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
- Preheat oven to 400º F.
- Soak bread slices in milk in a small bowl until liquid is absorbed.
- In a large bowl, combine chicken, parmesan, breadcrumbs, parsley, garlic and onion together.
- Season generously with salt and pepper, then add red pepper flakes and use two forks to mix together.
- Add milk-soaked bread and egg to the meat and mix to incorporate.
- Roll meat into balls (we like to do fewer, larger meatballs), then transfer to a large baking dish.
- Cover with tomato sauce and sprinkle Italian seasoning evenly over the top.
- 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.
- Remove from oven and garnish with fresh dill. Serve alone or with pasta or veggies.
Recipe adapted fromThe New York Times