Delicious and healthy baked chicken meatballs are made without breadcrumbs. The sweet-spicy sauce is optional, and wonderful.
My mother in law introduced me to chicken meatballs. I almost always make beef meatballs (these spicy meatballs are wonderful). But she started making chicken meatballs after my father in law was diagnosed with heart disease.
Following the probably misguided advice they received from his doctors, my father in law started a strict low fat diet. So beef meatballs were out, and chicken meatballs were in.
Even if the low fat diet was unnecessary, I am grateful for my mother in law for these very tasty meatballs. They’re not as bold flavored as beef meatballs. But they make up for that with their wonderfully tender and fluffy texture. And when you add the sweet-spicy sauce, they are fabulous.
MY LATEST VIDEOSI make these healthy chicken meatballs without breadcrumbs. The egg and coconut flour hold them together just fine. And no, you can’t taste the coconut, but it’s very good at absorbing some of the cooking juices and keeping them inside the meatballs.
I usually serve these tasty chicken meatballs on a bed of cauliflower rice or mashed cauliflower.
Leftovers keep well in the fridge for 2-3 days. I gently reheat them in the microwave, covered, on 50% power.
Baked Chicken Meatballs
Ingredients
Meatballs:
- 1 lb. ground chicken thighs, 85% lean
- 1/2 cup chopped cilantro or parsley
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon coconut flour (7 grams)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt (not table salt)
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Sauce:
- 2 tablespoons unsweetened ketchup
- 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce, reduced sodium
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, use your hands to mix together the meatball ingredients. Mixture will be sticky, but this ensures tender meatballs.
- With wet hands, form the mixture into 20 (1.5-inch, 1oz) meatballs. Place the meatballs on the prepared baking sheet, not touching each other. Bake 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, whisk together the sauce ingredients. 5 minutes before meatballs should be done, heat the sauce gently over medium-low heat.
- When meatballs are done, use tongs to transfer them to the sauce. Gently toss to coat. Serve immediately.
