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Meatballs are a staple in our household, but they’re usually traditional, beef meatballs. Every once in awhile, however, we switch things up with these crazy tender chicken meatballs. Instead of making a bunch of small ones that we serve on top of a heaping pile of pasta, we make these chicken meatballs a lot bigger; they’re more substantial that way, so it feels like a complete meal when we add some vegetables and a hearty loaf of bread. We’ve gotta say, we thought we’d get some pushback from the family when we first made this dish, but it wasn’t a problem at all and it’s even been voted into our weekly rotation! Victory!!

Tomato Chicken Meatballs

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 pounds ground chicken
  • 2 cups tomato sauce (homemade or store-bought)
  • 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated
  • 1/2 cup seasoned breadcrumbs
  • 1/4 cup milk
  • 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
  • 2 slices white bread
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/2 white onion, finely chopped
  • 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
  • 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
  • fresh dill, chopped, garnish

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 400º F.
  2. Soak bread slices in milk in a small bowl until liquid is absorbed.
  3. In a large bowl, combine chicken, parmesan, breadcrumbs, parsley, garlic and onion together.
  4. Season generously with salt and pepper, then add red pepper flakes and use two forks to mix together.
  5. Add milk-soaked bread and egg to the meat and mix to incorporate.
  6. Roll meat into balls (we like to do fewer, larger meatballs), then transfer to a large baking dish.
  7. Cover with tomato sauce and sprinkle Italian seasoning evenly over the top.
  8. Place baking dish in oven and bake for 20-25 minutes (depending on size of meatballs), or until cooked all the way through, but still tender.
  9. Remove from oven and garnish with fresh dill. Serve alone or with pasta or veggies.

Recipe adapted fromThe New York Times

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