chicken  meatball  marinara

If it was up to my husband he would eat pasta and beef every day and my choice would be beef and pork meatballs smothered in sauce. But we wanted to be more health conscious so I had to come up with a compromise a few years ago when I came up with this recipe. These meatballs are moist, tender and full of flavor. And the sauce is thick and robust. Pasta Mondays has become a weekly theme in our house since the Fall season began and so my husband and I always have a pasta dish to look forward to every week..........even if it's chicken.

Makes 4-6 servings

For the Marinara
1 large can of whole peeled tomatoes (28 oz)
1 large can of crushed tomatoes (28 oz)
1/2 of an onion (finely chopped)
3 garlic cloves (finely chopped)
1 teaspoon of dried oregano
1 teaspoon of dried basil
1 teaspoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon of black pepper (or red pepper flakes)
2 tablespoons of sugar

For the Meatballs
1 lb of ground chicken (dark meat is preferred)
1 teaspoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon of black pepper
1 clove of garlic (finely chopped)
1/2 of a small onion (finely chopped)
1/4 cup of seasoned bread crumbs
1/4 cup of parmesan cheese
1 egg

Additions
A parmesan rind

Let's start off with the marinara first. Finely chop the onion and the garlic. On medium heat in a few drizzles of olive oil add in the onion. Saute the onion for a few minutes.

Then add in the basil, oregano and pepper. Stir to combine. Then add in the garlic and the can of whole peeled tomatoes. Stir to combine.

Now add in the crushed tomatoes, sugar and salt. Bring the sauce up to a slow boil and then reduce the heat to low to medium heat, covered, for 20-25 minutes. The tomatoes will begin to break down and the sauce will thicken.

Now let's work on the meatballs. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Finely chop the garlic and the onion.

Add the onion, garlic, parmesan, bread crumbs, salt, pepper and the egg to the ground chicken. Dark meat ground chicken is naturally very soft so I don't like to add in too much bread crumbs. I also prefer this type of ground chicken because it will retain it's moisture much better than using ground chicken breast. With clean hands mix the ground chicken and form 2 inch meatballs. A small ice cream or melon scooper will be helpful here. Place the meatballs on a nonstick baking sheet and bake them for 8 minutes at 400 degrees. This will help the meatballs set. Unlike beef, pan frying chicken meatballs can be sticky and messy, usually causing the meatballs to fall apart. So baking the meatballs is a key step.

After 8 minutes remove the meatballs from the oven and place them into the marinara.
Make sure the sauce covers the meatballs.
(I like to keep my parmesan rinds once I have used up most of the cheese. It is a great flavoring agent for the marinara and it is also great for adding into soups. So if you have one add it into the sauce. If not, that's okay :)
Cover the meatballs and let them simmer on low heat for an additional 20-25 minutes.

I personally love the meatballs with thick spaghetti or bucatini.....al dente of course!

Bon appetit!