Baked Chicken Meatballs

I have always reluctantly reached for the ground turkey as a substitute for beef. While I have enjoyed a doctored up turkey burger on occasion, I find turkey can be just a little on the bland side.....in my humble opinion of course! Ever since experimenting with a ground chicken burger recently, I am a total convert. It's ironic though, as I generally struggle to get excited over anything involving the ever-popular boneless skinless chicken breast.

But all ground up? And just begging to be mixed with a bunch of flavorful, moisture inducing ingredients? Chicken rocks.

This recipe is adapted from one of my favorite food blogs, Smitten Kitchen. (If you are unfamiliar, I encourage you to check it out. I could spend HOURS browsing and drooling). It uses a panade, or a mixture of milk and bread, to create an awesome, moist meatball. And one that's not screaming for a plate of pasta....I think. Maybe I take that back since these would be delicious along side mud. Most times I serve them with some mashed potatoes and veggies, instead of going the spaghetti route. They would also make a great little appetizer. The choice is yours.....you'll love them any way.

~Erin

Baked Chicken Meatballs

Author: Erin (adapted from Smitten Kitchen)

Prep time: 15 mins

Cook time: 20 mins

Total time: 35 mins

Ingredients

• 1 cup torn up bits of italian bread


• 1/3 cup milk


• 3 oz. bacon, chopped


• 1 small onion, finely chopped


• 1 garlic clove, minced


• 1 T extra virgin olive oil


• 1 egg, lightly beaten


• 1 lb. ground chicken


• 2 T tomato paste


• 3 T parsley, finely chopped

Instructions

1. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees, and move rack to upper 1/3 of oven.


2. Soak bread bits in milk until softened.


3. Cook bacon in a skillet until crisp. Remove bacon and drain on paper towels, reserving 1 T. bacon fat in pan.


4. Cook onion in skillet until softened, adding 1/2 t. salt and 1/2 t. pepper. Add garlic and cook for an additional minute. Remove from heat and cool slightly.


5. Squeeze excess milk from bread, and discard milk.


6. In a large bowl, combine chicken, egg, bacon mixture, bread, 1 T tomato paste, and parsley. Mix together gently, ideally with your hands.


7. Form 12 meatballs and place in a 9x13 pan.


8. Mix together remaining 1 T tomato paste and 1 T olive oil. Brush mixture on to tops of meatballs.


9. Bake in upper 1/3 of the oven for 15-20 minutes, until just cooked through.

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