Appetizer Essentials Crispy Chicken Meatballs Recipes

APPETIZER ESSENTIALS: CRISPY CHICKEN MEATBALLS

Steps:

• PREP/PREPARE
• Gather your ingredients.
• If you haven't purchased pre-ground chicken thigh meat, you have three choices: 1. Place the chicken thighs in a food processor, fitted with an S-blade, and give it several 1-second pulses, until ground. 2. Use a hand-crank, or electric meat grinder. 3. Have your butcher do it for you at the store.
• Chef's Note: When you control the grinding, you can get exactly what you want. When you buy it in the packages, you get what they give you. For this dish you want a bit of a rough grind.
• Add all of the ingredients (except the flour and vegetable oil) to the ground chicken.
• Mix, until fully incorporated.
• Chef's Tip: The best tools a chef has are his/her very own two hands.
• Add about 2 inches (5 cm) of oil to a pot over medium heat, and allow the temperature to raise to 350f (175c).
• Take 1 ounce of the mixture, and shape into a ball.
• Roll the ball in the flour.
• Chef's Note: Repeat for the remainder of the mixture.
• Add the chicken balls to the hot oil in batches.
• Cook until they are crispy brown on the outside, and cooked on the inside, about 4 - 6 minutes per batch.
• Chef's Tip: Allow the oil to return to temperature before adding the next batch.
• Drain on paper towels.
• PLATE/PRESENT
• Serve while still nice and hot with your favorite dipping sauce. Enjoy.
• Keep the faith, and keep cooking.
• ADDITIONAL RECIPES
• Since these meatballs have an Asian flair, I like to serve them with a traditional Chinese brown sauce... Recipe for a Chinese Brown Sauce • 2/3 cup fresh beef stock • 1 teaspoon tamari • 1 teaspoon oyster sauce •1 teaspoon Arrowroot or cornstarch • 1/2 teaspoon coconut sugar, or regular white sugar Add the ingredients to a saucepan, and allow it to simmer, until thickened, about 8 to 10 minutes.

CRISPY CHICKEN MEATBALLS

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine 1 cup panko, the milk, egg, garlic powder and 1 teaspoon salt. Stir together and let sit for 5 minutes.
• Add the chicken and 3/4 cup Parmesan. Stir with your hands until combined, avoiding overmixing. Roll into 24 balls about the size of a golf ball (about 2 tablespoons each) and place on a sheet pan or plate. In a medium bowl, stir together the remaining ¾ cup panko and ¼ cup Parmesan. Toss each meatball in the panko-cheese mixture, pressing gently to adhere. (To avoid a big mess, designate one "wet hand" for touching the meatballs and one "dry hand" for tossing in the panko.) Refrigerate for 5 minutes.
• In a large (12-inch) skillet, heat 2 tablespoons butter and 1 tablespoon oil over medium. When foaming, add half the meatballs. Cook, turning often and reducing the heat if needed to prevent burning, until golden brown and cooked through, 7 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
• Reduce the heat to medium-low and remove any dark oil or loose panko from the skillet with a spoon or paper towel. (The skillet will be hotter at this point, so reducing the heat ensures even cooking for both batches.) Add the remaining 2 tablespoons butter and 1 tablespoon oil. When foaming, add the remaining meatballs and cook, turning often, until golden brown and cooked through, 7 to 10 minutes. Transfer to the plate.