Chicken Meatballs with Tomato-Balsamic Glaze

Shhhh…don’t tell but these meatballs are really meatloaf in disguise. Fair or not, everyone knows meatloaf doesn’t always elicit the most enthusiastic response. Meatballs, on the other hand, well…who doesn’t love meatballs? And these here are no exception; they’re light, elegant and bursting with great Italian flavor. Talk about a delicious, easy-to-make weeknight dinner that will please your whole family…even my daughter – a.k.a. Princess Picky – asks for seconds, and that’s a home-run in my book.

All the rich flavor comes from a savory blend of tomato paste, garlic, Pecorino Romano cheese and seasoned Italian bread crumbs. As for the ground chicken, it’s a great alternative to ground beef, and it’s a whole lot more flavorful than ground turkey.

The tomato-balsamic glaze is the finishing touch; it’s tangy and slightly sweet, and really dresses these meatballs up.

You’ll love this simple recipe and –- best part –- you won’t be left with a sink full of pots and pans when you’re done. I’d serve this as I would meatloaf — with buttered noodles and a vegetable.

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Chicken Meatballs with Tomato-Balsamic Glaze
Printable Recipe

Makes 14 meatballs

Ingredients

For Meatballs:
1 egg
3 tablespoons fresh parsley, finely chopped
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 pound ground chicken, preferably not all breast meat (I like Purdue)
1/2 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons Italian seasoned bread crumbs

For Tomato-Balsamic Glaze:
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon sugar

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

2. In a large bowl, combine egg, parsley, tomato paste, garlic, milk, salt and pepper. Mix well with a wire whisk, making sure the tomato paste is completely dissolved.

3. Add ground chicken, grated cheese and breadcrumbs. Use your hand to mix ingredients together. Mixture will be somewhat wet. Form medium size balls (I think it’s easiest to use a 3-tablespoon ice cream scooper with a wire scraper) and place onto ungreased baking sheet or very large baking dish.

4. Make the glaze by combining all the ingredients in a small bowl, then brush over meatballs. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until an instant read thermometer inserted into the center of a meatball registers 160 degrees. Remove from oven and serve.