{"id":15951,"date":"2019-06-25T09:26:38","date_gmt":"2019-06-25T09:26:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.myfussyeater.com\/?p=15951"},"modified":"2022-10-24T10:39:55","modified_gmt":"2022-10-24T10:39:55","slug":"pesto-parmesan-chicken-meatballs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.myfussyeater.com\/pesto-parmesan-chicken-meatballs\/","title":{"rendered":"Pesto Parmesan Chicken Meatballs"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Delicious chicken meatballs made with just 5 simple ingredients and flavoured with basil pesto and parmesan. Perfect for a finger food dinner for kids or even mixed into spaghetti and sauce.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Pesto<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Chicken is something I struggle to get my kids to eat consistently. I think it may be a texture issue but I’m always trying to find creative ways to get them to eat it without the usual meltdown that ensues. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

One food my kids do love is meatballs so I decided to try out some chicken meatballs and flavour them with something they love… pesto!<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

For this recipe I used whole chicken breasts which I blitzed in the food processor to make chicken mince. But if you can get chicken already minced (some supermarkets sell it or ask your butcher to do it for you) then you can skip this step.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Ingredients<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

The chicken mince goes into a bowl with the other four ingredients – egg, dried breadcrumbs, pesto and parmesan and you simply mix them all together with a spoon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I then used a tablespoon to scoop up a small amount of the mixture, rolled it into a ball and placed it onto a lined tray.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The meatballs are then baked for 15 minutes in the oven. So simple!<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Chicken<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Texture & Taste<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

These chicken meatballs were a hit with my kids for two reasons I think.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Texture<\/strong> – Many children will have issues with the texture of meat and particularly chicken. It can be quite dry and takes a lot of chewing. Mincing the chicken will break down some of the fibres, making the meat softer and easier to eat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Taste<\/strong> – By combining the chicken with a taste and flavour that they already know and love (pesto), the meatballs will appear familiar to a child and there’s a bigger chance that they will eat them!<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Chicken<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Serving<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I served these meatballs with some breadsticks and chopped carrots, cucumber and tomato. You could also add some dip too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can make them into fun skewers and add them to lunch boxes or take out for a picnic. The skewers are from the Eats Amazing Shop<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can also serve these like traditional meatballs in a tomato sauce over spaghetti.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Chicken<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

If you try my Pesto Parmesan Chicken Meatballs recipe please do leave me a comment and a star rating below. You can also share your pictures with me on Instagram<\/a>.  I always love to see your creations!<\/p>\n\n\n

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