CAJUN CHICKEN MEATBALLS IN TASTY CREAM SAUCE

INGREDIENTS:

MEATBALLS:

• 2 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon low sodium cajun seasoning
• 4 cloves minced garlic, divided
• ¾ cup panko
• 1 large egg
• ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
• 2 tablespoons chopped parsley (plus more for serving)
• 1 ¼ pounds ground chicken (or turkey)

SAUCE:

• 3-4 tablespoons olive oil
• ½ cup chopped onions (yellow or red)
• ½ cup minced red or yellow peppers (bell or sweet peppers)
• ½ cup minced mushrooms
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1 ½ cups low sodium chicken broth
• ½ cup sour cream
• 2 tablespoons roughly chopped basil, for serving

DIRECTIONS:

1. MEATBALLS: In a medium mixing bowl, mix together 2 tablespoons of cajun seasoning, ½ the garlic, and all the other ingredients except the ground chicken. Add ½ teaspoon of black pepper and mix using a fork. The mixture will resemble a coarse breading. Add the ground chicken and mix until *just* combined. Do not overwork the meat. Roll into 18-22 meatballs. Mine were about 1 ½ tablespoons each.
2. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the meatballs to the skillet but do not overcrowd the pan. Cooke in batches if they don’t all fit. Sear the meatballs for 4-5 minutes, flipping to brown all sides evenly. Remember you want to just brown the outside and not cook them all the way through. Remove meatballs to a plate. Repeat until all the meatballs are cooked.
3. SAUCE: Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to the pan along with the remaining garlic and the onion and sauté for 2 minutes or until the onion begins to turn translucent. Add the peppers and mushrooms and continue to cook until the mushrooms and peppers soften, about 2-3 minutes. Sprinkle the flour and the remaining teaspoon of cajun seasoning over the veggies and push the veggies around the pan to coat evenly and cook for about a minute or until the flour starts to deepen in color.
4. Stir the mixture as you pour in the chicken broth. Lower the heat, whisk in the sour cream until it dissolves completely. Allow sauce to come back to a gentle simmer before lowering the heat and letting the sauce thicken, about 6-12 minutes. When the sauce is halfway there, add the chicken meatballs and let cook for 5 minutes. Sprinkle with the basil before serving.

The sauce will thicken as it sits so i’d advise leaving it a little thinner if you aren’t planning on serving this right away. If the sauce thickens too much you can always thin it out with a little water or broth. Serve over egg noodles or with garlic bread and a salad.

source:http://littlespicejar.com/cajun-chicken-meatballs/

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