Lemon-Rosemary Chicken Meatballs

Do you ever just look at a recipe and think "I HAVE to make that?"  Well, that's what happened when I saw this recipe for Lemon-Rosemary Turkey Meatballs over on The Daily Dish, a wonderful low-sodium lifestyle food blog.  I only had ground chicken on hand, but these turned out SO good.  Light, packed with the bright flavor of lemon and the rosemary flavor was carried throughout the dish in both the meatballs and the sauce.

I'm not going to lie, when I first began cooking and eating low-sodium, I could tell a big difference.  All I craved were the salty foods I once ate without a care in the world.   With recipes like this, I didn't even miss all that salt AT ALL.  Everyone talks about eating low-fat, low-calorie, etc...but there are significant health benefits to just simply watching your salt intake daily!

Lemon-Rosemary Chicken Meatballs
Recipe adapted from The Daily Dish

Ingredients

• 1 medium onion, cut into smaller chunks
• 2 large cloves garlic, smashed & peeled
• 1 t. freshly grated lemon zest
• 1 T. chopped fresh rosemary or 1 1/4 t. dried rosemary, divided
• 1 lb. ground chicken
• 3/4 c. salt free breadcrumbs
• 1/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 t. black pepper
• 1/4 c. flour
• 2 t. olive oil
• 2 c. low sodium chicken broth
• 4 t. freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 T. unsalted butter

Directions

• Place onion, garlic & lemon zest in a food processor. 
• Add 1 tablespoon fresh or 1 teaspoon dried rosemary & pulse until the mixture is finely chopped but NOT mushy.
• Transfer mixture to a large bowl & using clean hands, add in the turkey, breadcrumbs, Parmesan & pepper, mixing until combined. 
• Pinch off 2 tablespoons at a time and shape into meatballs, each about 1 1/2 inches in diameter. 
• Place flour in a shallow dish and roll the meatballs to lightly coat. Reserve the remaining flour.
• Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. 
• Once oil is hot, add meatballs & cook, turning once or twice, until browned, about 5 minutes.
• Remove the meatballs from the pan, place on a plate & set aside.  
• Add about 1/2 c. of broth to the pan, increase heat to medium-high & cook, scraping up any browned bits, until almost evaporated, about a minute. 
• Add the remaining broth & bring to a boil. 
• Reduce heat to maintain a simmer and return the meatballs to the pan along with the remaining rosemary. 
• Cover & cook until the meatballs are no longer pink in the middle, about 10 minutes.
•  Remove the meatballs to a plate & set aside.  
• Bring the sauce to a boil over medium-high & cook until reduced to 1 cup. 
• Whisk lemon juice & 1 tablespoon of the reserved flour in a small bowl, mixing until smooth.  
• Add the flour mixture to the sauce along with butter. 
• Simmer, whisking constantly, until slightly thickened. 
• Strain sauce through a fine-mesh sieve.
• Serve immediately.