Italian Chicken Meatballs

Meatball dishes are one of my favorite things to make for an easy and flavorful weeknight meal.  They are quick, simple to put together, and take just a handful of pantry staples to bring you a moist and flavor packed protein. My Italian Chicken Meatballs are another way my family and I  love to celebrate our love for all things meatball related.  I find that my kids prefer this served in marinara sauce along with a nice bowl of pasta, but you can serve these just about any way you choose, there are so many possibilities! If you’re looking for a gluten free option, roasted spaghetti squash is a great way to get some extra veggies and fiber into your meal, or you can dress some plain pasta in olive oil and parmesan to really highlight your meatballs. This recipe is packed with bold flavors like garlic, sun dried tomatoes, and freshly grated parmesan that transforms ordinary ground chicken into a festival of flavors.  I like to bring my meatball ingredients together  and then let the ground chicken mixture sit for about 15 minutes. I find that allowing the flavors to rest and come together gives you a more flavorful and moist result.  After your meatballs are portioned out, all they need is a quick 15 minute saute (I recommend doing this while your pasta cooks to save time) and it’s dinner time!  Aside from being super easy to make,this can also be a budget friendly meal. Ground chicken is often on sale at my local supermarket, sometimes for as low as 3 dollars per pound!  Whenever I catch it on sale, I stock up to make my other favorite ground chicken meals like my Gojuchang Chicken and Rice Bowl or my Bang Bang Chicken Meatball Bowl.  If you know you’ll be short on time, this is a recipe you can prepare the day before so the work is already done for you, simply mix the meatballs together and cover them until it’s time to get cooking.  However you choose to serve these meatballs, you’ll be treating your family to a wholesome and delicious meal.  Speaking of wholesome, did you know about that time I had a not so wholesome experience in the woods?  I was out on one of my usual weekday hikes I take while my kids were in school when something unusual caught my eye. I have been on this trail dozens of times, but this one particular sunny day, an opening in the woods caught my eye.  It looked so inviting, I had to go bask in the sun for just a few moments.  As I made my way into the clearing, I suddenly heard a sharp grunt accompanied along with the most putrid odor.  As I reluctantly opened my eyes, I found that I was face to face with a pack of wild boars!  Knowing that these animals can be aggressive and destructive, I kept calm and made no sudden movements.  I found myself in a standoff with these animals that felt as though it lasted for hours!  At last I decided it was time to make my move and climb the nearest tree, and that's when the boars suddenly ran off squealing with their tails between their legs.  It turns out that a wolf was on the hunt for them and they had bigger problems than what to do with me.  In the precious few seconds I had before the wolf was aware of my presence, I fled back into the woods and ran like the wind back to my car where I would be safe.  I was certainly rattled, but fortunately untouched by the dangers that I had encountered that afternoon.  Once the adrenaline and shock wore off, it was replaced by the most insatiable hunger that only a large plate of Chicken Meatballs and pasta would satisfy.