Baked Cheesy Italian Chicken Meatballs

Serving Size: 10

These Baked Cheesy Italian Chicken Meatballs are best for cold fall and winter nights when you want easy comfort food at home, full of flavor. It's warm, with rich sauce, and melted cheese, what not to love. Add some crusty bread or pasta on the side, for a delicious hearty meal. Works great for a family dinner on a busy week and also a great appetizer for holiday entertaining.

Recipe by: Half Baked Harvest

Cook Times

Active Prep25

Hands-On Cook15

Hands-Off Cook30

Passive0

Total Time1 10

Recipe Serving Size10

Cooking Tools Required

9x13 inch glass baking dish, Aluminum Foil, Baking sheet, Cutting board, Grater, Measuring cups and spoons, Mixing bowls, Oven

Ingredients

1 3/4 pound ground spicy Italian chicken sausage
1 3/4 pound ground chicken
4 slice whole grain bread soft preferred
4 egg
3/4 cup parmesan cheese grated
4 shallot small, grated
4 clove garlic grated
3 tablespoon pepperoncinis chopped
25 ounce marinara sauce
1 3/4 cup mozzarella cheese shredded
1 3/4 cup provolone cheese shredded
1/3 cup fresh oregano chopped

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 450° F. Grease a 9×13 inch baking dish with olive oil.
Take the bread and run it under water until dampened but not soaked. Gently squeeze the excess water out of the bread and then crumble the dampened bread into pieces.
In a bowl, combine the sausage, chicken, bread crumble, eggs, shallots, garlic, pepperoncinis, and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Coat your hands with olive oil, then roll the meat into balls (about 2 tablespoons meat per ball), and place them into the prepared baking dish. Bake for 15 minutes or until the meatballs are crisp on the outside, but not yet cooked through on the inside.
Remove from the oven and pour the marinara over top the meatballs. Cover the pan with foil and bake for 15 minutes longer, or until the meatballs are cooked through. Remove the foil and add the cheeses and oregano. Bake until the cheese is melted and golden, about 10 minutes. Serve topped with fresh oregano.

Notes

Ground Spicy Italian Chicken Sausage: I buy ground chicken sausage at Whole Foods. If you can’t find it, you can make your own by adding the following spice mix to 1 pound ground chicken:
1 tablespoon each of fennel seed, dried thyme, dried basil, dried oregano, salt, and pepper; 2 teaspoons each of cayenne (or less, if you don’t want it too spicy), paprika, and garlic powder; and 1 teaspoon each of smoked paprika and crushed red pepper flakes.

Reheating Instructions

Heat in a 350 degree oven for 20 minutes.

Nutrition