This recipe comes from my wonderful mom, who lovingly made these for us while growing up. We devoured them...and still do! A long time ago, my mom used to make them using beef, but she later changed them to chicken. It was a hit!... and she never went back to using beef again. Seasonings and amounts are my additions. This is my attempt at copying her recipe.

These are Romanian meatballs, so don't expect them to be like the American version. They are good though! Kids love them! You can stuff them in pita bread and pour some yoghurt sauce or eat them as an appetizer dipped in your favorite sauce.

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Name: Chicken Meatballs(Chiftelute)
Prep time: 40 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 1 h
Yield: 10
Cuisine: Romanian
Ingredients: 3 lb chicken thigh meat (dark meat) ground; 2 tsp onion powder; 1/4 cup onion grated; 1 small Garlic minced; 3 tsp kosher salt; 2 tsp dried parsley (or fresh); 2 slices white bread; 3 tbsp milk; 2 Eggs; Some flour (for dusting/rolling the meatballs); oil for frying (I used Canola)

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INGREDIENTS

3 lb chicken thigh meat (dark meat) ; ground
2 tsp onion powder
1/4 cup onion ; grated
1 small Garlic ; minced
3 tsp kosher salt
2 tsp dried parsley ; (or fresh)
2 slices white bread
3 tbsp milk
2 Eggs
Some flour ; (for dusting/rolling the meatballs)
oil ; for frying (I used Canola)

INSTRUCTIONS

I usually grind my meat. But, feel free to use store bought ground chicken. I have used turkey meat, with different results though,... yet, still delicious.

Directions:

Grind meat (I used dark thigh meat) and set aside in a large bowl. Get your seasoning ready. In a small bowl place sliced bread and pour milk over the bread.

Let the bread soak up the milk and mix it to get a paste like consistency. Now, I have also used dry breadcrumbs as well and skipped the milk(because I didn't have any on hand) and they still came out. But, I prefer the sliced bread option, so that is why I used it in this post. I am just giving you an alternative. Set aside. To the ground chicken meat, add seasoning, parsley, grated onion, and garlic.

Add the milk bread paste and two eggs.Mix completely using your hands or a heavy spoon. I usually let the mixture sit for awhile in the fridge while I clean up.

In a small bowl add some flour( oh, I'd say about 1 cup...you can always add some later if you need extra). Take about a tablespoon size chunk of the meat mixture and place it in the flour roll it around and shape into a ball using floured hands.Place on a plate or a cookie sheet( I like to place a wax piece of paper on it before). Your hands may get sticky after awhile ...just wash them and flour them again. Continue making all the meatballs.

like to fry the meatballs using a large pot so this way the oil splattering will be minimized. You can use a skillet , if you prefer. My mom always used a skillet. Pour enough oil to about 1 inch....you can pour some more if you like. Dust off excess flour from the meatballs before placing them in the oil. You will notice that as the meatballs sit on the wax paper, they will probably absorb some of the flour. They might stick...just lift them up using a flat spatula and they will be ok....if need be, roll the meatballs into a bit more flour and dust off the excess flour.

Place meatballs in the hot oil and fry until golden . Turn them over and fry the other side. Drain on paper towels. Serve with spicy ketchup or any sauce you like. They freeze very well....just reheat in the toaster oven/oven at 450 until hot.

Makes about 50 golf size meatballs...not perfectly round:).

NOTES

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Chicken Meatballs(Chiftelute)

3 lb chicken thigh meat (dark meat) ground
2 tsp onion powder
1/4 cup onion grated
1 small Garlic minced
3 tsp kosher salt
2 tsp dried parsley (or fresh)
2 slices white bread
3 tbsp milk
2 Eggs
 Some flour (for dusting/rolling the meatballs)
 oil for frying (I used Canola)

I usually grind my meat. But, feel free to use store bought ground chicken. I have used turkey meat, with different results though,... yet, still delicious.
Directions:
Grind meat (I used dark thigh meat) and set aside in a large bowl. Get your seasoning ready. In a small bowl place sliced bread and pour milk over the bread.
Let the bread soak up the milk and mix it to get a paste like consistency. Now, I have also used dry breadcrumbs as well and skipped the milk(because I didn't have any on hand) and they still came out. But, I prefer the sliced bread option, so that is why I used it in this post. I am just giving you an alternative. Set aside. To the ground chicken meat, add seasoning, parsley, grated onion, and garlic.
Add the milk bread paste and two eggs.Mix completely using your hands or a heavy spoon. I usually let the mixture sit for awhile in the fridge while I clean up.
In a small bowl add some flour( oh, I'd say about 1 cup...you can always add some later if you need extra). Take about a tablespoon size chunk of the meat mixture and place it in the flour roll it around and shape into a ball using floured hands.Place on a plate or a cookie sheet( I like to place a wax piece of paper on it before). Your hands may get sticky after awhile ...just wash them and flour them again. Continue making all the meatballs. 
 like to fry the meatballs using a large pot so this way the oil splattering will be minimized. You can use a skillet , if you prefer. My mom always used a skillet. Pour enough oil to about 1 inch....you can pour some more if you like. Dust off excess flour from the meatballs before placing them in the oil. You will notice that as the meatballs sit on the wax paper, they will probably absorb some of the flour. They might stick...just lift them up using a flat spatula and they will be ok....if need be, roll the meatballs into a bit more flour and dust off the excess flour. 
Place meatballs in the hot oil and fry until golden . Turn them over and fry the other side. Drain on paper towels. Serve with spicy ketchup or any sauce you like. They freeze very well....just reheat in the toaster oven/oven at 450 until hot.
Makes about 50 golf size meatballs...not perfectly round:).

Add Photo See 2 more photos

Adding seasoning ingredients to the meat...
ellie36

Seasoned meat mixture...
ellie36

Placing about 1 TBS of meat into flour before rolling into meatballs...
ellie36

Rolled meatballs before frying...
ellie36

Frying meatballs...
ellie36

Chicken meatballs, golden brown
JMW64

Nutrition

View line-by-line Nutrition Insights™: Discover which ingredients contribute the calories/sodium/etc.


Serving Size: 1 Serving (171g)
Recipe Makes: 10

Calories: 223
Calories from Fat: 69 (31%)

Amt Per Serving		% DV

	Total Fat 7.7g	10 %
	Saturated Fat 2.1g	10 %
	Monounsaturated Fat 2.5g
	Polyunsanturated Fat 1.7g
Cholesterol 196.2mg		60 %
Sodium 907.6mg		31 %
Potassium 365.2mg		10 %
Total Carbohydrate 6.7g		2 %
	Dietary Fiber 0.4g	2 %
	Sugars, other 6.2g
Protein 30g		43 %
Powered by: USDA Nutrition Database Disclaimer: Nutrition facts are derived from linked ingredients (shown at left in colored bullets) and may or may not be complete. Always consult a licensed nutritionist or doctor if you have a nutrition-related medical condition.

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Calories per serving: 223

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REVIEWS

JMW64

Excellent recipe. It's easiest to chop the onions and garlic in the blender, like the chicken. The 'dough' was a bit liquid, I added some more breadcrumbs. I fried at quite a high temperature, they came out golden brown.

11y

jafkitchen

This were wonderful. I decide to try it with pork and added cilantro. Pure perfection

11y

feliciagunnhendrickson

I just made these, but instead of chicken, we used ground wild pork. YUM!!! I think I may add a little cilantro or red pepper to spice them up just a bit though. Thanks for posting!

12y

AnniFord

Hubby and I loved these! After frying the meatballs, I made gravy from the drippings, added a teaspoon of Bicentennial Rub (from Penzey Spices), added the meatballs back to the gravy to simmer a while, and served the meatballs and gravy over rice. I will definitely make these again!

12y

Tabanni11

My boyfriend & I loved this! I used green onion, and baked them, yogurt sauce does go great with them! Had to use a bit more flour so I brushed them with some melted butter :) yum.

13y

ellie36

These are great for picnics. [I posted this recipe.]

15y