Description
These delicious spinach chicken meatballs are a healthy and flavorful dish, packed with protein, spinach, and feta cheese. Perfect for a quick appetizer, a main course served over pasta or rice, or in wraps and salads, they are easy to prepare and cook using an air fryer or oven.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
Meatball Base
- 2 chicken breasts or 300g (10 ounces) ground chicken
Vegetables and Feta
- 70 g baby spinach
- 60 g feta cheese (optional)
Breading and Binding
- 50 g breadcrumbs (panko style preferred)
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 egg
- 1/2 onion minced
Seasonings and Oil
- 1/2 tbsp olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Cook the onion: In a non-stick pan, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add minced onion and cook until it turns slightly brown and most of its water evaporates, about 5 minutes.
- Cook the spinach: Add the fresh spinach to the pan and cook until wilted and soft, about one minute. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.
- Blend ingredients: In a food processor, combine the cooked spinach and onion mixture, ground chicken, breadcrumbs, feta cheese (if using), egg, salt, and pepper. Blend until the mixture is homogeneous and well combined.
- Form meatballs: Using your hands, shape the mixture into small meatballs. Place them on a tray lined with parchment paper or a silicone mat.
- Cook the meatballs: For air frying, preheat the air fryer to 200°C (400°F). Cook the meatballs for 10 minutes. For oven baking, set the oven to 200°C (400°F) and bake for 15 minutes, turning halfway through, until golden and cooked through.
Notes
- Serve these meatballs with tomato sauce pasta, in a sub or wrap, over salad, or with rice for a complete meal.
- You can substitute fresh spinach with frozen spinach (thawed and drained) if needed.
- Feta cheese adds a salty tang but can be omitted for a dairy-free version.
- Make sure not to overmix the ingredients to keep the meatballs tender.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 meatball (approximately 1.5g)
- Calories: 26 kcal
- Sugar: 0.1 g
- Sodium: 42 mg
- Fat: 1 g
- Saturated Fat: 0.3 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 0.6 g
- Trans Fat: 0.002 g
- Carbohydrates: 1 g
- Fiber: 0.1 g
- Protein: 3 g
- Cholesterol: 13 mg
