Soft, juicy chicken meatballs with a very spicy kick, Reduce the amount of cajun seasoning if you’re not keen on hot. Once cooked, the balls will keep in the fridge for up to 3 days. SImply reheat in a pan with the sauce.
For the meatballs
500 g skinless and boneless chicken thighs
1 egg
100 g ricotta
40 g parmesan
70 g fresh bread crumbs
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp cajun seasoning
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp chopped parsley plus extra for garnish
4 tbsp olive oil
For the cajun sauce
4 tbsp olive oil
20 g butter
1 onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp plain flour
1 tbsp Cajun seasoning
1/2 tsp paprika
300 ml chicken stock
120 ml double cream
Put chicken in the bowl of a food processor and blitz with the egg yolk and ricotta. Tip into a bowl, add the remaining ingredients (apart from the oil) along with a few pinches of salt. Squish everything together until combined and form into 20 balls. Put in the fridge for up to 3 hours or use immediately.
Preheat the oven to 180c fan. In a large pan over a medium heat, warm half the olive oil. Add the meatballs to the pan, do not overcrowd them and if the pan is not large enough, cook in batches. Brown on all sides, remove to a roasting tin.
In the same pan in which you browned the meatballs, add the remaining olive oil and butter over a medium heat, add the onions and sauté for 5 minutes, add the garlic and continue to sauté for another 2 minutes. Sprinkle with flour, Cajun seasoning and paprika. Stir and cook for a minute, slowly add the chicken stock whisking as you go until the sauce starts to thicken. Add the cream.
Pour the sauce over the meatballs and bake in the oven for 20 minutes, Remove from the oven, serve with rice or pasta and a sprinkle of parsley.
Ingredients
Meatballs
- 500 g chicken thighs, bonelss and skinless
- 1 egg
- 100 g ricotta
- 40 g parmesan
- 70 g fresh breadcrumbs
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tbsp cajun seasoning
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp fresh parsley chopped
Cajun sauce
- 20 g butter
- 1 onion finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tbsp plain flour
- 2 tbsp Cajun seasoning
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 300 ml chicken stock
- 120 ml double cream
Instructions
- Put chicken in the bowl of a food processor and blitz with the egg yolk and ricotta. Tip into a bowl, add the remaining ingredients (apart from the oil) along with a few pinches of salt. Squish everything together until combined and form into 20 balls. Put in the fridge for up to 3 hours or use immediately.
- Preheat the oven to 180c fan. In a large pan over a medium heat, warm half the olive oil. Add the meatballs to the pan, do not overcrowd them and if the pan is not large enough, cook in batches. Brown on all sides, remove to a roasting tin.
- In the same pan in which you browned the meatballs, add the remaining olive oil and butter over a medium heat, add the onions and sauté for 5 minutes, add the garlic and continue to sauté for another 2 minutes. Sprinkle with flour, Cajun seasoning and paprika. Stir and cook for a minute, slowly add the chicken stock whisking as you go until the sauce starts to thicken. Add the cream.
- Pour the sauce over the meatballs and bake in the oven for 20 minutes, Remove from the oven, serve with rice or pasta and a sprinkle of parsley.