Before we start, I’m excited to share that In Good Taste was nominated for a 2010 Blogluxe Awards in the “Tastiest Blog” category. And hey, that’s kind of fun. To vote, head over to the 2010 BlogLuxe Awards Voting Page and choose your favorite blog in each category. And if you want to, you know, vote for me every day, you can even do that. Keep in mind there’s no cash prize at stake here, only my Internet dignity. If you’re a little confused about what this means, check out the contest rules.

I can definitively tell you that I’ve been wanting to make these meatballs all year. Even though I have a favorite recipe for classic beef meatballs and for turkey meatballs with basil and cranberries, I knew that my meatball repertoire just wasn’t complete.

And then, on New Years Eve, which I spent with friends at Dave and Lisa‘s, Dave made a batch of baked chicken meatballs that I knew I had to recreate.

And so, five months later, I finally bought ground chicken and have committed about four different chicken meatball recipes to memory. These would be a great appetizer or even a side dish served along a protein-lacking pasta dish, a like layer after layer of a savory roasted vegetable lasagne.

Baked Chicken Meatballs
Serves 4, or more as appetizers or sliders

What you need:

3 slices whole wheat bread, torn into small bits (1 cup, no crust)
1/3 cup milk
4 ounces sliced prosciutto, finely chopped
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 pound ground chicken
2 tablespoons tomato paste, divided
3 tablespoons finely chopped flat-leaf parsley

What you do:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Soak bread in milk in a small bowl until softened. Squeeze bread to remove excess milk.

2.Cook prosciutto and onion in one tablespoon oil with 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper in a large skillet over medium heat. Remove from heat.

3.Squeeze bread to remove excess milk.  Lightly beat egg in a large bowl, then combine with chicken, 1 tablespoon tomato paste, prosciutto mixture, bread, and parsley. Form meatballs and arrange on a nonstick baking sheet or pan.

4.Stir together remaining tablespoons of tomato paste and oil and brush over meatballs (the paste/oil does not mix, but this is a tip I picked up from a similar recipe on Smitten Kitchen, so I ran with it).

5. Bake in upper third of oven until meatballs are just cooked through, 15 to 20 minutes.

Tagged as: baked meatballs, chicken, chicken meatballs, date night dinner, easy dinner, ground chicken, recipe for entertaining