Chicken Parmesan Meatballs

We've made these twice now and my entire family loves them so I'd better add it to the blog! These are a great variation on Chicken Parmesan and they are surprisingly very easy to make. The recipe on its own will feed my entire family of 7 but without much wiggle room for seconds or leftovers. So if I want more, I'll probably double the recipe and use 2 jars of pasta sauce but still only make 1 lb of spaghetti. I might need to cook it a few minutes longer if I double it too.  I might use this as one of our teacher dinner meals this year so it was good enough for company! The crushed red pepper gives the meatballs a little kick with the flavor without being really spicy, but adjust it as needed. They have great flavor and crunch to them just like real chicken parmesan! Also I prefer Barilla marinara sauce but use whatever brand you love.


CHICKEN PARMESAN MEATBALLS
(adapted from this recipe)
Servings: 20 or so meatballs

Ingredients
1 lb ground chicken
1 egg
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup Panko breadcrumbs (and about 3/4 cup more for rolling)
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon Italian seasonings
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/4 cup olive oil, divided (or any oil you want)
1 (26 ounce) jar marinara sauce (2 jars is better for more sauce - Barilla is my favorite brand)
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella
2 tablespoons basil, torn (optional)

Instructions
In a large bowl, mix together the chicken, egg, Parmesan cheese, breadcrumbs, garlic powder, Italian seasonings, salt, pepper, and red pepper. Roll into 1 1/2 inch balls.

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large oven-safe skillet over medium heat. Roll half of the meatballs in Panko breadcrumbs and brown them on each side in the oil. Add more oil if needed as you go. Remove from the pan and set aside. Wipe out any Panko breadcrumbs and heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Roll the remaining meatballs in Panko breadcrumbs and brown on each side. Remove from pan.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pour marinara sauce in the oven-safe skillet (or any baking dish will do) and place the meatballs on top of the sauce. Bake meatballs for 20 minutes sprinkling the mozzarella on top for the last 5 minutes of baking. Garnish with basil and serve over pasta.

*I brown the meatballs in a skillet and bake them in the sauce in a 9x13 dish.