Herbal Chicken Meatballs

These meatballs incorporate many favorite flavors.  They are simple enough to assemble and a great go-to appetizer or for dinner.   I always keep a pound of ground dark meat chicken in the freezer. The night before I want to make them, I take the ground chicken out of the freezer and put in the fridge to defrost.

I use dark meat since it is more forgiving and does not have the tendency to dry out like white meat.  I also like that dark meat is higher in iron.  And I should add that dark meat is cheaper.

So far we have enjoyed the meatballs as hors-d-oeuvres or as the added protein to a simple greek salad with sweet potato fries or with brown rice.  

If you need a way to use up leftover herbs or cheese, try making these.

The original recipe is in the Thermomix guide, Everyday cooking for every family.  Here is an adapted recipe.  Feel free to personalize the amounts both for herbs, cheese and breadcrumbs.  I'm sure they would be good with garlic and basil.  

What you need:

Handful Italian Flat Leaf Parsley

Handful cilantro

1 red onion or 2 shallots

1 pound ground dark meat chicken

about 3 ounces feta cheese, crumbled 

about 2 ounces Breadcrumbs 

canola oil for brushing

What to do:

Preheat oven 350 degrees

Chop herbs and onion in Thermomix or food processor

Mix in ground chicken, feta and breadcrumbs

Form into small balls

Place meatballs on parchment lined baking try

Drizzle with oil

Bake until lightly brown.

For more eggless meatball inspiration, go to:
http://www.citytv.com/cityline/food/recipes/article/182537--healthy-meatballs
http://www.citytv.com/cityline/food/recipes/article/182538--veggieballs
Mairlyn Smith presents great recipe ideas and healthy eating on Cityline regularly