Italian Style Chicken Meatballs

If I had to choose one cuisine to eat for one week straight, it would be Italian food. I love everything about it: the flavors, aromas, and combinations of ingredients. There is something about a large pot of sauce simmering on the stove, with basil and garlic wafting throughout the kitchen that makes my grin from ear to ear. These italian style chicken meatballs are the perfect recipe. These chicken meatballs incorporate classic Italian seasonings, bake in just 30 minutes, and pair with just about every side dish imaginable

For these chicken meatballs, I used traditional Italian seasonings such as oregano, basil, garlic, and typical meatball mixins such as parmesan cheese, breadcrumbs, and an egg. I threw it all together in a large bowl, employing the “raking” method to combine all ingredients. Once the mixture was formed, I created 14 meatballs, placed them on an aluminum foil-lined baking sheet and baked them at 375º for 30 minutes.

For the marinara sauce, I have a homemade version but it’s not yet ready for the blog. In the interim, I found this delicious basil marinara from Hoboken Farms, poured it into my Staub dutch oven, and added the meatballs to simmer for about an hour. I paired these meatballs with garlic rainbow carrots and roasted broccoli and cauliflower. This recipe will go perfectly with fresh pasta, orzo, couscous, or with veggies just like I did!

Things to Remember When Making These Chicken Meatballs:

• Do not overmix the meat mixture: Use a raking method with your four fingers (tucking the thumb into your palm) to mix the meat and ingredients together just until the ingredients combine. Overmixing the meat will cause the texture to get tough when baking or frying.
• Be generous with seasoning: A sprinkle of something won’t cut it when it comes to making meatballs. You want to really be generous when seasoning the meat, but not heavy handed when adding garlic powder, etc. There’s a delicate balance you’re trying to play with here.
• “Roll and cup”: When forming the balls, think about having an open hand when creating the circular motion. This helps use less force when forming the meatballs. More force, the more the balls become tighter and the meat will feel way more dense. When making meatballs, we want a light and airy texture on the inside.