Chicken Marsala Meatballs

As much as I love a girl's night out there is something to be said for a girl's night IN. Picture it: you and two or three of your girlfriends sitting around the dining room table in your sweat pants and slippers, sans makeup (don't worry, no one's judging) with cocktails in hand, munching on homemade appetizers followed by dessert and maybe a few episodes of your favorite sitcom afterwards. Two of my sweet friends and I had just such a night recently and it was the perfect start to my weekend. They showed up just after I put my kids to bed and we noshed and laughed to our little hearts' content. Then we plopped on the couch to watch Friends and ate the Pioneer Woman's chocolate pie with plenty of whipped cream on top (oh yes we did!) Have I mentioned the importance of having friends who like to bake?!

One of the munchies I made that night was these chicken marsala meatballs. Traditionally, chicken marsala is chicken cutlets in a marsala wine sauce with onion, herbs and mushrooms. Marsala is a Sicilian wine that is fortified (usually with brandy) giving it a long shelf life and a deep, rich flavor. There are two types of marsala; dry and sweet. I prefer the dry marsala because I think it is more versatile when cooking, especially in savory applications, while sweet marsala is more useful for dessert. I picked up a bottle at Trader Joe's for less than five dollars. Please refrain from using marsala cooking wine that you find in the grocery store, it's not real wine and the flavor just isn't the same. Now that we've cleared that up let me tell you about these meatballs! Ground white meat chicken is mixed with breadcrumbs, cheese, parsley, milk and egg then rolled into bite sized meatballs. The meatballs are then broiled to perfection and doused in a flavorful sauce of marsala wine, sliced cremini mushrooms, shallots, flour and chicken broth that you whip up while the meatballs cook. I made these a few hours ahead of time and kept them warm in the crock pot until we were ready to eat. It's always good to make them ahead for "quality control" purposes. Ahem. These are the perfect bite because they are small, flavorful and practically guilt free! Call your girlfriends and plan your next girl's night...in!

Chicken Marsala Meatballs (adapted from foodnetwork.com)

1/4 c. panko breadcrumbs
2 T. water
1/3 c. + 1 T. dry marsala wine
1 lb. ground white meat chicken
1/4 c. grated parmesan cheese
1 large egg
2 T. chopped fresh parsley
1 t. salt, divided
1/8 t. pepper
2 T. olive oil, divided
8 oz. cremini mushrooms, sliced
1 large shallot, minced
1 1/2 t. all purpose flour
1 1/4 c. low sodium chicken broth

Set the oven rack on the top rung and preheat the broiler to high. In a large bowl mix together the breadcrumbs, water and 1 T. of marsala wine and leave to soak for 5 minutes. Add the chicken, parmesan, egg, parsley, 1/2 t. salt and the pepper to the breadcrumb mixture and mix until just combined. Form the mixture into tablespoon-sized balls and place on a baking sheet that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Broil for 5 minutes, or until the meatballs are beginning to brown and are just barely cooked through. Remove from the oven and set aside. 

In a straight-sided skillet, heat 1 T. of the olive oil over medium hight heat. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring with a wooden spoon, until the mushrooms are brown on all sides, about 5 minutes. Add the shallots and the remaining 1/2 t. salt and cook for another 2 minutes. Lower the heat to medium and stir in the flour and the remaining 1 T. olive oil. Add the 1/3 c. marsala and whisk until the mixture is smooth. Whisk in the chicken broth and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the meatballs to the sauce and simmer for an additional 5 minutes to let the flavors blend. 

Makes about 30 meatballs (37 calories each meatball) according to my calculator on loseit.com