Baked Chicken Meatballs

I’ve wanted to develop a recipe for chicken meatballs for sometime now.  The ideas and the flavors have been rolling around inside of my head since the first time I made Zucchini Fettuccini so when I logged on to my Facebook the other day and saw what a friend was having for dinner I knew it was time.

A quick search of the internet lead me to one of my favorite food bloggers, the lovely and talented Deb of Smitten Kitchen.  Now Deb has absolutely zero clue who I am, but I’ve been “smitten” with her for going on 3 years now.  Her photos, her food and her adorable baby Jacob have me looking forward to each new post that pops up on my feed burner.  So when I stumbled upon her recipe for Baked Chicken Meatballs I knew I could put my own spin on them, Primal style.

I think what I love most about cooking is that there are no rules when it comes to recipes.  That’s probably why I’m not much of a baker.  When I look at a recipe I think of what I have on hand that could make it work, not about what I have to run to the store and get in order to make it.  That’s the beauty of it, taking someone else’s creation and making it your own to suit your personal taste or budget.  I haven’t tried Deb’s version, but if mine came out this good I can only imagine how amazing hers are!

Baked Chicken Meatballs
Serves 4

1 lb ground free range chicken, or 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into strips and pulsed in a food processor until ground

1 small yellow onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
3 strips bacon, diced
1 egg yolk
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons homemade tomato 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.  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, 1 tablespoon of 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. 

Combine 1 tablespoon of olive oil and 1 tablespoon of tomato sauce together in a small bowl and brush on top of each meatball.  Pop into your preheated oven, and bake for 15 minutes.

These can be served as an appetizer or alongside your favorite pasta.  I decided to serve mine on top of my new favorite noodles, zucchini fettuccini with a healthy dose of homemade tomato sauce.  Needless to say they are delicious, and as is the case with most dishes, even better the next day.  The boy decided to make his into a meatball hoagie topped with crumbled goat cheese; I drooled while watching him inhale it ;)