Creamy Chicken Meatballs

You could actually eat the meatballs by themselves without the cream sauce...But where is the fun in that?

These creamy chicken meatballs in mushroom sauce are soft, juicy, full of flavour and tossed in a luscious sauce made up with lots of mushrooms. This is a delicious 30 minute dish that’s perfect for dinner with some noodles or pasta.

Don't Sweat The Technique (Tips)-

I usually include this part after the recipe, but I thought I'd add these tips first..

• While making meatballs, the best way is to mix all your ingredients except the ground meat first. This way it’s much easier to combine your seasoning, binding agents and flavouring when you finally add the meat.
• Don’t overmix. Seriously, just stop when you feel like you are 90% done. Overworking the meat can lead to denser meatballs.
• To chop the mushrooms finely, just cut them in half and add them to a food processor. This will coarsely chop the mushrooms without you having to do any of that effort. Takes about 2.5 minutes.
• Always sear the meatballs on high heat. This locks in the flavours and the sear helps them retain their shape when you add them back to the sauce.
• Feel free to switch up chicken meatballs for vegetarian ones if you are a vegetarian. But retain the sauce. Because that sauce absolutely rocks!

INGREDIENTS:

For the Meatballs:

• ¾ cup Bread Crumbs
• 1 Egg
• 1 teaspoon Oregano
• 1 teaspoon Paprika
• 3 Garlic Cloves, minced
• ¼ cup grated Parmesan
• 550 grams/ 1.25 pounds ground Chicken
• Salt to taste
• 2 tablespoons Olive Oil

For the Sauce:

• 2 tablespoon Olive Oil
• 1 tablespoon Butter
• 2 Garlic Cloves, minced
• ½ cup chopped Onions
• 1 cup finely chopped Mushrooms
• 2 tablespoons Flour
• 1 ½ cups low sodium Chicken Broth
• 1 teaspoon dried Rosemary
• 1/2 teaspoon dried Parsley
• ½ teaspoon Paprika
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• ½ cup Heavy Cream

DIRECTIONS:

1. Make the meatballs: In a large bowl, mix together all the ingredients except ground chicken and oil. Mix well and add the ground chicken. Mix till just combined. Form the mixture into approximately 18 meatballs. Set aside.
2. Sear: Heat two tablespoons Olive Oil in a pan and add as many meatballs as will fit into the pan without overcrowding. You may have to do this in batches. On high heat, brown the meatballs on all sides and remove them on a plate.
3. Sauce: Heat two tablespoons olive oil and a tablespoon of butter in the same pan. Add garlic and onions. Cook till the onions soften and become translucent. Add the mushrooms and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Stir in the flour and cook for another minute to get rid of the raw flour flavour. Slowly add the chicken broth and keep whisking continuously till the sauce thickens. Stir in the rosemary, parsley, paprika, salt, pepper and meatballs. Add a little more stock or water if the sauce is too thick. Simmer the meatballs for ten minutes. Stir in the heavy cream and switch off the flame. Serve hot with noodles, rice or mashed potatoes 
4. To chop the mushrooms finely, just cut them in half and add them to a food processor. This will coarsely chop the mushrooms without you having to do any of that effort. Takes about 2.5 minutes

 ENJOY!!   Eat and Drink Well My Friends!

Cheater’s Bouillabaisse

Hey guys...How did we shave 90 minutes of cooking time off of this delicious Provençal seafood stew? Easy: Cook it in one pot with a smaller selection of seafood.

This cheater's version still takes us to the dreamy French countryside with a glass of white wine and a rustic baguette (with plenty of salted butter, of course).

INGREDIENTS:

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 leeks, halved and thinly sliced
1 fennel bulb, halved and thinly sliced, fronds reserved
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 garlic cloves, minced
4 cups seafood stock
One 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
Zest and juice of 1 orange
Pinch saffron
1 bay leaf
2 pounds cod, chopped
2 pounds shrimp, cleaned and peeled
2 pounds mussels, cleaned and de-bearded
½ cup chopped fresh parsley
Crusty bread, for serving.

DIRECTIONS: 
 

1. In a large stockpot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the leeks and fennel and sauté until tender, about 4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add the garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute.
2. Add the seafood stock, tomatoes, orange zest and juice, saffron and bay leaf. Bring to a simmer and cook until the liquid has reduced slightly, 12 to 15 minutes.
3. Add the cod and simmer for 2 minutes. Add the shrimp and mussels and cover the pot. Simmer until the seafood is fully cooked (the fish will be firm, the shrimp will be pink, and the mussels will be open), about 4 minutes. Discard any unopened mussels.
4. Stir in the parsley. Top with the reserved fennel fronds and serve with the bread.

Serve with a nice white wine...

 Enjoy!, Eat Well My Friends!

Crispy Orange Chicken

Just thinking about good chinese food and this recipe creeped up on my radar... Good Crispy Orange Chicken...

INGREDIENTS:

4 boneless and skinless chicken thighs, cubed

4 egg whites

2 tablespoons corn starch

½ cup vegetable or peanut oil for frying

½ cupSoy Vay® Orange Ginger Marinade and Sauce

2 teaspoons sesame seeds

1 teaspoon scallions, diced

DIRECTIONS:

1.Whisk egg whites and cornstarch in a medium sized bowl until frothy. Place chicken pieces into mixture and allow to rest for approximately 10 minutes .

2.Using a medium heavy bottomed skillet, such as a Dutch oven or cast iron skillet, heat oil to 350°F. Carefully drop coated chicken pieces into hot oil, lightly stirring to ensure chicken does not stick together. Cook until golden-brown, approximately 5 minutes.

3.Remove chicken from hot oil and onto a paper-towel lined dish or baking sheet. Drain excess oil.

4.Place chicken in hot oil a second time to achieve crispy coating, for approximately 1 minute. Remove from pan.

5.Heat orange ginger sauce in a small sauce pan until heated through. Combine chicken and orange ginger sauce in a medium sized bowl until well coated. Toss in sesame seeds and garnish with scallions. Serve warm.

ENJOY!  Eat Well My friends!