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.
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.
