Chicken Meatball Marinara
I came up with this recipe several years ago in an effort to be slightly more health conscious. These meatballs are moist, tender and full of flavor. The sauce is thick, robust and coats pasta noodles amazingly well. Ground chicken is extremely soft and I don't like to bother with baking the meatballs first in the oven before adding them into the sauce. I have found it much easier over the years to to gently place the meatballs into the sauce, cover them and let them cook gently on low heat. All of the chicken juices are released into the sauce and it transforms the marinara into something magical. You may have sauce leftover but if you have some bread on the side then the sauce won't last. Sometimes I freeze the leftover sauce and use it for future chicken Parmesan. The meatballs are also amazing in a sandwich!
Makes about 6 servings
For the Marinara
2 large cans of whole San Marzano tomatoes (Two 28 oz cans)
1/2 of an onion (finely chopped)
3 garlic cloves (finely chopped)
1 teaspoon of dried oregano
1 teaspoon of dried parsely
1 teaspoon of dried basil
1 teaspoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon of black pepper (or red pepper flakes)
2 or more tablespoons of sugar
Fresh basil leaves for garnish
For the Meatballs (Makes about 15 meatballs)
1.5 lbs 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
First bring the mixture for the meatballs together with your hands and let it chill in the fridge covered for at least an hour.
In a few tablespoon of olive oil I saute the onions, dried herbs, salt and pepper for a few minutes. Then I add in the garlic for about a minute. Next the tomatoes breaking them up gently with a spoon. Bring the sauce up to a low gentle simmer. Cover it and leave it for an hour. Afterwards, uncover the sauce and blend it gently with an immersion blender. Sometimes I leave the sauce chunky, sometimes not. It's up to you. Add in the sugar and adjust the seasoning. Leave the sauce on low heat.
Remove the chicken meatball mixture from the fridge and using a scooper or a couple of spoons, form your meatballs and drop them gently one by one into the sauce. Try and place them so they are not touching each other. I use a wide deep saute pan which leaves me plenty of room for all of the meatballs. Leave it for about another 15-20 minutes. This will leave you time to cook the pasta. You don't want to cook these meatballs on medium or high heat, otherwise they will harden a bit and will not be pleasant to eat. Garnish with plenty of fresh basil.
Makes about 6 servings
For the Marinara
2 large cans of whole San Marzano tomatoes (Two 28 oz cans)
1/2 of an onion (finely chopped)
3 garlic cloves (finely chopped)
1 teaspoon of dried oregano
1 teaspoon of dried parsely
1 teaspoon of dried basil
1 teaspoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon of black pepper (or red pepper flakes)
2 or more tablespoons of sugar
Fresh basil leaves for garnish
For the Meatballs (Makes about 15 meatballs)
1.5 lbs 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
First bring the mixture for the meatballs together with your hands and let it chill in the fridge covered for at least an hour.
In a few tablespoon of olive oil I saute the onions, dried herbs, salt and pepper for a few minutes. Then I add in the garlic for about a minute. Next the tomatoes breaking them up gently with a spoon. Bring the sauce up to a low gentle simmer. Cover it and leave it for an hour. Afterwards, uncover the sauce and blend it gently with an immersion blender. Sometimes I leave the sauce chunky, sometimes not. It's up to you. Add in the sugar and adjust the seasoning. Leave the sauce on low heat.
Remove the chicken meatball mixture from the fridge and using a scooper or a couple of spoons, form your meatballs and drop them gently one by one into the sauce. Try and place them so they are not touching each other. I use a wide deep saute pan which leaves me plenty of room for all of the meatballs. Leave it for about another 15-20 minutes. This will leave you time to cook the pasta. You don't want to cook these meatballs on medium or high heat, otherwise they will harden a bit and will not be pleasant to eat. Garnish with plenty of fresh basil.
I personally love the meatballs with thick spaghetti or bucatini.....al dente of course!
Bon appetit!
Bon appetit!