Delicious (& Healthy) Chicken Meatballs

Total Time: 30-25 minutes (prep+cook time)

Effort level (Scale of 1-10): 3

Ingredients:

  • 1 Pound of ground chicken
  • 2 Eggs
  • 1/4 cup of milk
  • 2/3 cup of Panko bread crumbs (I ended up using about 1/2 cup more)
  • 1/2 cup fresh grated parmesan
  • 1 Tablespoon fresh parsley (I used dry parsley)
  • 1 Teaspoon garlic powder  
  • 1 Teaspoon of onion powder  
  • 1 Teaspoon of smoked paprika   
  • 1/2 Teaspoon of cayenne pepper
  • 1/2 Teaspoon of black pepper 
  • 1/2 Teaspoon salt  

To Begin:

  • Preheat your oven to 400 degrees
  • Line a baking sheet/pan with aluminum (or spray the pan with some cooking spray)

…Short Version:

So essentially folks, you mash all this up in a bowl, make it in to balls and stick it in the oven for 25 minutes.

…More Detailed Play-by-Play:

There’s a really good chance I did this incorrectly but the result was still bomb so I’ll tell you exactly how I made it…

  • While I was waiting for my ground chicken to thaw I put all the dry ingredients in a bowl, i.e. everything but the eggs, milk and chicken.
    • (for those of you who don’t know an easy way to thaw meat, make sure it’s sealed in a bag of some sort and then run it under hot water)
  • By this time my chicken was no longer a block of ice, so I put it in the bowl with the dry ingredients and I kneaded the hell out of it.  When I was done it looked like a very taste-y chicken loaf. 
  • I put the two eggs and the 1/4 cup of milk in a separate bowl and whisked the shit out of them. 
  • When that was done I poured the eggs/milk over the chicken loaf and once again began kneading. 
    • This resulted in some very soggy chicken, which is when I added about 1/2 more bread crumbs. It still appeared slightly more gelatinous than I would’ve preferred but it was solid enough to hold its shape
  • I formed 21 balls (to be exact), stuck them on the sheet and baked them for 32 minutes.

Yes 32 minutes is not what I suggested originally but this recipe supposedly makes 30+ balls so the baking time is shorter if your meatballs are smaller. Having only made 21, slightly larger meatballs I cooked them longer.  With that being said, 30 minutes would have sufficed, they were slightly drier than they should’ve been because of the added baking time.

Tips:

  • If you pull them out and look at them they will be beautifully and evenly golden, don’t expect them to “brown up” unless you intend on eating hockey pucks.
  • I used skim milk and it worked just fine
  • I think it would be fun to add some sauteed (sorry, haven’t figured out how to type the fancy “e” yet) fresh garlic and more grated parm
  • I served my meatballs with pesto (protein) angel hair…My pasta dish consisted of
    • 4 cloves of sauteed (sorry again) garlic
    • Handful of chopped sun dried tomatoes
    • Handful of fresh mozzarella balls, halved
    • About 2+ tablespoons of Pesto

*I found this recipe on Pinterest, it belongs to awickedwhisk.com, the ingredients remain the same and the rest I have adapted to articulate my personal experience with the recipe*

Please leave any comments with suggestions on recipes you would like to see on the blog!!

XOXO-MaiaElizabeth