Maple Apple Breakfast Chicken Meatballs

• servings: 4 servings
• active time: 30 minutes
• total time: 45 minutes

Ingredients

1 pound 93% lean ground chicken (or turkey or pork sausage)

1 large egg

1 medium to large apple (such as Honeycrisp), peeled and shredded

⅔ cup panko breadcrumbs (gluten free, if desired)

1 to 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup

1 tablespoon fresh finely chopped sage leaves (or 1/2 teaspoon dried sage)

1 teaspoon kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

½ teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional, if not making for kiddos!)

½ teaspoon dried thyme (or 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves)

½ teaspoon garlic powder

¼ teaspoon ground ginger

¼ teaspoon allspice

Extra-virgin olive oil

Optional:

1-2 tablespoons maple syrup

Flaky sea salt

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, add the ground chicken, egg, shredded apple, panko breadcrumbs, maple syrup, sage, salt, red pepper flakes, thyme, garlic powder, ground ginger and allspice until just combined. Let the mixture sit for 5 to 10 minutes so the breadcrumbs absorb some of the liquid.

Coat clean hands with olive oil and grab about a tablespoon of meat mixture. Roll into balls and place 1 inch apart on the baking sheet. Bake meatballs for 15 to 18 minutes until a meat thermometer reads 165 degrees F.

Once the meatballs are done baking, immediately brush with a little maple syrup and sprinkle with flaky sea salt.

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1 serving (based on 4)
• Calories: 183 kcal
• Total Fat: 2.3 g
• Saturated Fat: 0.4 g
• Total Carbohydrate: 14.4 g
• Dietary Fiber: 1.2 g
• Total Sugars: 11.8 g
• Protein: 28.1 g