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apple bourbon chicken meatballs

Easy as ABC- Apple Bourbon Chicken Meatballs

Michele Pesula Kuegler
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 45 minutes
Course Appetizer
Servings 24 meatballs

Ingredients
  

  • Meatballs
  • 1 pound ground chicken
  • 1/2 cup grated Granny Smith apple
  • 1 egg
  • 1-1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1 cup dried breadcrumbs
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • Sauce
  • 1-1/2 tablespoons butter
  • 1/3 cup diced onion
  • 2 tablespoons flour
  • 1 cup apple juice
  • 3 tablespoons bourbon
  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • Cubed Granny Smith apple optional

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 400°F.
  • Coat a rimmed baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray.
  • Combine ground chicken, grated apple, egg, garlic powder, cloves, 3/4 cup breadcrumbs, salt, and black pepper in a large bowl.
  • Mix well with a spoon or your hands.
  • If mixture is still wet, add remaining 1/4 cup bread crumbs.
  • Shape mixture into golf ball size; place on baking sheet.
  • When all meatballs are formed, bake for 20 minutes.
  • While meatballs bake, make sauce.
  • Preheat small saucepan over medium heat.
  • Add butter, stir until melted.
  • Add onion, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 5 minutes.
  • Sprinkle flour over onion, stir frequently for 2 minutes.
  • Slowly add apple juice, whisking constantly.
  • As the sauce starts to thicken, add bourbon, whisking to combine.
  • When sauce starts to boil, reduce to low, and simmer for 10 minutes.
  • Season sauce with salt and pepper to taste.
  • After removing meatballs from oven, allow to cool for 5 minutes, then transfer to saucepan.
  • Simmer meatballs in sauce for an hour or more.
  • If desired, serve meatballs with a few apple cubes on top for color and crunch.
Keyword meatballs