Chicken Marsala Meatball Recipe

So this recipe came together from 2 ideas.  Last November I was looking into the menu of my favorite celebrity chef's new restaurant and saw Chicken Marsala Meatballs and thought that sounded interesting (Thanks Giada!)  Then I was talking to my Mom this weekend and she said she made Chicken Marsala for my Dad and he loved it, mushrooms and all (something he normally doesn't eat).  So with that I decided I was going to try making these Chicken Marsala Meatballs.  They turned out really tasty and can be served over whole wheat noodles, or with a baked potato and extra veggies, or on a whole wheat sub roll.  I'll let you get creative with that!

The size of my meatballs afforded me 16 meatballs from 1 pound of meat.  You can make them a little larger or smaller depending on your needs.  If you make them smaller, reduce the time under the broiler to 5 minutes and if they are larger increase the time to 9 minutes.

Ingredients-

¼ cup panko breadcrumbs

2 tablespoons milk, room temperature

⅓ cup plus 1 tablespoon Marsala wine

¼ cup grated parmesan cheese, plus extra for serving

1 large egg, beaten

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

1 pound ground chicken

Coarse salt

Ground black pepper

2 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

8 ounces cremini mushrooms, sliced (you can use any, I just love cremini, which are aka baby bellas)

1 large shallot, minced  (you can use onion)

2 teaspoons flour

1 ¼ cups low-sodium chicken broth

Directions - 

Preheat the broiler to high.

In a large bowl, mix together the breadcrumbs, milk and 1 tablespoon Marsala. Leave to soak for a few minutes.  Add the parmesan, egg, parsley, salt and the pepper and ground chicken.  With your hands, gently mix together the ingredients until just combined.  Form the mixture into tablespoon-size balls and place on an oiled baking sheet.  Broil for 7 minutes, or until the meatballs are beginning to brown and are just barely cooked through.  Remove from the oven and set aside.

In a deep skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over medium-high heat.  Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring until the mushrooms are brown on all sides, about 5 minutes.  Add the shallots and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook for another 2 minutes.  Lower the heat to medium and stir in the flour and the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add the 1/3 cup Marsala and stir until the mixture is smooth.  Whisk in the chicken broth and simmer for 5 minutes.  Add the meatballs to the sauce and simmer for an additional 10 minutes to let the flavors blend and ensure the chicken is cooked through.

Buffalo Veggie Chicken Bake

So I have been doing the Beachbody 21 Day Day Fix, and for the most part eating basic meals that I can easily put into the containers, but I decided to try a recipe.  This particular recipe is equivalent to 1 and 1/2 Green, 1/2 red, 1/2 yellow, 3/4 blue and 1 tsp.  There are 4 servings.

This recipe was really good.  It reads like it is difficult, but it really wasn't.  My biggest advice is to prep everything (measure out) before starting, that way you aren't doing it while the flour or onions cook.

Ingredients:

• 6 Cups cooked Broccoli and Cauliflower, chopped and seasoned with salt and pepper.  (Feel free to use a steam fresh bag of veggies or fresh veggies steamed)
• 1 1/2 cups cooked chicken, diced or shredded
• 2/3 cup red onion, chopped
• 1/4 cup hot sauce
• 1/4 cup flour, plus 2 tbsp (divided) (I use Whole Wheat White Flour)
• 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
• 1 cup shredded 2% Cheddar Cheese
• 1/2 cup plain Greek Yogurt
• 3 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1/2 tsp ground mustard (if you don't have ground mustard, use 2 tsp of yellow mustard)
• Salt and Pepper

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a casserole dish, add veggies, chicken, and 2 tbsp. flour and mix together.
• Heat 2 tbsp. of oil in a sauce pan over medium high heat. Whisk in the flour. Let cook for a few minutes, whisking occasionally to prevent burning, until the flour turns a caramel color. Add in the salt, pepper, and ground mustard.
• Whisk in the almond milk so that it thickens, then add the cheese and mix until well combined.
• Remove from heat and mix in the Greek yogurt and hot sauce.
• In a small saute pan, heat remaining 1 tbsp. of oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until caramelized, about 5 minutes.
• Add the onions to the sauce, and then pour the sauce mixture over the chicken and veggies. Stir to combine.
• Top with remaining 1/2 cup shredded cheese and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until cheese has melted.

So yummy!!!

Easy Chicken Fajita Bake

Do you have chicken breast?  Can you slice an onion and pepper?  Do you have an oven?  Then you can make this meal!  Prep time on this is less than 5 minutes (depending on how fast you can slice lol).  Then all you have to do is bake.

Firstly, I make my own taco/fajita seasoning because I love to salt my food, so I don't need the additional sodium that comes in the packets of taco and fajita seasoning.  I usually make a batch and keep it in the pantry with my other spices, but please feel free to just use a taco seasoning packet (you only need 2 tsp for this recipe).  If you want to make your own, here is the recipe for that.

Taco Seasoning Mix

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp chili powder

1 ½  tsp cumin

1 ½  tsp paprika

1 tsp oregano

1 tsp salt

½ tsp garlic powder

½ tsp onion powder

¼ tsp cayenne pepper

Directions:

Mix all spices together!

Now, for the Fajita Bake...

Ingredients:

Cooking Spray (I use my misto)

1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast or thighs (your preference)

1 large onion

2 bell peppers (I like Red, but use whatever colors you want)

1 tbsp olive oil

2 tsp taco/fajita seasoning

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

(salt and pepper to taste)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375

Spray a baking dish with cooking spray, lay chicken in baking dish.  Season with salt and pepper and the 2 tsp of taco seasoning.  Top with the sliced onions and peppers.  Drizzle the olive oil over the veggies.  Top with cheese.  Bake at 375 for 30-35 minutes until the chicken is cooked through.

It's that easy!  You can serve with Greek Yogurt, Sour Cream, Guacamole, Tortillas, Tortilla Chips, or just eat it on it's own like I did.  Well I paired it with some Spanish Brown Rice, which made a filling and healthy dinner.