Wednesday, March 23, 2011

E: Baked BBQ Chicken Meatballs

We had some delicious baked barbecue chicken meatballs the other night! But first, a few non food items:

1. I ordered these adorable cards off of Etsy. Lulu and Stinker has some of the cutest cards I have ever seen! I can’t wait to use these as thank yous after my baby shower:

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2. Frank is starting to feel better! Its been so tough to watch him in pain. This experience made Josh and I realize that we’re going to be nutty parents ;)

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Ok, back to the food. I first saw Chelsea of We are Not Martha make barbeque chicken meatballs and I’ve been thinking about them ever since! I decided to finally give them a go this past weekend, but using a slightly different recipe & cooking method. Here is what I came up with:

Baked BBQ Chicken Meatballs

Ingredients:

  • 1/4 cup bread crumbs or panko
  • 1/2 onion, chopped
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1 egg
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon basil
  • 2 tablespoons + 1/2 cup barbeque sauce, divided
  • 1 pound ground chicken or turkey

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Place a cooling rack on top of a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil. Spray the cooling rack with non-stick spray.

Mix together first six ingredients and 2 tablespoons of barbeque sauce. Add ground chicken and mix until just combined. Form into 1 inch diameters balls and place balls on cooling rack (they will seem a little “wet”, this made about 24 balls for me). Brush top of meatballs with remaining barbeque sauce.

Bake meatballs for ~20 minutes or until cooked through.

These pictures really don’t do the meatballs justice! I placed Josh’s meatballs on top of a baked potato with more bbq sauce & cheese and a side of fruit:

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I had mine with a side of carrots & apples (don’t be deceived…I ate a few more meatballs while waiting for Josh to get home prior to dinner). Then we both had some yummy dessert (Amelia’s awesome key lime pie!!!):)

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These were seriously yummy!

Whats your favorite version of meatballs (bean balls, turkey, chicken or beef)? Recipe links welcome!

42 comments:

Lauren said...

LOVE the invites. So cute!
Glad Frank is feeling better. Poor guy, I bet he's exhausted.

Those meatballs sound great. I haven't ever made meatballs but I'm guessing its a similar process to burgers. I should make them because Toly loves them.

Megan D said...

Those are seriously the cutest cards ever! Etsy has some great stuff. I'm thinking of ordering a print off there soon. So glad Frank is doing better!
Also, I didn't know you used to intern in Charlotte! That's where I'm from :)

Anonymous said...

The thankyou cards are soo sweet!!
It looks like Frank is taking full advantage of the prescribed resting :)
Gus ate more toy parts today so our battle continues :)

Heather said...

Love the cards - so cute!

Colin loves the turkey meatballs I make - it's always his choice for his birthday dinner! :)

Have a great day, hon!

Amelia said...

I hope Frank feels better. It is so hard to watch a pet that is in pain/ distress. :(

The meatballs sound delicious! I love simple meals with bold flavors. Hope you liked the key lime pie. :)

Pound said...

these look great! i love the chicken balsamic meatballs that mandi makes! these look good too! my kids usually gobble them up! will def have to try!

loove the cards! etsy has soo much fun stuff, i could spend a whole day shopping on etsy.

Anonymous said...

Glad Frank is doing better!!! :D
Those meatballs look awesome! Thanks for sharing the recipe!

Tiffany @ The Chi-Athlete said...

The invites are SO CUTE! And I'm happy that Frank is feeling better! I know when Kayla is having a day that I'm just worried to pieces (which I think might make it worse, lol).

Mmmmmm meatballs!

Heather (Where's the Beach) said...

Super cute cards. So glad Frank is starting to feel better. I hate it when one of my furbabies is sick. Makes you feel rather helpless.

LizNoVeggieGirl said...

Praying for Frank! And I totally need to make those meatballs.

The Purple Carrot said...

I love those cards, they are so cute!! :)

I'm so glad to hear that Frank is feeling better, poor guy! That BBQ chicken meatball recipe sounds really good. Erik usually doesn't like anything "BBQ" but I'll have to see if I can sneak something like this on him ;)

Anonymous said...

Franklebun!

Jenna said...

SO happy to hear that Frank is on the mend! What a trooper.

Those meatmalls look so good!

Beth @ DiningAndDishing said...

I love the We are Not Martha blog! Great recipes and the girls are so sweet :). I just made their brie and fig cupcakes and they were awesome! Your meatballs look delish.

Kitchen Belleicious said...

LOL! I love the picture of your dog! So cute and glad Frank is feeling better! How are you doing though more importantly? Love this recipe. I am always a fan of meatballs but with bbq sauce- divine!

Holly said...

I am so glad Frank is feeling better! It's so hard to see your baby (real or fur baby!) in pain like that. :-(

I am bookmarking this recipe now! I've only made meatballs once, and they were good, but I LOVE the idea of adding BBQ sauce!

Krista said...

The thank you notes are beautiful and SO happy to hear that Frank is feeling better! Your meatballs look fabulous. Bet they'd be great served over some rice....mmm....

Renee Paj said...

MMMMM... I love bbq and so do my kids...husband not to much! ground turkey has become a favorite here for meatballs! those cards are so cute!

Unknown said...

now you've got me craving meatballs ;) those cards are awesome!!

Lindsay @ The Lean Green Bean said...

love those cards! and i pretty much love bbq anything so those meatballs look DELICIOUS!

Anonymous said...

Oh my gosh - the cards are adorable! Glad Frank is feeling better! I love meatballs made with ground turkey - yum!

Biz said...

I actually have ground turkey I need to use up - I may have to give these a try tonight!

I prefer beef meatballs, but I am trying to venture out to new things :D

Corey @ the runners cookie said...

I'm a big fan of turkey meatballs! I used ground turkey to make feta-stuffed turkey burgers the other day, but was so close to making meatballs, because I love them in pasta or on a sandwich! The chicken meatballs look delicious, Erica - hope you have a great day lady!!

jenna said...

i love love love those cards!! super cute!

Your parenting skills are being tested for sure with Frank!!! gosh, i'm glad he is feeling better! there is nothing worse than a suffering child...you feel so out of control. It really is the worst feeling! I'm glad frank is getting better!

Green Dog Wine said...

My poor little Frankie Beans - give him big kisses for me! :)

Hey - what are you cats up to this weekend? I'm actually going to be in town (staying at the MainStay Suites - I think) - in Mt. Pleasant. It's my best friends bachelorette party! While I do believe Friday and Saturday are fully booked - I thought maybe we could catch a bit Sunday afternoon before I need to go to the airport (I think my flight leaves at 4:55pm) - let me know! :)

Laurla ( bhealthier) said...

oooooo they look awesome~ so i thought about frank today and you! I hope he gets better, so hard to watch im sure, though it looks like he is resting comfortably!!

my favorite ball (haha) has been meatballs... but I like the idea of doing a (italian style)lentil-ball instead of lentil loaf.. that could work!

Averie said...

love those thank you cards...too cute!

hope frankie gets better soon and is back to full speed in no time!

Maria said...

I love those cards! Super cute!

Lisa said...

Those cards are so cute!

...and so is Frank :)

Allison said...

I love etsy! Favorite was to cook meatballs is with ground turkey breast or bison meat yum!

Julie said...

bean balls!? haha i had to look over that twice because i don't think i've ever seen bean balls!

i've been on such a meaty kick lately so i'd have to go with ground turkey

um and i LOVE those cards!!! so cute mama! also i'm glad frank is doing better! he needs to heel up quick so he can be a back up rocking horse when the babes is born!

lee said...

I'm glad Frank is on the mend.

Natalie said...

poor frank, i hope he's better soon!

i have been wanting to make meatballs lately--yours sound great!

Nutmeg Nanny said...

Love those cards....sooooo adorable!

Also hooray that Frank is feeling better. Nothing like having a sick fur baby.

Now onto the meatballs...yum! I never make meatballs but I'm not sure why. They are always so super tasty!

Stephanie @cookinfanatic said...

How cute are those cards?! So glad that Frank is doing better too :) I think my favorite meatball is the classic beef w/ onion, garlic, parsley & parmesan but this bbq version looks really good too!

Katie said...

So glad Frank is doing better! When my dog was sick last December, watching him suffer was just the hardest thing. I never wanted to leave him alone.

Those cards are so cute! It'll be so fun to send them out.

CaSaundraLeigh said...

I always love the taste of BBQ..it reminds me of summer which I cannot wait for! :-)

Lea @ Healthy Coconut said...

Oh, great recipe. I love recipes that I can make a batch and freeze the rest for leftovers.

I am looking for healthy or "healthier" barbecue sauce? No fructose syrup. Can you recommend a brand Erica?

Aggie said...

I miss eating meatballs. There are a few meat items that I miss...they are surely one of them. Not that anyone is forcing me not eat them...hmmm. I want to make these for the fam! They sound great and I love how you served Josh's up on a baked potato. So yum!

Oh and those cards are adorable!!!

Have to catch up on earlier posts...poor Frank?! hope he's okay!

Naomi(Onefitfoodie) said...

those cards are SO SO SO cute!!!! ah! people are going to flip when they see how adorable they are! :)

yay for frank doing better, he is such a cutie!! is is going to be so good with the baby too!!!

delish meatballs they look fantastic!

Candice said...

So cute!!! and Yay!! frank is feeling better!
Those meatballs look so good! can't wait to try them!

erica said...

Oh my goodness! Those are seriously the CUTEST cards that I have ever seen!

xo