Today, I’m bringing you an old recipe I invented a few years ago. I made these mushroom chicken meatballs a few times and loved them, but because it was a time when I came up with new meal ideas all the time, this recipe fell off the pedestal and remained forgotten for a while. I rediscovered it recently whilst looking through an old list of blog post ideas. I recreated it last weekend, and it was so good! It will definitely return to my usual meal rota. It only uses a few simple ingredients, but the result is delicious.

What you need to make Mushroom Chicken Meatballs

For 15 meatballs (3 servings) you’ll need:

• 500g chicken mince
• 1 small/medium onion (or half of a big one)
• 2 cups of vegetable stock
• 1/2 cup cold water + 1 tablespoon corn starch
• 300g button mushrooms
• 1 large egg
• salt and pepper
• vegetable oil for frying

Also:

• large non stick pot with a lid

How to make Mushroom Chicken Meatballs

Start by chopping up the onion and mushrooms. No need to dice them super finely, but do aim for rather small pieces.

Fry the onion and mushrooms in a large pot with a dash of vegetable oil – I currently use avocado oil for frying. Cook the veggies until wilted and soft. Season with pepper.

Remove the veggies from the pot and let them cool down.

When the fried onion and mushrooms are no longer hot, prepare the meatballs. In a bowl, combine chicken mince and an egg. Add ~3 tablespoons of the onion and mushroom mixture (you should have plenty left). Mix everything well.

Prepare a large non-stick pot or pan with a lid. Form golf ball sized meatballs and place them in the dish – make sure they don’t touch. Put the dish on the hob on low-medium heat, covered, and cook the meatballs until there is no raw meat visible on the outside.

If your dish isn’t big enough for all of the meatballs, you can pre-cook them in batches. Cook one batch until no longer raw on the outside, then gently remove them from the dish and cook the next batch. Once all of the meatballs are pre-cooked, put them all back in the pot. At this point, they can touch.

Add the remaining onion and mushroom mixture to the pot with meatballs. Add two cups of vegetable stock and let everything simmer on medium heat for ~15 minutes. Make sure all of the meatballs are covered with liquid. You may need to add a bit of water.

Finally, dissolve a generous tablespoon of corn starch in cold water and mix well. Gently pour the mixture into the pot – this will thicken the sauce. Carefully mix with a spatula to distribute the starch in the pot.

Cook for another ~5 minutes until the sauce is simmering again and visibly thickened. Season to taste with salt and pepper (it should be salty from the stock already, so taste the sauce before you add more salt).

Serve your mushroom chicken meatballs with mashed potatoes. Enjoy!

Tricks for forming chicken meatballs

The minced chicken and egg mixture is super sticky. You can form the meatballs in your hands, but a lot of the meat will stick to your palms. I formed my meatballs by scooping the meat mixture with a tablespoon and gently dropping it into the pot with the help of a second spoon. The meatballs weren’t perfectly round, but it was much easier than forming them in my hands, and mess-free.

Why is protein important

Protein is a crucial macronutrient to include in our diets. It promotes building and retaining muscle tissue. It is also the most satiating macronutrient – in other words, a meal packed with protein will keep you full for longer. These chicken and mushroom meatballs are high in protein from chicken and mushrooms.

Why you should eat mushrooms

Mushrooms are a fantastic fridge staple for me. High in protein and fibre, they’re a great addition to soups and stews. Mushrooms are a source of vitamin D as well B vitamins.

Also see:

• Savoury