Prep Time: 20 mins, Cook Time: 30 mins, Total Time: 50 mins, Makes: 6 servings
These Marry Me Chicken Meatballs are an incredible appetizer or weeknight dinner. The tender chicken meatballs are tossed in a delicious marry me sauce and can be served over pasta or rice. If you’re enjoying as an appetizer, serve these mini meatballs up with some forks for easy eating. No matter what, they’re delicious.
Ingredients
For the Chicken Meatballs:
1 lb, Smart Chicken Ground Chicken
1 large egg
½ cup grated parmesan cheese
½ cup Italian breadcrumbs
1 tablespoon olive oil
½ teaspoon onion powder
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon oregano
½ teaspoon dried parsley
½ teaspoon kosher salt
few turns cracked black pepper
¼ cup avocado oil, fry shallowing frying the meatballs
For the Marry Me Sauce:
1 tablespoon avocado oil
¾ cup yellow onion, diced small
2 cloves garlic, minced
1.5 tablespoons tomato paste
pinch kosher salt, to taste
few turns cracked black pepper, to taste
¾ cup low sodium chicken broth
¾ – 1 cup heavy cream
½ cup parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon Italian parsley, chopped small
red pepper flakes, optional
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Combine the meatball mixture. In a large mixing bowl, combine ground chicken, one large egg, grated parmesan cheese, breadcrumbs, olive oil, kosher salt, onion powder, garlic powder, dried oregano, dried parsley, and a few turns of cracked black pepper. Mix well with your hands and roll out the meatballs. I was able to get 30 mini meatballs.
Shallow fry the meatballs. Next, heat avocado oil in an oven safe pan over medium high heat. Once the oil is hot, sear the meatballs until they’re golden brown on all sides. Do not overcrowd the pan. Place the seared meatballs on a plate lined with paper towel and set aside.
Once all the meatballs are golden brown, degrease the pan. You can do this by carefully reducing the heat or turning the stove off completely and absorbing the excess oil with a paper towel. Leave behind about 1-2 tablespoons of avocado oil.
Make the sauce. Place the degreased pan back on the stovetop over medium high heat. Add the diced onions and minced garlic to the remaining oil. Sauté until fragrant and soft. Next, add the tomato paste. Let the tomato paste caramelize in the pan for 2-3 minutes. Season with a pinch of kosher salt and a few turns of cracked black pepper.
Deglaze the pan with low sodium chicken broth. Make sure to scrape up and crispy bits from the pan. Once the broth has reduced by half add the heavy cream. Stir well then add the parmesan cheese. Once the cheese is well combined, nestle the meatballs into the sauce making sure they are well coated.
Bake. Cover with a lid or foil and bake for 15-20 minutes or until the meatballs reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit to ensure doneness.
Remove from the oven and top with red pepper flakes and chopped parsley. Serve and enjoy.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 serving or 5 mini meatballs with sauce, Calories: 468kcal, Carbohydrates: 13g, Protein: 23g, Fat: 37g, Saturated Fat: 13g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g, Monounsaturated Fat: 17g, Trans Fat: 0.1g, Cholesterol: 143mg, Sodium: 714mg, Potassium: 590mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 3g, Vitamin A: 759IU, Vitamin C: 4mg, Calcium: 233mg, Iron: 2mg
