Description
The viral ‘Marry Me’ chicken gets a very special meatball makeover. Super juicy and stuffed with sundried tomatoes, parmesan, garlic and basil, they’re simmered in a gorgeously creamy tomatoey sauce for a fab one pot weeknight meal, luxurious enough for special occasions and entertaining. Serve with fresh no-knead chili cheese focaccia, loaded baked rice or over pasta.
Ingredients
For the meatballls -
- 1lb/500g ground chicken
- 1/3 cup parmesan cheese, shredded
- 1/3 cup sundried tomatoes, finely chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, crushed
- 2 teaspoons dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon salt
- A handful of fresh basil, chopped
- 1 egg
- 1/3 cup panko breadcrumbs
- Black pepper
For the sauce -
- 1 tablespoon sundried tomato oil (or olive oil)
- 4 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup sundried tomatoes, drained and very finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1/2 cup chicken stock
- 1 teaspoon fish sauce
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon chilli flakes (optional)
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 1 cup coconut milk (or heavy cream or coconut cream)
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated
- A handful of basil leaves, chopped
Instructions
- Make the meatball mixture. Add the ground chicken, 1/3 cup of grated parmesan cheese, 1/3 cup chopped sundried tomatoes, crushed garlic, 2 teaspoons of dried thyme, 1 teaspoon of salt, the chopped basil leaves, a good grind of black pepper, the egg and 1/3 cup of panko breadcrumbs to a mixing bowl. Use your hands or a large spoon to mix well to combine, ensuring the seasoning is evenly dispersed.
- Form the meatballs. Prepare a plate or tray so you have somewhere to put the formed meatballs. Lightly wet your hands (this will stop the mixture from sticking to them), then scoop up a heaped spoonful of the meatball mixture. Roll into a ball, roughly the size of a golf ball and set on your prepared plate or tray. Repeat with the rest of the mixture. PRO TIP: If you have time, I recommend popping the meatballs in the fridge for about 30 minutes before cooking them – this will help them keep their shape in the pan.
- Brown the meatballs. Set a large, high-sided frying pan or skillet over medium-high heat and drizzle with 1 tablespoon of the sundried tomato oil. Add the meatballs and cook for a couple of minutes on each side, until lovely and golden all over. You don’t need to cook them all the way through at this point – they’ll simmer in the sauce a little later. This is just to seal them and add flavor. Remove the meatballs from the pan and set aside on a plate for now.
- Make the creamy sauce. Remove any burnt bits from the pan, then add the crushed garlic, 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 cup of chopped sundried tomatoes. Cook, stirring for a couple of minutes, then add the tomato paste and stir for another minute.
- Add the coconut milk and seasoning. Add 1/2 cup of chicken stock, 1 teaspoon of fish sauce, 1 teaspoon of dried thyme, 1 teaspoon of chili flakes (if you’re using them), 2 teaspoons of lemon juice, 1 cup of coconut milk and 1/2 cup of grated parmesan cheese. Stir and bring to a simmer.
- Simmer the sauce. Once the sauce is simmering, reduce the heat and leave to cook for 5 minutes. At this point, add the meatballs back into the sauce, stir and let it simmer for another 10 minutes.
- Garnish and serve. To finish, spoon more sauce over the meatballs and scatter with the basil leaves. Serve with steamed rice or baked rice, fresh bread, over mashed potatoes or pasta.
Notes
PREP AHEAD: There are a couple of ways you can get ahead with this recipe. Form the meatballs and pop them in the fridge, covered, on a plate or in a container 24 hours before you want to cook them. You can also brown the meatballs, and store them in the fridge for up to 3 days before adding them to the sauce. The sauce can also be made 3 days ahead of time and everything can be mixed when you’re ready to serve.
INGREDIENT NOTES: Use ground turkey, pork or a plant-based alternative instead of chicken if you prefer. Or, if you can’t find ground chicken, you can blitz 1lb of boneless, skinless chicken thighs in a food processor to make your own ground chicken. Swap the coconut milk for heavy (double) cream or coconut cream – regular milk will make the sauce too runny. You can throw in some baby spinach leaves, or kale, when you add the cream if you like.
AIR FRYER INSTRUCTIONS: You can easily cook the meatballs in the air fryer, then just add them to the sauce at the end if you prefer! Add them right at the end, as you add the basil leaves. Just pop the meatballs into your air fryer and air fry for 11 minutes at 400°F/200°C. Try to have them on one layer, but it’s not a massive deal if they overlap, just give them a shake halfway through the cooking time.
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 20
- Category: one pot
- Method: stove top
- Cuisine: american
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 250g
- Calories: 490
- Sugar: 1.9g
- Sodium: 1259.5mg
- Fat: 32.4g
- Saturated Fat: 17.5g
- Unsaturated Fat: 12.6g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 18.6g
- Fiber: 2.3g
- Protein: 34.7g
- Cholesterol: 166.9mg