Emily Cohen, founder of My Life My Menu, makes weeknight meals seem easy with these fruity chicken meatballs.
What You’ll Need:
1 Spanish onion, chopped
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons of tomato paste
2 cups of water
Juice of 1 lemon (2-3 tablespoons of juice)
2 pounds ground chicken or turkey (dark meat is preferred)
1 handful of fresh cilantro, chopped
1 teaspoon ground all spice
1 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon of pepper
1/2 cup of dried pitted prunes
1/2 cup of dried apricots
What to Do:
Take your onion, olive oil, and 1/2 teaspoon of salt and sauté in a pan over medium heat for 3 minutes. Allow the onion to cool down completely.
In a large pot put your tomato paste, half of your sautéed onions, water, remaining 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and lemon juice. Start to bring the mixture up to a simmer under a low flame.
In a large mixing bowl, put your ground chicken, the remaining half of your sautéed onions, cilantro, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and pepper. Mix well and begin to form small meatballs. After you form all of the meatballs, place them into the pot of sauce.
Sprinkle your prunes and apricots on top of the balls. Cover the pot until it begins to simmer. Open the lid a little to let some steam come out and continue to cook for one hour. After 30 minutes, gently mix everything in the pot. Do not mix the meatballs before it has simmered for 30 minutes.
Plan ahead! These meatballs last for one week in the refrigerator and last really well in the freezer: Keep a batch for up to 6 weeks in an air tight container. When you are ready to defrost, keep them in the fridge for 24 hours before you intend to eat them. Transfer the meatballs to a baking dish and reheat, covered at 27° for 45 minutes.
Emily Cohen is the founder of MyLifeMyMenu.com, a website that helps the busy person create balanced menus filled with easy, healthy, family-friendly recipes made up of simple and wholesome ingredients. For more from Emily, follow her on Instagram @MyLifeMyMenu and on Facebook at My Life My Menu.