Mozzarella Chicken Meatballs

I have a general rule here around the Rahz house.

If I cook for you, I love you.

In some way, shape, or form, you have found a place in my heart.

When it comes to my kids, I make them at least try a recipe before they show contempt and make statements like “ok fine. I guess I’m not living here anymore”. (Said by my 3 year old, Lucas).  And then there are the times that I quietly make one of their beloved favorites, because well, I love them.

Enter these mozzarella stuffed meatballs. They are made with ground chicken, and very much resemble chicken parmesan. This time, I made them with ground turkey, because Heinen’s had ground turkey on sale for $2.99/lb. For those of us that frequent the meat department (ahem, $52 worth of veal shanks), $2.99 is basically free. And as the executive chef around here, it falls right into my pay grade to make those decisions. Use whichever you like, I think they would be marvelous with chicken sausage as well. I’ve made these meatballs both ways and Grace, Silas, and Lucas smash them like Godzilla taking on Tokyo. I sure love those punks.

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Ingredients:

2 lbs. ground chicken or turkey

1 cup shredded parmesan

2/3 cup panko breadcrumbs

4 eggs

1.5 tsp. salt

1.5 tsp pepper

2 tsp. Italian seasoning. I recently purchased this one and it’s great.

pinch of red pepper flakes

flour

small mozzarella balls

splash of red wine

2 jars of marinara sauce. I usually make my own because I’m Ma Ingalls like that, but my favorite store bought one is this one . The pomodoro. YAS.

fresh basil, for garnish

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Directions:

1. In a bowl, mix the meat, parmesan, breadcrumbs, eggs, and seasonings with your hands. Ground chicken and turkey is a little softer than beef, so it may seem too loose to hold a meatball shape. It will be fine, but you can also make this ahead of time and let it chill for a bit before you continue.
2. Then, take some of the meat mixture out, enough for the size ball you want. We are not precious about this here. Save the tiny and delicate meatballs for Italian wedding soup and go hard in the paint with this recipe. Say it with me, “we like big meatballs and we cannot lie.”  Take a small ball of mozzarella, and form the meat around it, so that you completely cover the cheese. Form it into a ball.
3. Working in batches, you will make the meatballs, and then roll them in flour, before putting them into your preheated dutch oven, over medium heat, with olive oil. In honor of sharing all of my favorite stuff, here is also my favorite olive oil.  The flour on the outside of the meatball will help give it a nice crust, and also mimic the breading on chicken parmesan.
4. Once all of your meatballs are done and off to the side, deglaze your pan with a splash of red wine, scraping up all of those crusty bits at the bottom of your dutch oven. Now you will put in your two jars of sauce, and then add all the meatballs back in. Put the lid on your dutch oven, and then put it into a 375 degree oven for about 20 minutes.
5. You can serve these with pasta, a salad, garlic bread, and they are also excellent alone. I like mine piled on a plate, with a borderline unreasonable amount of parmesan cheese and some fresh basil.