I’m always looking for ways to get good food into my family, especially my teenager who is the pickiest eater I have ever met. He’s even more picky than I was at his age and that’s saying something. For some reason I can usually get him to eat meatballs. I have learned to get really creative in what I incorporate into meatballs. Earlier this year I shared my Meatballs with a Heart.
The secret to these Chicken Meatballs, they have chia seeds in them. Chia seeds are good for many things including controlling your blood sugar. It slows down how fast our bodies convert carbohydrates into simple sugars. They are also rich in Omega 3’s and have more than salmon.
I served these Chicken Meatballs with Roasted Red Pepper and Garlic Aioli Sauce (Kalyn’s Kitchen) and my Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Bacon Recipe which I shared in my newsletter. The combination of the chicken meatballs with the sauce was really a party in your mouth. For Kalyn’s recipe I made my own roasted red peppers because I couldn’t find any organic ones in a jar and sweet bell peppers are one of the dirty dozen. You know the foods that absorb the highest levels of pesticides and if you can pick organic for anything, pick it for those listed on the Dirty Dozen. Jar peppers work great but I would still recommend organic.
Can you name all of the Dirty Dozen? I use my iPhone app to help me remember.
Ingredients:
1 organic yellow pepper finely diced, sauteed and cooled
1/3 cup organic red onion finely diced,sauteed and cooled
1 pound organic ground chicken breast
1 organic egg beaten
1/2 tsp granulated garlic
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp sesame seeds
1 tsp ground chia seeds
1 tsp sea salt
4-7 cranks fresh ground black pepper
2 tsp organic coconut oil
Directions:
In a large bowl mix all ingredients using your hands. If that really bothers you use a large fork but nothing beats your hands.
Heat you large skillet on medium high and melt the oil. When the pan is hot I use a scoop to measure out the meatballs and place them in the pan to cook. This will cause them to have one flat side which is great when they sit on a plate. If you want round meatballs use your hands.
Cook all the way through turning once. You can tell when they are cooked through by how they feel. When you flip them over see how they respond when you give a little push. They will be soft still. When they are firm they are done. But if you over cook them they will be rocks so be mindful. The second side does not take as long as the first side.
For me, my pan and my stove they take around 5 minutes on the first side and 2-3 on the second. You should however go by how they feel because it depends on the size of the meatball. Either way they should not take very long to cook up in the pan.
Serve with your favorite side dish and sauce or no sauce.
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Love the sound of your meatballs and I bet they are great with the Roasted Red Pepper Aioli! (And the same things that make this recipe gluten-free also make it SBD friendly!)
Thank you Kayln. I think it's much easier to keep to the diets we need when we make our food. I love you Aioli and use it often. I use it on chicken skin before roasting or grilling. Yum.
Looks delish, Diane. I love meatballs, and when you can hide good-for-you things inside, that's even better!
Hallie your cookbook arrived and I can't wait to read through it. Any meatballs in there?
Holy moly, woman! Some of my favorite parties are in my mouth. 😉 May I just add that your chicken meatballs also resemble grilled scallops? That's a big plus for me!
I hate the dirty dozen. So many of my favorites are on it. We have so few organic choices where I am located. 🙁
Shirley
Shirley I love grilled scallops too. Both are great in this sauce too as I've tried it!
These look amazing! It's so hard to find a grain-free meatball recipe. I can't wait to try these.
Nicole I guess I've not used grains for so long now in meatballs that I forget most recipes do have them. These really don't need them and I think it's just a filler so you have less meat anyway. Toss the fillers and stick with the meat-balls!
These look delicious! I'm always looking for new ways to spice up my meatballs. I have yet to experiment with chicken, but just came up with some really tasty turkey meatballs. These are definitely on my "To Make" list! I really like the idea of using chia seeds.
Alyssa, let me know if you make any changes or have ideas for something different. Ground chicken, bought or ground up ourselves, is fun to play with for sure.
Yum. Using poultry in meatballs tends to mean dry meatballs, but these look moist and flavorful, especially with the peppers. Think it's time we have some chicken meatballs at home.
I can't wait to try these. Whenever I think meatballs, I always thinks of hamburger, so this is great change that I think will be 100 times better than traditional meatballs. Thanks!
I just stumbled upon your site, it's so great to meet another gluten-free blogger/expert!