Chicken Parmesan Meatballs

I'm finally in my final week of classes for the first fall session which means I haven't fully grocery shopped in about 2 weeks (it's slowly killing me). Adam and I have been living off soup and crackers so the other day, I was determined to scavenge up whatever I could find in the condo and make an actual meal out of it. I found some ground chicken in the freezer and an abundance of pasta in the pantry. The obvious answer was to make meatballs. I didn't want just normal meatballs though so I decided to think outside of the box. 

Here is a little breakdown of my thought process: meatballs → Italian → pasta → chicken parm. and pasta → meatballs → chicken parm meatballs! I love chicken Parmesan and I love meatballs so why not make a meal out of both? These meatballs were a hit and beyond addicting. If I had not made pasta to go with it, I'm sure we would have devoured every single meatball.

Chicken Parmesan Meatballs

• 1 lb. 95% lean ground chicken
• 1 1/2 cups garlic and herb breadcrumbs
• 1 large egg
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 2 cloves minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon dried parsley
• 2 ounces fresh grated Parmesan cheese (do not use the grated cheese that comes in a plastic container; grate it fresh yourself)
• 3 tablespoons butter
• Mozzarella cheese for garnish

Preheat oven to 400°.

In a large bowl mix ground chicken, 1/2 cup breadcrumbs, egg, salt, pepper, garlic, parsley, and cheese (do not over mix). Using your hands or a tablespoon measure, roll mixture into 20 meatballs. Place on a baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes to an hour.

After the meatballs have set, melt 3 tablespoons butter in a medium saucepan. As soon as the butter is melted, remove from heat and saute 1 cup breadcrumbs. Once mixed, pour breadcrumbs into a shallow bowl. Roll meatballs in the breadcrumb mixture and place on a greased baking rack on a baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes. Serve over pasta and garnish with mozzarella cheese.