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Feb 01

Party Food : Oven Baked Chicken Balls

 

Oven Baked Chicken Balls

 

 

Hello one and all. Today I bring you some yummy treats to serve up at your next party. I am fully aware that Super Bowl weekend is right round the corner. For those of you who don’t already know (or simply couldn’t give a toss) it’s on the 3rd of February … so I am posting this especially for the event. I borrowed the recipe from ‘The Simple Cooking Channel‘ and tweaked it a little. I wish I knew his name so I could give a proper shout out to the channel owner for posting such a brilliant recipe. Everything came out well, so this is going to end up on my staple party food list whenever I have an impromptu gathering at my place. So, thank you very much fellow Aussie dude.

 

 

Super Bowl weekend is probably the sporting event to Americans as the Melbourne Cup is to Australians. No one wants to work; entire cities come to a standstill while everyone sits at home glued to the TV, or troops down to the arena to catch the live action. Another thing that is synonymous with these types of events is the food that goes along with it. Traditionally, Americans consume a ginormous amount of pizza and chicken wings on Superbowl Sunday. How much wings? Well according to Wikipedia, a whopping 90 million of ’em … just on the single day alone! Other typical food eaten include truck loads of chips (yeaaaah, can’t have a party without chips!), various dips and sauces, the favourite being guacamole, and a ton of beer to wash it all down with.

 

 

Now, I would have put up a post for buffalo wings, except I have already done that one, complete with bule cheese dip. I really wanted to present something other than tacos, chilli, nachos with cheese sauce and all the other well known dishes one comes to expect at a super bowl party. So when I came across this recipe I knew I had found what I was looking for. Then came choosing the accompanying dip; and then it hit me … Cranberry Sauce! With a twist. So let’s get started.

 

 

Chicken Balls3

 

 

Begin by placing the chicken mince in a mixing bowl, along with salt, pepper, garlic powder. Give that a bit of a mix.

 

 

Then lightly sautée the shallots and toss those in with the chicken, along with the cornmeal, grated cheese and egg. Give everything a good mix. If the mixture seems wet and gooey then sprinkle some extra breadcrumbs, but you shouldn’t need it.

 

 

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Moosh everything together with your hands and shape them into balls. If the mixture is too sticky, it is best to roll them with wet hands. Place them on a baking sheet lined with a silicone mat, tin foil or parchment paper. Don’t bake them immediately tho. Leave them to sit for about 30 mins to mingle the flavours and to allow the breadcrumbs to soak up any excess moisture.

 

 

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After the 30 mins, whack them in a 200ºC oven and bake for a further 20 – 30 mins. This recipe got me a total of eighteen balls, but it all depends on the size you roll them into. After baking allow them to cool slightly before serving with the cranberry dipping sauce.

 

 

 

I really liked this recipe coz the balls came out with a very crunchy outer shell, with moist and flavourful filling on the inside. In the original recipe, cornflakes were used but I don’t eat cornflakes so I don’t have them in my cupboards. The cornmeal worked just as well and it really gave the chicken balls a nice nacho-ey smell to them. Hey, if they smell like corn chips, then that’s got to be a good thing, right? After all, on days like the Super Bowl, it’s all about the junkfood. Lucky this recipe just smells like junkfood but is probably way better for you.

 

 

Chicken Balls2

 

 

 

Well, I hope you enjoyed this recipe … it’s a really good one to have. Handy for informal parties, and versatile enough for you to play around with the flavourings within. You could even use turkey mince, serve it along with the same cranberry sauce and have yourself a fabulous cocktail party at Thanksgiving! Isn’t that just brilliant? So I hope you give this a try and perhaps drop in on The Simple Cooking Channel to check out his other online video recipes.

 

 

And don’t forget to check out that cranberry & ginger sauce that I used here.

 

 

 

 

 

Ingredients :

  • 250 g chicken mince
  • 1/3 cup cornmeal or crushed cornflakes
  • 1/3 cup grated cheese {cheddar, parmesan or gouda}
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp white pepper
  • 1 whole egg, beaten
  • 1 shallot, finely chopped
  • 2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tbsp breadcrumbs (*optional)

 

 

~ Enjoy! ~

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