This cajun chicken meatballs recipe is the perfect quick dinner solution.
Suggested Beer Pairings
Pale Ale – This dish is spicy, especially if you take the cajun seasoning up a notch. A pale ale is an obvious choice to balance out the heat with a little bit of hoppiness.
IPA – If you want an extra hoppy kick, an IPA is the next best choice to the pale ale. Much like a pale ale, the hoppiness of an IPA will compliment the spice really well.
This recipe will work with a wide range of beers. An IPA and/or a pale ale the two obvious choices, but you can go even lighter with a pilsner or hefeweizen. Although, in this case, the hoppier the better in my opinion.
Cajun Chicken Meatballs
The Recipe
Dinner on the table in under an hour is my love language, and this recipe for cajun chicken meatballs is the perfect example. The chicken meatballs themselves are pretty straight forward. Simply mix all of the ingredients together, roll, and bake. They are great to eat immediately, but they are also a great freezer meal. While the chicken meatballs are certainly a delicious part of this recipe, the cajun sauce is the star. It is spicy, creamy, and the perfect compliment to these meatballs. Serve both with a short pasta, rice, or couscous (my favorite). You really can’t go wrong. I like to make this dish the weekend before a busy week. It is a great lunch recipe especially when you lighten it up with a brown rice.
You can lighten this recipe up by using light cream cheese or subbing in a light sour cream for the full-fat cream cheese. Coconut milk can also be substituted for the milk, but you may get a slight coconut flavor (which is certainly not a bad thing).
Are you looking for more great chicken recipes on Cooking and Beer? Well, we have a ton of them! Check out some of my favorite chicken recipes!
Cajun Chicken Meatballs
Servings:
6 servingsNutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
Meatballs
- 1 lb ground chicken
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup parmesan cheese grated
- 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
- 1 tbsp oil olive, canola, or vegetable
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp cajun seasoning
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp ground cayenne pepper less for less heat
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
Cajun Sauce
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 small yellow onion chopped
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 1 tbsp cajun seasoning more to taste
- 1/2 tsp ground cayenne pepper
- 14 oz can diced tomatoes drained
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1 1/2 cups milk
- 3 oz cream cheese
- 1 cup grated parmesan
- 1 tbsp fresh parsley chopped
Instructions
Meatballs
- Preheat the oven 425 degrees F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Mix all ingredients for the meatballs in a large bowl until thoroughly combined. Roll the mixture into 1-2 tbsp-sized balls and place the meatballs on the prepared baking sheet.
- Bake the meatballs for 30 minutes or until cooked through and slightly brown. Eat immediately with cajun sauce (below), or freeze for up to 3 months.
Cajun Sauce
- While the meatballs are cooking, prepare the cajun sauce. In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onion, and cook until slightly softened, about 6-7 minutes. Add the garlic, and cook for an additional minute. Add the flour, cajun seasoning, cayenne pepper, and a dash of salt and pepper. Stir to combine, and cook for about 2 minutes or until the spices are fragrant. Add the diced tomatoes, chicken broth, and milk. Stir to combine, and allow the sauce to simmer for 10 minutes or until slightly thickened. Stir in the cream cheese until melted, and then stir in the parmesan. Remove from heat. If the sauce is still not thick enough for your liking, continue to simmer and reduce.
- Serve the cajun sauce with chicken meatballs (above) and pasta, rice, or couscous. Top with fresh parsley, and enjoy!
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