Chicken Meatballs with Mint

I love these meatballs, they are so easy to make and pretty healthy. My mom used to make them with beef, when I was growing up. I’m not sure ground chicken was so easily available in grocery stores 30 years ago as it is today. I also make these with ground turkey. I like the fact that there is less fat in chicken and turkey, so I can pop more of those suckers into my mouth! 🙂 They would also be wonderful with a lamb/beef mixture since mint goes so well with lamb!

I also bake them, which makes them even more healthy, but if you prefer you can fry them in vegetable oil, but lightly dredge your meatballs in a little flour first.

These are good to eat as is, like an appetizer, served with a side of tzatziki and/or feta cheese, pita and a glass of wine, ouzo, or a non-alcoholic spritzer. You can also serve them on a lettuce salad or on the side of a Greek village salad or throw them into your favorite tomato sauce and serve over pasta or eat with bread. I LOVE dunking bread into any type of sauce. If you have pita bread then make a gyro sandwich with it and add your favorite toppings!

The mint of choice in Greek savory cooking is spearmint. We grow it in a big container and it comes up every year (it’s a perennial)…it is a very hardy herb and smells WONDERFUL! At our last house I had it planted straight in the ground and every year it would spread and take over more of the yard. When my husband would mow over the part we didn’t want in our yard the whole yard would smell soooo good!

You will need:

• 1 pound ground chicken or turkey
• 2 tablespoons fresh mint, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoons fresh parsley, finely chopped
• 1/2 of a medium sized onion, finely chopped or grate on the larger shredding holes of a box grater
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs, unseasoned
• 1 egg, beaten (optional)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4-1/3 cup olive oil (optional for pan frying)
• 1/2 cup flour (optional for pan frying)

Steps:

1. Mix all the ingredients, except the olive oil and flour for pan frying, until smooth and everything is well combined.
2. Roll all the mixture into 1″ balls, give or take, and spread on an oiled baking sheet. Makes about 30 one inch meatballs.
3. Pop into a 400 degree Fahrenheit oven for about 15-20 minutes (depending on size), until lightly brown and done. Turn meatballs with a metal spatula half way through baking.
4. Broil for last 2-3 minutes to get them golden brown then remove from oven, let sit for a few minutes then transfer meatballs onto a serving dish.
5. Alternatively, you can also pan fry these for a few minutes on each side, or until done, in a little bit of olive oil, I think they are juicier when you pan fry but also have more calories! To pan fry, lightly dredge the meatball in flour before frying.

Kali Orexi!