Dinner Tonight: Italian Chicken Meatballs

If you are anything like me (may God help you every step of the way, if you are), then you have no idea what you’re making tonight for dinner. You may even have something thawing on the counter. Lucky for you.

Welp. If you need a meal idea to get you through the week, try this one. It was terribly easy and very delicious.

This was a take on Chicken Parmesan. I had to make it both gluten and dairy free (my husband got the meatballs without cheese…how sad). The meatballs were tender and juicy, and the broiled cheesy top really took them next level. The only reason I didn’t call them “Chicken Parmesan Meatballs” is because I didn’t use parmesan in the recipe. Feel free to call them that, if it soothes your soul.

Italian Chicken Meatballs

1 – 1 1/2 lb. ground chicken

1/2 C breadcrumbs (I used Corn Flake crumbs, which are gluten free)

1 T onion powder

1/4 C chopped fresh parsley, plus more for plating

Fresh garlic (I used about a tablespoon of the jarred minced garlic)

1 egg, beaten

S&P

1 jar marinara sauce (or use homemade)

Olive oil

Cheese (I used shredded Italian blend)

Pasta, cooked according to directions

Preheat your oven to 400F. Mix all the ingredients (except for marinara sauce and olive oil) together in a bowl. Form into meatballs. Place on a prepared baking sheet (I placed tin foil on a pan and sprayed it with Pam). In a small bowl, mix together a few tablespoons of the marinara sauce with a few teaspoons of olive oil. Spoon a bit of that mixture over each meatball (see picture above). Bake for about 15 minutes. Sprinkle a little bit of cheese on each meatball and switch oven to Broil. Place pan back in and broil until the cheese is bubbly and brown. Serve with your favorite pasta and the rest of the jarred sauce. I used gluten free quinoa and brown rice rotini noodles.

**Alternatively, you can mix some parmesan cheese into the meatball to give it even more of that traditional Chicken Parmesan flavor.**

Enjoy!

Kristin