Chicken meatballs are here to stay! If you’ve been getting groceries from the Food Bank or a local food pantry, you’re probably familiar with chicken meatballs. Some folks love them; others, not so much.
Distributed as part of the federal government’s Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP), shipments of these meatballs are large in quantity … and they keep coming! That’s why we threw down the gauntlet to see how many recipes we could come up with.
Here’s how the Food Bank family likes to prepare chicken meatballs:
Meatball subs: I like to cook meatballs in our favorite spaghetti sauce. Put them on a hotdog or sausage bun, and top with shredded mozzarella. They’re pretty yummy!
Meatball kebabs: Alternate placing meatballs and cubed parboiled potatoes and carrot slices on a skewer, brush with oil or butter, and bake until veggies are browned and meatballs are heated through. Serve with favorite sauce.
Meatball March Madness: Cook meatballs as directed until heated through and serve on toothpicks with dipping sauce that corresponds to your favorite college team’s colors – red (marinara or ketchup), yellow (curry sauce), black (soy sauce), orange (mango chutney), white (ranch) … you get the idea!
Meatball fried rice: Sauté in a pan with your choice of vegetables. Add cooked rice and soy sauce or teriyaki sauce, fresh ginger, and/or garlic.
Twice-baked meatball potatoes: Bake potatoes, scoop out the soft potato, and mash with meatballs. Stuff the goodness back inside, top with your choice of cheese, and bake again until brown and bubbly.
Family Night tacos: Place in a pan with 1/2 cup diced onion and sauté on medium heat. Add 1 pack of taco seasoning for 30 crumbled meatballs with 2 tablespoons of water. Mix well and serve.
Family Night lasagna: Crush the meatballs and sauté with oregano, garlic powder and onion powder. Use the mixture to layer in your lasagna.
Family Morning casserole: In a bowl, mix 10 diced meatballs and 5 breakfast sausage links. Add 4 eggs and 1/4 cup of milk, plus salt and pepper. I also add 1/2 cup of cut spinach or onion and peppers to mine. Spray a muffin tin or small casserole dish and place mixture inside. Top with shredded cheese. Cook for 20 minutes at 350 or until eggs are completely cooked.
Mexican chicken meatball dinner: Thaw and cut meatballs into quarters. Sauté in a pan with 1/2 a packet of taco seasoning. Add 1/2 cup chicken stock and let simmer for about 10 minutes. Add 1 can of Rotel (or diced tomatoes and 1 small can of chili). Let simmer for 5 minutes until warmed. In another pot, cook 2 cups of instant rice. Serve meatball mixture over the rice or mix all together with rice and serve.
