These baked chicken meatballs make a quick, easy, and kid-friendly supper.

If you’re looking for an alternative to saucy, rich beef meatballs, these light and elegant chicken meatballs fit the bill.  I love them with mashed potatoes, puréed cauliflower, or buttered noodles for a quick and easy weeknight meal. They also make a delicious appetizer — just make them smaller and spear them with toothpicks.

What you’ll need to make chicken meatballs with tomato-balsamic glaze

When purchasing ground chicken, stay away from extra-lean all breast meat; if the meat is too lean, the meatballs will come out dry and lacking in flavor.

Tomato paste can be purchased in a small can or tube. While I use canned here, the tubed variety is more practical because you can use just what you need and store it in the fridge until you need it again.  To preserve canned tomato paste longer, freeze it in tablespoon-sized portions (use an ice cube tray or put tablespoon-sized portions on a cookie sheet).  Once frozen, transfer these portions into a freezer-safe plastic bag for future use.

The recipe calls for pecorino Romano cheese, a hard Italian sheep milk cheese. It is similar to Parmigiano Reggiano, in that both cheeses have salty, umami-rich flavors, but pecorino Romano is saltier, tangier, and stronger in flavor.

How to make chicken meatballs with tomato-balsamic glaze

To begin, combine the egg, parsley, tomato paste, garlic, milk, salt and pepper in a large bowl.

Mix well with a wire whisk, making sure the tomato paste is completely dissolved.

Add the ground chicken, grated cheese and breadcrumbs.

Use your hand to mix the ingredients together; it will be somewhat wet.

Using wet hands, form medium-sized balls and place into an ungreased 9-x-13-in baking dish.

Next, make the glaze by combining the tomato paste, olive oil, balsamic vinegar and sugar in a small bowl.

Whisk to combine.

Brush the glaze evenly over the meatballs.

Bake for about 30 minutes, or until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of a meatball registers 160°F. Remove from the oven and serve.

Note: This recipe has been written by Jenn Segal and republished on MudMatter with Author’s Permission. Please find the original link here – Chicken Meatballs with Tomato-Balsamic Glaze.