and are happy to be guinea pigs, taking the sometimes bad along with the good!
Yummo! I think I could almost go 6 of these. Dinner party seems an innocuous term to me. Just remember, it really is all about them…
I bet Hot Dog was totally psyched for these rolls, they look fantastic
And I can’t believe you were called a snob for saying ‘dinner party’ – that’s like calling someone for saying French fries as opposed to fries
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
Lorraine, those rolls are so pretty! I want to make some like right now! And I have puff pastry in my fridge waiting for me to decide what to make with it.
I don’t like dinner party, I just invite people for dinner.
I absolutely LOVE having dinner parties. But they are mostly casual affairs, with lots of wine, food and non stop chatter. We do use the occasion at times to dress up, but not always. It’s almost always an occasion to catch up with friends and gossip.
The pastries looks soooooo good…..I make these often, though I have never tried mixing vegies with meat. Should try it sometime.
Yum I will be trying these.
We just bought our first house, and I’m trying to decorate so that I’ll be able to have dinner parties! Everything is kind of a mess still.
These sausage rolls look really tasty. I like the different veggies you’ve added with chicken and apricot. It sounds like a lovely combination of flavors for a rich but not overly heavy dish.
How on earth could the term dinner party be deemed pretentious? It’s dinner and it’s a party?
I’ve been burnt by a forum before- definitely not for me.
I think you should serve these at your next dinner party Lorraine
what a lovely take on an old classic
Ooh how delicious. What a great way to sneak in veges.
I don’t understand what’s snobby about it. It’s a party and you eat dinner is it not? I love dinner parties!
What else are you supposed to call dinner parties? I remember those wedding forums *shudders*. Most of the members were negative and bitchy, not helpful or friendly at all!
Will always love a sausage roll, if only for the nostalgia
I love to have dinner parties at home, I like to receive friends at home and spend the night talking and of course drinking. What I don’t like is the day after, as I have to clean.
The “Sausage” looks amazing, and it’s healthy, so it’s a better reason to try it.
I love apricot chicken – as naff as that may sound! These look gorgeous.
I don’t think dinner parties is a pretentious term, it’s a party over dinner – what could be more unpretencious than that! xox
—When I hear the word “dinner party,” I know it’s going to be an event worthwhile, elegant, fun, & w/ interesting conversation.
I’d love to come to one of yours, Lorraine <3 Xxx
These Rolls Look DeeeeLISH.
I think some people are just itching for a fight! When you invite a group of people over for dinner it’s a party, well you’d certainly hope it was, otherwise it’s just plain boring. My Dad & his second wife used to issue family dinner invitations which saw us being seated in specific seats at opposite ends to our partner and when I was boyfriendless I wasn’t invited!!! They weren’t dinner parties, they were dinner disastors
Yum! So gorgeous looking! Love the photo too! I would happily munch on a few of these
I have dinner parties… I don’t think I am stuffy
I would eat 6 of those myself! Possibly even more!
These just look so lovely indeed. We grew up with apricot chicken too, a HUGE family favourite even now!
But that’s just to satisfy my creative needs, not to be pretentious- I promise!
I love having dinner parties too, but I admit that sometimes I go a bit ridiculous, and yes… I have spun toffee while the guests wait on dessert
Now, Lorraine, I have to admit this is as close as one can possibly come to a healthy sausage roll [I do like the combo of apricots and broccoli with the chicken] and I am very likely to try this myself
! And this is meant a a huge compliment from me 
! Dinner parties: I loved them back when and still do. Yes, I called them ‘dinner parties’ for decades with no idea of snobbism whatsoever implied. BUT, this is a ‘the world is moving on’ mindset type of thing: I have to admit these days the more natural utterance seems to be ‘Oh, have invited friends for dinner’ rather than calling it a ‘party’. The former wording just seems outdated?
PS Should you still be experiencing snow showers in Joburg [didn't think they quite got them!] hope you are bringing back some tasty bobotie, sosatie and bredie recipes if these are not as oldfashioned as the term ‘dinner party’
! Bobotie was one of my first marital dinner dishes: absolutely foolproof!
We used to host dinner parties at least once a month when we were living in Oz! Nothing snobbish about it- just lots of home cooked food and wine
unfortunately dont host eough of it since moving to singapore 2 years ago 
These look delicious! I love the apricot idea, I’m stealing that for sure! After all kids love a bit of sweet.
I’ve made sausage rolls with chicken mince before and I think they are really nice. They don’t taste low fat at all.
I like dinner parties, but I don’t often have them. We usually have bbq’s because most of our friends are not adventurous eaters at all. It’s kind of disheartening for me actually
Wow I love the addition of broccoli as well as carrot. A great idea as I have made chicken sausage rolls before that have been a little dry so now stick to beef or pork. Dinner parties are great fun! A relaxed affair with good friends is the best way to spend an afternoon or evening. Definitely not ‘pretentious’ by any means. Also, not to be held when you work all day or you may end up with dessert at 10.30pm (only once, I swear …) Dinner parties are purely perfect for the weekends – either planned or spur of the moment, it is the people that make the event fun!
Yes I have dinner parties and the person who said that is a dope. If you’re having friends over for a party and you’re serving dinner, what would this woman want you to call it? “Friends in for tea?” hogwash
I LOVE those sausage rolls and the photos are to die for.
A healthy sausage roll, TRUE!
Definitely gets my WHOO HOO!
If the term dinner party is of snobbish decent, guess the Queen would be me!
LOVE entertaining at themed dinner parties at home as is fun to experiment with each and every new recipe!
I love how this chicken sausages look…I like the idea of using chicken, veggies, all sweeten with apricot…and wrapped in puff pastry…
Thanks for this recipe Lorraine and hope you are having a great week
Fabulous looking chicken rolls what a good idea. The bucket you served the in is wonderful, a vintage find or just something you had at home? I often have dinner parties and they may be formal partly depending on what makes my guests comfortable. I also invite people to supper and to kitchen supper. It’s nothing to do with pretension it just lets people know what kind of event it is. GG
Hi GG! It was a vintage find from an antique store in Charters Towers in Queensland!
Thank you!
They look fabulous, just ate lunch but think I could devour one right now
Thanks for sharing!! Amy
I’m reading this before breakfast and drooling! I love having friends over for dinner parties, and tonight is one in front those occasions
Looks great Lorraine and I love how we are always try to add more veggies into our men’s food
These look healthier and tastier than more sausage rolls I ve had hehe ~
Dinner party is definitely not a pretentious word to me!!!
The filling sounds delicious! I would help fix the door too but of course if you promised me these amazing sausage rolls.
These sausage rolls look great. I haven’t thought about apricot chicken in years but I loved it when I was little. I’m always a bit iffy about the phrase dinner party too and often say it tongue in cheek. It’s very 70s! And very mIddle class
I don’t think ‘dinner party’ is a pretentious term at all. Soiree on the other hand… haha.
Those sausage rolls look great!
Waiting for dinner to cook…should not have read this. I am now soooooo hungry. Yum.
wow these look great, will try them on my girls on the weekend any excuse to get more vegies into them thanks oh and I love a good dinner party!!
Very delicious looking rolls – and the recipe looks versatile enough to make a vegetarian version as well! Love your blog!
I love dinner parties, and I have become better at hosting them. The last thing one wants it to be busy with food preparation and away from all the people having fun at your own dinner party…a skill I am continuing to refine. What nonsense to say that the term dinner party is snobby – hate to think the sort of DPs this person attended, which was probably the source of the hang-up. Love these sausage rolls – can’t wait to try…
These look absolutely fantastic. You know when things come in threes? Last night I was trawling the net for an interesting sausage roll recipe. Today a friend said she was craving a sausage roll, and now, the third thing, a great sounding sausage roll recipe. Love it!
These might be a hit with grown men, but I have a three year old who I think will give her thumbs up as well …. actually she’s infuriatingly fussing, but her one year old sister is a great eater and I’m sure will give her approval by smearing them all over her face.
As for the dinner parties, a 70s classic that has NEVER gone out of fashion! As for being snobbish, she is obviously going to the wrong kind of dinner party.
I love sausage rolls but have not made them with chicken before – these look good. And yes I do have dinner parties and I don’t care about the name!
How exactly is a dinner party pretentious?
I think it really depends on how you see. I tend to think that people who think it is pretentious either have really bad experience from their own friends or family members. Just sayin’
I think chicken goes well with apricot and I bet these sausage rolls would taste amazing.
I don’t think I imagine why would people think that the term “dinner party” is pretentious. I use that term all the time…but like you, I wouldn’t want a formal, stuffy affair but a gathering of a couple of friends with simple, unfussy but good food, wine and conversations..
Yumo! Lovemaking apricot chicken in winter, best time to make it i believe. so to have in a sausage roll idea is brilliant.
take it to a picnic would be ideal and i can imagine my two food loving boys downning these.
Yes turkey is great alternative and cramberries in place of tomato sauce. delicious!
P.s in moderation, chicken lard is ok, i make hainese rice using homemade lard. its the tastiest. \o/
I love apricot chicken, alas I’m the only one in my family to do so, I will make these just for me!
Haha I call mine “dinner parties” too… I think there’s nothing wrong with that.
Hi everyone! I’m so glad to know that I wasn’t using the word dinner party offensively!
I think she was definitely itching for a fight 
xxx
How love how you paired savory with sweet …it’s a beautiful marriage!!
gosh these look so good! i love the apricots in here, such a fun and delicious addition!
I like both the look and the sound of these sausage rolls–you Aussies do them so well and in so many forms. Creative!
I adore dinner parties and don’t consider the term pretentious at all–I love it when friends and family unite over food.
Dinner parties are not stuffy or pretentious, they’re a chance to have fun and enjoy food with friends.
I’m planning a suprise garden dinner party for my fiance’s 30th as we both don’t like to go out much and I can’t wait – he’s going to love it!
Yum!! These look delicious Lorraine – love the idea of a healthy sausage roll, guilt free!!
Lorraine:
These look great, I’ll give them a try.
Now I have a question off the main track.
I have orange coloured passionfruit.
I just cut them open and the colour is a grey/green.
Are these ok too eat?
Have a Joyful Day
Charlie
I’ve never heard of this flavour combination before! I’ve always prefered to make my own sausage rolls, only because you can control what has been put into them.
These sound lovely. Really hate people who can eat junk and stay skinny. No fair!
Perfect for a dinner party and a sausage – polish style
These look outstanding Lorraine! I was already hungry now I am drooling as sausage rolls are a favourite. Will give these a try when I get back to Sydney town. Love the term ‘dinner parties’ I think the term ‘dinner party’ is what you make it, I don’t think it is pretentious but then I don’t take it too seriously when using it verbally.
I love all your additions to the sausage rolls – I love veg variations and have been trialling a few lately – unfortunately we have too many left in the freezer to trial any more – but I love this sort of entertaining and do it far more than posh dinner parties these days
Hi Charlie! They can be grey and green inside and are ok to eat
Enjoy!
what an interesting and appealing stuffing for your puff pastry rolls! this is my kind of party food.
Thanks Lorraine!
That makes me relieved. I didn’t want to throw them out!
Have a Joyful Day :~D
Charlie
Yum, delicious and healthy (sh!) to boot!
Hmm i’m guessing the ‘snob’ factor had more to do with the person replying. A dinner party would only be pretentious if someone made it so!
I wonder if it was the same wedding forum I used to be a part of. Definitely like high school revisited on some of those forums with cliques & bullying!
What a cool & tasty idea to use veggies in that chicken mince!
I only tried it once with turkey mince, pistachio’s & dried cranberries: an adapted version,of a Bill Granger receipe!
I will try your lovely veggie & chicken mince mix! Much more flavours that way!
Clever woman!
I knew I was a grown up when I switched from having sleepovers to dinner parties! X)
You’d probably be able to eat these cold? I’m collecting bento recipes so I eat healthier lunches!
It was so weird to see your photos because I took many of the same shots. One of the memorable tastes was the black coffee flavoured with cardamom – now wouldn’t that make a good granita or ice cream!
I was only discussing with a colleague the other day how much we disliked the thought of meat with fruit – especially the ‘Chicken Tonight’ style apricot chicken that was big in the nineties. But I saw this recipe and I thought “what the hey”? I made a batch over the weekend for my visiting nieces and nephew – they ate their way through the lot! In the second batch I made yesterday, I actually added more apricot and vegies -and again they were superb. Thanks for the inspiration, and the yummy recipe!
Hi Tiff! You know I’m usually not fond of the fruit and meat combo either but I find sometimes it works!
I’m so glad that you liked them and good to hear that they work with more apricot and more broccoli! You’re very welcome and thank you for coming back to tell us about your adaption too 
Hi Steph! hehe you’re right, it’s a sign of being and adult isn’t it? They are great cold too!
You’re welcome Charlie!
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