#331: Baked Chicken Balls

So I didn't have anything thawed out for dinner so I ran to the grocery store looking for chicken and found some ground chicken for $2.99 a lb.  I came home and needed to figure out something to make with it and we were lacking many other ingredients needed for our usual recipes (i.e. no hamburger buns for chicken sloppy joes).  So I went over to allrecipes.com and started searching for ground chicken recipes, when I came across this one.  I wasn't sure Brian would be willing to try it, but he gave me the go-ahead and I did. 

I didn't have any ricotta, but several of the reviews said they omitted it, so I figured it wouldn't hurt to omit it in ours either.  I contemplated using leftover cottage cheese, but figured I probably couldn't hide it as well in this form.  I also decided to bake mine instead of frying them up.

We actually quite enjoyed these.  Brian expected them to taste more like a chicken nugget, so he was surprised by the "softer" texture of it.  However, the Ritz cracker crust, make these addicting!  You definitely can't stop at one!  :) These would be a fantastic appetizer if you made these a little smaller and served them with little decorative sticks. 

1 1/2 pounds ground chicken (I used 1 lb)
2 tablespoons minced onion
2 teaspoons whole cloves, ground (I used dried thyme instead)
1/4 cup ricotta cheese (I omitted)
1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
3 tablespoons ketchup
1 tablespoon fresh basil (I used dried)
2 teaspoons dried parsley
2 eggs, beaten
I also added about 1/3 c plain bread crumbs to help the meatballs keep its shape
1/8 cup crushed buttery round cracker crumbs (I needed about 1/2 c or more--about 1 sleeve)

1. In a large bowl combine the chicken, onion, cloves, ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese, ketchup, basil, parsley and eggs. Mix well and form about 30 balls out of the mixture, using hands.


2. Roll balls in extra Parmesan cheese and cracker crumbs. (I missed the extra parmesan part and just rolled in crushed ritz crackers) Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat and fry chicken balls until golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes. (I baked mine in a 425 degree oven for about 25 minutes)