Forgive me, blog readers, for I have sinned. It was been 8 months since my last post. But let me assure you, this Chicken Meatballs Marsala with Egg Noodles and Chives recipe is worth the wait.
I promise you.
I am also embarrassed to say I haven’t cooked out of my Smitten Kitchen Every Day cookbook in a LONG time. That’s a sad thing. Smitten Kitchen’s recipes are thoroughly tested, (often) kid approved, and typically delicious.
These chicken marsala meatballs are no exception.
But let me digress just a bit. Teacher Man had parent-teacher conferences this evening so he was due home late. I knew he would be hungry (okay, STARVING!) so I decided to pull out the Smitten Kitchen cookbook and find something new (to me) to try.
Let me just say right now, the whole ‘meatballs’ thing is a no brainer for me. I adore meatballs. And these are ground chicken, which is also a good choice as we almost exclusively eat ground turkey or chicken around these parts. (You could definitely sub ground turkey in this recipe. Do not be afraid.)
The meatballs cooked up moist and full of flavor. The marsala sauce was creamy and gravy-like but not overly so. The egg noodles were just a little buttery with fresh chives mixed about. I could add the amount of salt to my liking – which is to say, I didn’t use too much. This was definitely a riff on a meatball stroganoff type of dish, so you don’t have to ask us twice. We’re in.
I think even Joe would really like it. Of course, he is off in college now, to catch you up on my life the last 8 months. He is acclimating well and his parents are getting used to our empty nester ‘hood. It’s weird, though. Very weird. We enjoyed our kid, we liked spending time with him, and his friends were pretty awesome too. So to not have him or his friends around all that much is … different.
Anyway, next time he’s home perhaps I’ll make this dish for him and see what he thinks. In the meantime, Teacher Man and I will enjoy the leftovers tomorrow night. And I will remember to cook out of my Smitten Kitchen Every Day cookbook more often.
And I will also vow to blog more often. I hope.
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Chicken Meatballs Marsala with Egg Noodles and Chives
Ingredients
Meatballs
- 1 pound ground chicken
- 2 tablespoons olive oil divided
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter divided
- 1 small yellow onion minced
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt plus more for the onion
- 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1 large egg
- 1/4 cup milk or water
- freshly ground pepper
Marsala Sauce
- 1/4 cup dry Marsala (or sherry)
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1-3/4 cups chicken stock, unsalted (or chicken broth)
- 1/4 cup heavy ceam
- kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Noodles
- 12 ounces wide egg noodles
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 4 teaspoons fresh chives minced
Instructions
Meatballs
- Place chicken in a large bowl.
- Heat large saute panh over medium heat. Once hot, add half the olive oil and butter. Add the onion and 1-2 pinches of salt and cook until the onion is golden brown, approximately 6-7 minutes. (Stir often!)
- Cool slightly, then add to the bowl with the ground chicken along with the panko, egg, milk or water, 1 teaspoon salt, and black pepper to taste. Stir with a fork to combine.
- Scoop up approximately 2 tablespoons of the meatball mixture and roll back and forth with your wet hands to form a meatball. (Or use an ice cream or cookie scoop – that works great too.) Arrange on a plate.
- Add the remaining butter and olive oil to the saute pan over medium heat. Arrange the meatballs in one layer. (They will seem soft but don't worry – as soon as they cook for a couple of minutes, they begin to hold together better.) Let them brown on the buttom and then carefully roll them around the pan until they are evenly brown on each side. Remove the meatballs with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.
Sauce
- Pour in the Marsala into the same pan and simmer until it's almost complete cooked off, scraping up the bits that have stuck to the pan.
- Add the butter to the pan and let it melt. Then whisk in the flour. Cook the mixture for 1 minute, whisking the entire time.
- Slowly add the broth, whisking the whole time. Then add the heavy cream and bring the mixture to a simmer. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Return the meatballs to the pan, coating them with the sauce. Reduce heat to medium-low and cover, letting them simmer for 10 minutes.
- Check a meatball – it should be cooked through. If not, give it a couple more minutes.
Noodles
- Bring a large pot of salted water to boil and cook the noodles according to package directions. Drain and toss with butter.
To Finish
- Place the noodles in serving bowls, add the meatballs and sauce. Then garnish with chives.
- Serve with a side of peas if you like and some crusty bread, too!