Chicken meatballs
Description
Classic chicken meatballs recipe calls for fresh chilled chicken, from which you need to remove the skin, separate the meat, and pass it through a meat grinder. Of course, you can use store-bought ground chicken if it's of good quality—this will save you a lot of trouble, with almost no compromise on taste (after all, most chickens sold these days are "industrial" anyway). Recipe: 1. Let's assume we already have ready-made ground chicken. Place it into a large bowl, mix thoroughly, and beat well to remove excess air. 2. Peel the onion and garlic, then finely chop them by hand, grate, or blend—using whichever method is convenient. 3. Combine the onion, garlic, and herbs with the ground meat. Add egg, salt, and spices, then mix everything well once again. 4. Now it's time for rice. You can either pre-cook it until half-done, or soak it in cold water for 2–3 hours. Then add the rice to the meat mixture and mix thoroughly. That's it—the meat mixture is ready. Cover the bowl with a lid or a towel and set aside while you bring water to a boil in a pot. 5. Once the water is boiling, use wet or oil-coated hands to shape small balls from the mixture and gently drop them into the water. The water should cover the meatballs by about 1 centimeter—if needed, add some boiling water. 6. Add bay leaf, a little salt, and a couple of black peppercorns to the pot. 7. Cover with a lid, reduce the heat, and let the meatballs simmer gently—do not allow them to boil vigorously. 8. Check the pot occasionally and monitor the cooking process—add more salt if necessary. 9. Ten minutes before the end of cooking, place peeled and chopped tomatoes on top of the meatballs. Cover and let them finish cooking. 10. Once ready, let the meatballs sit on the warm stove for about 20 minutes—this allows all the flavors to fully blend. Before serving, you can drizzle the meatballs with sour cream or serve it on the side in a sauce dish.