Stuffed Chicken Meatballs (Baked) with Tzatziki

The power of what we eat is incredible! Eating clean and healthy doesn’t just help in getting fit, it also helps elevate the mood. Healthy and nutritious eating creates a ripple effect, when you eat well, you feel good and when you feel good, you do good! Healthy eating requires planning and can be time consuming but the time and effort spent on planning and preparing your meals is definitely worth the end result.

These stuffed chicken meatballs are totally worth the effort. They are delicious (add some more cayenne pepper to the ground meat if you like it spicy), packed with proteins, Mediterranean flavors (olives and za’atar) and healthy fats (from walnuts), and can be stored in the refrigerator for few days. Do not get intimated by the list of ingredients, since most if not all of the ingredients are widely used in daily cooking and are easily available at common grocery stores. Feel free to serve them over salad or any other sauce of your choice, especially if you have any dietary restrictions. The meatballs (on their own, without Tzatziki) are Paleo.

Have a lovely weekend! xx

Ingredients
For Meatballs:
1 Pound Ground Chicken
1 Egg
1/4 Teaspoon Garlic Paste (for ground meat mixture)
1 Tablespoon Walnuts, toasted and chopped
1 Small Onion, finely chopped
1 Garlic Clove, minced (for the stuffing)
1 Tablespoon Capers
1/4 Teaspoon Za’atar
5-6 Olives, pitted and finely chopped
2 Tablespoons Fresh Parsley, finely chopped
Salt and Pepper to Taste
Pinch of Cayenne
1 Teaspoon Olive Oil
1 Teaspoon Lemon Juice, optional
For Tzatziki:
1/4 Cup Plain Greek Yoghurt
1 Clove Garlic, minced
2 Tablespoons Cucumber, finely chopped and strained
1 Teaspoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 Tablespoon Dill/Parsley, finely chopped
1/4 Tablespoon Mint, finely chopped (optional)

Process

1. In a medium bowl, mix all the ingredients for Tzatziki together, taste and adjust the seasoning if needed. Place Tzatziki in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
2. Preheat the oven to 400 F, line a baking tray with parchment paper and set aside.
3. Heat oil in a small pan over medium heat, add onions and garlic and saute’ for 1-2 minutes until onions become translucent. Now add capers, olives, toasted walnuts, remaining parsley and za’atar. Season the mixture with salt and pepper and set aside to cool. (Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed).
4. In a large mixing bowl, add ground chicken (make sure there is no moisture), salt, pepper, garlic powder, cayenne, half of the chopped parsley, lemon juice (if using) and egg. Mix everything together until well combined.
5. Taste test the mixture by cooking a small patty on a non stick pan and adjusting seasonings if needed.
6. Divide the ground chicken mixture into 10 equal portions. Form each portion into a ball and stuff each meatball by making a hole in the middle and placing approximately 1 teaspoon of olives and capers mixture in the center. Seal the meatballs well by pinching them back together.
7. Place the stuffed meatballs on the prepared baking tray and bake for 20-25 minutes or until the meatballs are cooked through.
8. Serve warm with Tzatziki.

Enjoy! 🙂