Mini Chicken Meatballs

As I mentioned in an earlier post I'm not much of a red meat eater so often I use chicken for recipes that traditionally use beef. One of my go to quick appetizers to make are my chicken meatballs. These would be great if you are throwing a tapas party just add a plate of decorative toothpicks and viola! The day I made these I was in abit of a hurry and just used a jar of "Classico fire roasted tomato and garlic" sauce I had in the pantry for the marinara dip. If you are feeling "saucey" you can always make your own yummy sauce to go along with these.

The ingredients are simple and few but make a great tasting morsel. To make these you will need the following ingredients.

1 lb. ground chicken breast
1 large clove of garlic minced
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1/8 cup seasoned breadcrumbs. I used Progresso Italian Bread crumbs. I used garlic & herb  since it was in pantry but you can ideally use the Italian seasoned variety.
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1 small egg whisked or -- I used 1/8 cup Egg Beaters for convenience (also makes this healthier)
Olive oil for cooking.

Ok time to remove your rings and get your hands messy! Mix until all ingredients and spices are combined well. If you find your mixture to be abit runny you can always add a few more breadcrumbs or a little more egg if it is too dry. This part takes abit of judgement.

Next I set a plate aside and rolled the meat mixture into small approx. 1 inch meatballs and place on the plate ready to go into the pan. Once I've rolled out all the balls, I place a couple of tablespoons of olive oil into a pan and heat on medium heat. Once oil is hot, I add my meatballs to the pan allowing one side to slightly brown then I flip with my fave silicone tongs by Cuisipro. If you don't have these, I really recommend them for use on your nonstick pans.

I then reduce the heat to slightly lower than medium heat and place a lid over. Periodically checking for uncooked spots and rotating meatballs as needed. Be very careful as the onions will caramelize very quickly and can in an instant, burnalize! lol. You want browning but not burning :)

When cooked internally these will feel firm to the touch. You can have a look at the center of the largest one to ensure the inside has no pink. That's really all there is to it. Simply plate and serve with your favorite marinara dipping sauce or add to spaghetti as a nice finishing touch. I'm thinking about adding some fresh herbs to these next time I make them. I will post some results when I do! ~Curvy Cook