Mediterranean Chicken Meatballs – Recipe!

Soft, tender and super flavorful — Mediterranean Chicken Meatballs are what’s on the menu tonight.

I love a good meatball and I especially adore this recipe for so many reasons.  For starters, they’re easy to prepare on the stove top with mostly pantry ingredients and they cook-up in no time.  I also enjoy the super delicious sauce because it tastes like a great day in a coastal town, where the sun gently warms your back, while dining outdoors.

I used ground chicken in this recipe, but you can substitute beef, turkey or pork if that’s what you have on hand.  The sauce has a combination of diced tomatoes, kalamata olives and a squeeze of tomato paste.  I also added dry white wine for a another splash of flavor.  This whole meal cooks up in about 40 minutes with more than enough time to set the table.

Ingredients

1 white onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

14 ounces canned diced tomatoes with juices or 3 large fresh tomatoes

1 cup dry white wine

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 cup pitted kalamata olives, drained

1 pound ground chicken

2 1/2 teaspoons salt, divided

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

2/3 cup panko breadcrumbs

1 egg

1/3 cup parmesan

3 tablespoon fresh mint, roughly chopped

oil for cooking

*cooked spaghetti squash or pasta for serving

(Serves 4-6)

To Prepare:

1. In a large Dutch oven or pot over medium heat, add 1 tablespoon olive oil.  Add onion and sauté for 3 minutes.  Add garlic, stir.  Cook for 2 minutes.
2. Add tomatoes and white wine.  Cook for 3 minutes, stir.  Add tomato paste and 1 teaspoon salt, stir.  Add drained olives and stir.  Reduce temperature to low heat and cover with lid.  Cook for 20 minutes.
3. While sauce is cooking – Add chicken, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, oregano, black pepper, red pepper flakes, panko and egg.  Gently mix meat together.
4. Remove lid from sauce and roll meat mixture into 2-inch balls and drop into sauce.  Cover with lid and poach meatballs for 10 minutes.  Remove lid and stir.  Cover again and continue to cook for 10 minutes.
5. Spoon meatballs and sauce over spaghetti squash or pasta, and sprinkle with parmesan and mint before serving.  Enjoy!