Asian Chicken Meatballs

A very tasty chicken meat ball!

30 minutes to prepare, 20 minutes to cook

Makes 6 servings

William Kovel, chef de cuisine at Aujourd'hui

Contributor!William Kovel Main Dishes!Asian Chicken Meatballs Appetizers!Asian Chicken Meatballs Chicken!Asian Meatballs Garlic!Asian Chicken Meatballs Ginger!Asian Chicken Meatballs Water Chestnuts!Asian Chicken Meatballs Scallions!Asian Chicken Meatballs Sesame Oil!Asian Chicken Meatballs Thai Green Chili Paste!Asian Chicken Meatballs

Ingredients

• 1 lb. Ground Chicken (white meat)
• 2 1/2 cups Panko Bread Crumbs
• 1 can (8 oz.) Water Chestnuts finely chopped
• 3 cloves Garlic minced
• 2 Tablespoon Ginger Root minced or grated
• 2 Scallions thinly sliced
• 1 Tablespoon Sesame Oil
• 1 Tablespoon Thai Green Chili Paste
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• 1/2 teaspoon Black Pepper ground
• 1 cup Canola Oil

Directions

Set aside 1 cup of the Panko bread crumbs

Japanese Panko bread crumbs have much more texture than regular bread crumbs, and are worth buying just for this recipe. Regular bread crumbs may be substituted in a pinch, but the result is much less attractive.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the ground chicken, water chestnuts, garlic, ginger, scallions, sesame oil, green chili paste, salt, pepper, and remaining 1 and 1/2 cup of Panko bread crumbs. Mix until well combined.

Form the mixture into 24 to 30 meatballs about one inch in diameter. Roll each ball in the reserved Panko bread crumbs to coat.

You can refrigerate the balls for several hours before rolling them in the bread crumbs, if preparing them ahead of time. Don't underestimate the time needed to roll the meatballs!

Preheat the oven to 325 deg. F. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until it reaches 350 deg. F. Carefully add half the meatballs and fry until golden brown all over, about four minutes, turning as needed. Remove them from the oil and drain them on a paper towel-lined plate. Fry the remaining meatballs.

Place the meatballs in a baking dish, and bake them in the oven until they are cooked through (160 deg. F inside, roughly another 7 to 8 minutes).

Serve hot or warm, with a honey mustard, date-tamarind, or soy-ginger dipping sauce.