Spicy Asian Chicken Meatballs
This is one of those weeknight dinners that everyone will love. When you can't decide what you want, these flavorful meatballs with their crunchy and refreshing salad accompaniment satisfy every craving.
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground chicken
- 1 egg
- 1 cup Japanese Panko breadcrumbs
- 1/2 cup chopped onion
- 1/4 tsp chili flakes
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1/2 cup hoisin sauce
- 1 tsp grated fresh ginger
- 1 cup grated carrots
- 8 large romaine leaves washed a trimmed
- 2 Tbsp chopped cilantro
Instructions
- Heat oven to 400 degrees.
- Mix together the ground chicken, egg, breadcrumbs, onion, half of the garlic and half of the hoisin sauce in a bowl, season with salt and pepper, and mix to combine.
- Roll mixture, about 2 tablespoons, into balls, and place on a baking sheet.
- Bake in oven for about 5 minutes, until meatballs start to become slightly firm.
- Meanwhile, mix together the remaining hoisen, garlic and ginger in a small bowl.
- Remove meatballs from the oven, and using a pastry brush, lightly brush the sauce on the partially cooked meatballs.
- Return to oven and continue to bake for another 5 minutes, or until meatballs are very firm to the touch and cooked through.
- To serve: place meatballs on romaine leaves, top with grated carrots and cilantro, and enjoy right away.
Notes
Although I like to serve these chicken meatballs as the filling for lettuce cups, you can also use them as the filling for a meatball sandwich or make mini meatballs with toothpicks as passed appetizers.