Amazing Chicken Parm Meatballs

By Jens4

These meatballs hold their shape very well and make an attractive presentation. Like it spicy? Add some red pepper flakes to kick it up a notch. Enjoy!

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 pounds ground chicken
• 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
• 2 tablespoons chopped onion
• 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
• 1/2 cup Pecorino (or Parm)
• Salt to taste
• Pepper to taste
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
• 1 egg, whisked
• Zest of half a lemon
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 can (14 ounce) pizza sauce (such as Don Pepino’s)
• 4 ounces fresh mozzarella (a dozen thin slices; to pile on the cheese would be to cancel out the fact that you were virtuous enough to replace fatty beef with lean chicken)

Details

Servings 1
Adapted from daydreamkitchen.com

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat oven to 400°F, setting rack to upper third part of oven.

In a large bowl, using your hands, gently mix together first 11 ingredients. Shape into lacrosse-ball size balls (that would be somewhere between golf and tennis) and place a few inches from each other on a foil-lined baking sheet. In a small bowl, mix one spoonful of your pizza sauce with olive oil. Brush this mixture on top of each meatball. Bake for 15 minutes.

Remove meatballs from oven, spoon some sauce on top of each meatball, and cover each with a slice of cheese. Broil another 3 to 5 minutes until cheese is bubbly and golden.  Heat remaining sauce in a small saucepan. Serve meatballs with a dollop of sauce and a raw Tuscan kale salad that has been shredded and tossed with shallots, Pecornio, olive oil, salt, and pepper.