Sheet-Pan Chicken Meatballs with Charred Broccoli

I don’t typically make dishes with Asian flavors, so this dish was a nice change of pace. Tsukune, Japanese grilled chicken meatballs, and the sweet and sour sauce they are typically served with were the inspiration behind this weeknight dish. The sauce was essential to this sheet-pan meal as well- we repeatedly drizzled it over everything.

This recipe was adapted from Bon Appétit, contributed by Deb Perelman. I used freshly ground chicken thighs and omitted the water in the meatballs. The original recipe suggests using this tasty sauce on pork chops as well.

Yield: Serves 4

For the Sauce:

• 2/3 cup ketchup
• 4 T (1/4 cup) Worcestershire sauce
• 2 T rice cooking wine or water
• 2 T honey
• 4 tsp soy sauce
• 1 1/2″ piece ginger, peeled, finely grated
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

For the Meatballs & Assembly:

• 2 heads of broccoli or 2 large broccoli crowns (about 1 1/2 lbs)
• 2 to 3 T vegetable oil, divided (I used canola oil)
• 2 1/2 tsp kosher salt, divided
• crushed red pepper flakes, optional
• 1 to 1 1/4 lbs ground chicken (I used freshly ground chicken thighs)
• 1 large egg, beaten to blend
• 4 scallions, thinly sliced, plus more for serving
• 2 garlic cloves, finely grated
• 2″ piece ginger, peeled, finely grated
• 1/3 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
• 1 T toasted sesame oil
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• cooked rice, for serving (I used brown Basmati rice)
• lightly toasted sesame seeds, for serving, optional

To Make the Sauce:

1. Mix ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, rice wine or water, honey, soy sauce, ginger, and pepper in a small saucepan.
2. Measure out 1/4 cup mixture into a small bowl; set aside for glazing meatballs later.
3. Bring remaining mixture to a simmer over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally and reducing heat if needed, until sauce thickens, about 5 minutes. Transfer sauce to a small bowl.

To Make the Meatballs & Finish the Dish:

1. If freshly grinding chicken, use a meat grinder with the medium disk. Grind trimmed chunks of meat. (I used boneless, skinless chicken thighs.) Chill ground meat until ready to use.
2. Place a rack in upper third of oven; preheat to 450°. (I set my oven to convection roast.)
3. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil.
4. Trim broccoli stems and remove from crown. Peel off tough outer skin; slice crosswise into ½” pieces.
5. Cut florets into 2″ pieces.
6. Toss on prepared baking sheet with 1 to 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil, 1 teaspoon salt, and a few pinches of red pepper flakes (if using). (I used a dash or red pepper flakes.)
7. Push broccoli to the edges of baking sheet to create a space for meatballs.
8. Brush space in the center of the pan with remaining 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil.
9. Mix chicken, egg, scallions, garlic, ginger, panko, sesame oil, pepper, and remaining 1 1/2 tsp salt in a medium bowl.
10. Using wet hands or a large cookie scoop, form into twelve 1 1/2″-diameter meatballs. (I placed the rationed scoops on a plate and then gently formed them into meatballs.)
11. Arrange the meatballs on the baking sheet; brush with some of the reserved glazing mixture.
12. Bake until meatballs are cooked through, 14–18 minutes, rotating halfway through the baking time
13. Remove from oven; heat broiler.
14. Brush meatballs with remaining glazing mixture; broil until broccoli is charred and meatballs are browned in spots, about 3 to 5 minutes- watching carefully.
15. Spoon meatballs and broccoli over rice in bowl. Drizzle with sauce and sprinkle with sesame seeds and scallion slices, as desired. Serve with additional sauce on the side to pass at the table.

Mushroom Bourguignon

It’s official… “bourguignon” is my new favorite word! I can’t stop saying it!! AMAZING. 🙂 I’m driving my family crazy…

This “meaty” vegetarian dish is hearty and rich with flavor. A wonderful twist on a classic French dish. I adapted the recipe from The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook: Recipes and Wisdom from an Obsessive Home Cook by Deb Perelman. We ate it over fresh tagliatelle noodles, but it would be delicious with any other type of egg noodles such as pappardelle as well. An easy and elegant weeknight meal.

Yield: Serves 6 as a main course

• 3 T (45 ml) olive oil
• 3 T (45 g) unsalted butter, softened
• 3 pounds cremini mushrooms, cleaned, trimmed, & cut into 1/4-inch slices
• 1 1/2 cups (172 g) pearl onions, peeled (thawed if frozen)
• 1 small carrot, finely diced
• 1 yellow onion, finely diced
• 1 large shallot, finely diced
• 1 1/2 tsp fresh thyme leaves or 3/4 tsp dried thyme leaves
• coarse salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 5 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 1/2 cups (352 ml) full-bodied red wine
• 2 1/2 T (52 g) tomato paste
• 3 cups (712 ml) beef, chicken, or vegetable stock
• 2 T plus 1 tsp (18 g) all-purpose flour
• egg noodles, for serving (I used fresh tagliatelle)
• chopped chives or parsley, for garnish, optional
• sour cream, for garnish, optional

1.  Heat 1 1/2 T olive oil and 1 1/2 T butter in a medium-sized Dutch oven or heavy saucepan over high heat.
2. Sear the mushrooms and thawed pearl onions until they begin to take on a little color- your mushrooms will make a delightful “squeak-squeak” as they’re pushed around the hot pan- but the mushrooms do not yet release any liquid, about 3 to 4 minutes.
3. Remove mushrooms and pearl onions from the pan and set aside.
4. Lower the flame to medium and add the second T of olive oil. Add the carrot, yellow onion, shallot, thyme, a few pinches of coarse salt, and several grinds of black pepper in the pan, and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onion is lightly browned.
5. Add the garlic and cook for just 1 more minute. Season with salt and pepper.
6. Add the wine to the pot, scraping any stuck bits off the bottom, then turn the heat all the way up and reduce it by half, which will take about 4 to 5 minutes.
7. Stir in the tomato paste and the stock.
8. Add back the mushrooms and pearl onions with any juices that have collected; bring the mixture to a boil- then reduce the temperature so it simmers for 10 to 15 minutes, or until both the mushrooms and onions are very tender.
9. Combine the flour and the remaining butter with a fork; stir this into the stew.
10. Lower the heat and simmer for 10 more minutes. If the sauce is too thin, boil it down to reduce to a “coating” consistency. (I boiled mine down for 10 minutes!) Season with additional salt and pepper, to taste.
11. When the desired consistency of the stew is achieved, cook the egg noodles according to the package directions in salted boiling water.
12. To serve, spoon the stew over a bowl of egg noodles, dollop with sour cream (we omitted this topping), if using, and sprinkle with optional chives or parsley.

Note: The stew reheats very well on the second and third days in a large saucepan over low heat.

One Year Ago:

• Spicy & Garlicky Fresh Tomato Sauce with Pappardelle

Two Years Ago:

• Pastitsio
• Spinach Gnocchi with Shaved Ricotta Salata

If you like this you may also like:

• Fresh & Wild Mushroom Stew
• Button Mushrooms a la Creme