Delicious Chicken Meatballs

Watch to find out how to roll meatballs without getting your hands dirty!  Oh, and to see a really awesome recipe 🙂

This can be made into mini meatballs for appetizers or big meatballs for a meal!  Double the recipe with ease when preparing for lots of people. Eat as it is, try with barbecue sauce, hot sauce, or serve with pasta and marinara sauce! It pairs very well with zucchini as a vegetable.

I know this recipe has lots of options, but isn’t it better and easier to have options?!  That’s why I make recipes that don’t involve.. 1/32 of a tsp of skdufbsjybf. Wait, you mean, you don’t have that in your cupboard?!?!

I don’t eat bread (unless it’s whole wheat), so I wanted to experiment with quinoa in place of the breadcrumbs… and it worked!  What an incredible texture. Doesn’t change the taste much. If anything, it makes it taste better!

Set your oven to 350º. I bake them to make them healthier rather than frying.  Not only are they healthier, but less time consuming and less of a mess!  Who likes getting splattered with hot oil when you put something in a hot frying pan? Not me!

Grease a 9×13 tray with olive oil. I used a stone, but a baking tray does the trick, too!

Beat 1 egg. Add 1 pound of ground chicken… or beef, sausage or turkey.  Your choice! The recipe works with any meat. Add 1/4 tsp of salt and 1/4 tsp of pepper. Add 1/4 cup of an herb. I used cilantro, but parsley, oregano, basil or dry Italian seasonings works, too.  Personally, I like fresh herbs. Add 2 cloves of crushed garlic. Or 3 or 4.. if you’re a garlic-a-holic. Gently mix.

The final option you have is…. breadcrumbs or quinoa!  We often have leftover quinoa in our fridge.  We throw it in everything.  Salads, burgers, eggs, eat it plain, add veggies, etc.  Lots of ways to play with quinoa.  But if you don’t have leftovers, in a small saucepan mix 1/4 cup of quinoa and 1/2 cup of water.  Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer for less than 15 minutes, or until the water has absorbed.

Add 1/2 cup of the cooked quinoa, or 1/2 cup or breadcrumbs to your mixture.  Mix allllll together.

I’m not a fan of working with ground chicken and turkey. It sticks to your hands and makes such a mess. Kinda gross. So I started using my two spoon method to try to not touch the meat. THEN, I realized, oh my gosh, my cookie scooper is the perfect size!! And it was!  Definitely try it if you have one.

Place your tray in the oven for 15-20 minutes depending on the size of your balls. (If you just giggled, get your mind out of the gutter!) If you want them a bit crispy on the outsides, leave in longer! I accidentally left my second tray in for about 40 minutes.. and they looked burned, but they actually tasted amazing!

Eat and enjoy!!

Have a grrrrrreat week!
Keep it classy,

Chef Stef