Chicken Apple Meatballs
These chicken apple meatballs are another recipe that came from cooking for Siena. They are packed with good ingredients which yields an amazing flavor. Combining the breadcrumbs with a little bit of milk before adding it to the ground chicken helps make for a more moist meatball. I thinned out a homemade bbq sauce to simmer them in adding to the already amazing combination of flavors.
Chicken Apple Meatballs
ingredients
1 tbsp butter, unsalted
1/2 cup carrot, chopped
1/4 cup onion, chopped
1/2 cup apple, chopped
1 cup breadcrumbs
2 tbsp almond milk ( or regular milk)
1 egg
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tbsp tarragon, chopped
1 tbsp garlic, chopped
1lb ground chicken
2 tbsp olive oil
2 cups bbq sauce
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
instructions
Add the butter to large saute pan with high sides. Add the carrot to the pan first and saute until soft, about 4 minutes. Then add the apples and onions, saute another 3 minutes. Turn off heat, and let the mixture cool down.
Meanwhile, in a large bowl add the breadcrumbs and milk, whisk together. Let it sit for 2 minutes.
Then add in the Parmesan cheese, salt, pepper, egg, tarragon, and garlic. Mix to combine.
Add the carrot, apple, and onion mixture to bowl. Along with the ground chicken.
With your hands mix all ingredients until well combined. Do not over mix!
Form the mixture into balls using about 2 tbsp of the ground chicken mixture per each ball. When doing this keep wetting your hands, it helps the ingredients not to stick!
Heat the olive oil in a large ceramic pot or saute pan with high sides.
Add the the meatballs to the pan and brown them on all sides. Work in batches in order to not crowd the pan. Move the meatballs around with tongs in order to borwn on all sides.
Set aside meatballs as they finish. Once the meatballs are done frying, discard any excess oil from the pan.
In a small bowl whisk together the bbq sauce of your choice and the chicken stock
Add the meatballs back to ceramic pot or frying pan. Then cover them with the sauce. Bring to a simmer and cover. Cook for about 7 minutes, until the meatballs are cooked through.
RECIPE NOTES: I used almond milk and the meatballs tasted perfectly fine! Of course, you can use regular milk if you prefer! I served these with a salad that had a creamy ranch dressing. Some other great options are string beans or asparagus.