Chicken is a great source of protein and many other essential nutrients. It’s also wonderfully versatile. So if you’re fed up with dry, tasteless chicken breast, help is at hand with these juicy, Mediterranean-flavored chicken meatballs or burgers.
Enjoy the meatballs in tomato sauce on pasta (see my Meatballs & Spaghetti recipe), atop Mediterranean salad bowls, in a lunch box, or as a tasty snack. The burgers taste great in a bun or salad wrap, with all the usual hamburger fixings.
This recipe makes 6 patties or 20 meatballs (depending on the size you want).
Herbed Chicken Meatballs/Burgers
Servings: 1-oz meatballs
Calories: 80kcal
Protein doesn't get much more delicious, nutritious or simple! than this
Print Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 lbs ground chicken preferably organic
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper freshly ground
- 1 tbsp Italian seasoning or Herbes de Provence
- 1 tsp paprika powder
- ½ tsp red pepper flakes optional
- 1 tbsp fresh garlic minced (equivalent to about 5 cloves)
- 4 thick scallions finely sliced
- ½ cup fresh herbs chopped (e.g., parsley, basil, mint, dill, or a combination thereof)
- 2 tbsp olive oil plus extra for frying the patties/meatballs
- more olive oil for frying
Instructions
- Place all the ingredients (incl. the two tablespoons of olive oil) in a mixing bowl and mix until well combined, using a spatula or your hands.
- If making meatballs, scoop out heaping tablespoons of the meat mixture and shape with lightly water-moistened hands. This recipe yields about 20 ping-pong-ball-sized meatballs.
- If making burgers, scoop out ⅓ to ½ cup of the meat mixture and shape patties with lightly water-moistened hands (to reduce stickiness); place them on a slightly damp chopping board. This recipe yields about six burgers.
- Once you have shaped all the meatballs/burger patties, warm olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the burgers/meatballs to the hot skillet and cook until golden-brown on the outside and the internal temperature registers 165F -- around 8-10 minutes. (You may have to do this in two batches, depending on the size of your skillet; don't overcrowd the pan.) If you plan to add the meatballs to tomato sauce (where they will continue cooking), saute until they are light golden -- around 3 minutes total -- before adding them to the sauce.
- In a tightly sealed container, these keep in the fridge for 3-4 days and also freeze well.
Nutrition
Serving: 1meatball | Calories: 80kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.03g | Cholesterol: 39mg | Sodium: 145mg | Potassium: 254mg | Fiber: 0.2g | Sugar: 0.05g | Vitamin A: 197IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 10mg | Iron: 1mg