#1,785: Chicken Meatballs

So my family loves meatballs.  Ok, maybe I love meatballs and want an excuse to make them for dinner. Now if I try to serve meatballs with pasta, my family could care less about them, but I add them on bread and make a sub sandwich, they have a very different opinion!  I got some ciabatta bread from the grocery store bakery and toasted them up before adding the meatballs and some cheese...the girls were fighting over these!  They were SO good.  Ground chicken was super expensive at the store this week so I used some ground turkey instead.  And I was shockingly out of tomato sauce so I added some pizza sauce that was left in the fridge.  :)  This was a very good recipe!  

1 lb ground chicken (I used ground turkey)

1 small yellow onion, diced

1 clove garlic, minced

3 strips bacon, finely diced

1 egg yolk

2 tablespoons homemade tomato sauce (I used pizza sauce)

3 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley

Preheat your oven to 400º and place a rack in the upper third of your oven.

In a medium skillet over medium heat, add the diced bacon and cook until a good amount of fat has been rendered out, about 1 tablespoon or so.  (I didn't cook the onion or garlic before adding it to the meat mixture...I was too lazy).  Add the diced onion and the garlic and cook until the onion is translucent and the bacon is crispy.  Remove from the heat and cool slightly.

Combine the ground chicken, egg yolk, tomato sauce, parsley and the bacon, onion and garlic in a large bowl.  Season with salt and pepper and mix well.  Form meatballs and roll into little balls, about 1 tablespoon of mixture per ball.  Place the formed meatballs into a large baking dish about one inch apart.

Bake for 15 minutes or until cooked through (I flipped mine over once). 

These can be served as an appetizer, alongside your favorite pasta, over zucchini noodles, etc.  As you can see above, I put my cooked meatballs in a bowl and poured spaghetti sauce over it, then added it to toasted ciabatta bread with melted mozzarella.  

#1,436: Chicken (or turkey) and Zucchini Poppers

Look at those cute little meatballs!  Don't they look good?!  They are!  BUT these are very strong on the cilantro (which I happen to like).  So if you don't like cilantro very much, you probably won't like these.  I thought they were delicious though!  

1 lb. ground chicken breast (I used ground turkey...not a huge fan of ground chicken)

2c grated zucchini (leave peel on) (I squeezed out the excess water)

2-3 green onions, sliced

3-4 Tbsp cilantro, minced

1 clove garlic

1 tsp salt

½ tsp pepper

optional: ¾ tsp cumin (I did add this)
I also added about 1 tbsp minced garlic

olive oil, for cooking (or coconut oil, avocado oil, or ghee)

Toss chicken with zucchini, green onion, cilantro, garlic, salt, and pepper (and cumin, if using). 

Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a medium pan over medium heat. Use a small scoop or a heaped tablespoon to scoop meatballs into the pan. Cook 8-10 at a time for about 5-6 minutes on the first side. Flip and cook an additional 4-5 minutes, or until golden brown and the centers are cooked through.

I used a cast iron skillet (oven safe) and browned these on the stove for a few minutes on each side.  Then I threw the pan in a 400 degree oven for about 15 minutes until they were cooked all the way through.  

#1,282: Chicken Burgers with Cheddar and Spinach

My mom and I are actually fighting (not really) over who found this recipe on Pinterest and decided we should make it for the 4th of July.  I swear I found it first and she repinned it from me.  Sorry for the bad photo, but all the burgers were being eaten when I realized I never got a picture.  So I stopped my sister mid way through eating to snap a photo.  I ended up eating this without the cheese or panko and liked it.  My family decided it wasn't a good "burger" recipe though and would not make it again.  I however, WOULD!  I loved it on top of a salad all cut up.  The first bite really tasted more like chicken (which I don't like as a burger flavor) but then I got used to it and really enjoyed it.  To each his own....

4 oz. wilted spinach

1/2 small onion

1 clove of garlic

2 green onions, roughly chopped
1 lb ground chicken
2 T. balsamic vinegar

2 t. soy sauce

1 t. lemon juice

1/2 t. chili powder

1/4 c. shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 c. of Panko

In a food processor combine the spinach, onion, garlic and green onion.  Stir this mixture into 1 lb. ground chicken and add the remaining ingredients (balsamic, soy sauce, lemon juice, chili powder, shredded cheese, and panko).  Gently mix all together and form into patties.  Grill over medium heat until done.  

#1,266: Chicken Parmesan Meatloaf Bites

There is no photo for this recipe because not only were these not pretty, but I hated them.  So I didn't see a point in taking the picture.  Then my kids, who I was sure was going to end up eating PB+J for dinner tasted them and loved them.  ?!?!  Seriously?  I was honestly so surprised...I did not like these at all.  I don't know what the appeal of it was for them, but they sure enjoyed this recipe.  Huh, go figure?!

1 pound ground chicken
1 garlic clove, minced
1 small onion, diced
1 large egg1/2 cup bread crumbs 
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/2 cup marinara sauce
1 teaspoon italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 375°F.  In a large bowl, mix together all ingredients to thoroughly combine. Pack greased mini muffin cups with the mixture. Fill to the top as they will shrink a bit during cooking.  Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until golden and cooked through.

#1,023: Paleo Chicken Apple Bacon Sliders

I gave Brian a choice of chicken burgers or beef stew for dinner and was quite surprised he chose chicken burgers.  Granted I didn't tell him "Paleo Chicken Apple Bacon Sliders" so he thought it's just going to be healthy burgers.  Okay well his sort of was.  For his burgers I omitted the apple and bacon, but everything else was the same. 

Yuck.  That's what these burgers were.  No one liked them.  They tasted like a grilled chicken breast in a patty form, and that's NOT what a burger should taste like.  Now I'm sure someone is going to say, "what do you expect you used ground chicken?", but let me tell you we eat ground chicken.  I put it in meatloaf and meatballs and it has never tasted like this.  Shudder.....blech.  We won't be eating these again. 

2 apples, preferably organic, peeled and grated
1/4 cup celery, thinly chopped (I omitted)
1/2 teaspoons poultry seasoning
salt and pepper, to taste
2 Tablespoons honey, raw
1 pound ground chicken
4 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled

Preheat grill. In a large bowl, combine grated apple, celery, poultry seasoning, salt and pepper. Mix in honey, chicken, and cooked, crumbled bacon. Shape chicken mixture into 1/2-inch-thick sliders, using 1/8th pound of meat per slider. Grill over medium heat about 4 minutes per side, or until cooked through.