GF Optional Orange Chicken Meatballs
Mercy these are delicious! Wow! This was a creative challenge for me but I’m really happy with the results and so excited to share them with you. A friend of mine asked me to make a gluten free meal for her- anything I wanted. And my mind went … blank. Isn’t that so funny? I’m sure I cook plenty of gluten-free, dairy-free, vegetarian meals in my normal life, but as soon as I’m asked to make a dish with a restriction it’s like my mind goes empty. Maybe you think I’m crazy or maybe you know exactly what I’m talking about. ;)
After thinking it over for a day or two I decided I’d go with orange chicken. Then I had the magical idea to turn them into meatballs. And boy am I glad I did. These babies are so tasty. I’ll share how to make these gluten free (or not). I made them both ways and they were equally fabulous. I like this twist on the traditional deep fried orange chicken that we all love so much. They’re tangy and sweet, and worked perfectly on a bed of sticky rice. If I had fresh oranges on hand I definitely would have juiced them but alas, all I had was some (organic, #thankyouverymuch) orange juice. It worked just as well! I present to you- GF Optional Orange Chicken Meatballs.
This meatball mixture is definitely on the wetter side which is why they aren’t perfectly round. You can of course add more oat bran or panko, but I wanted to keep these as moist (so sorry if you hate that word!) as possible. Feel free to add more into yours if you like. This recipe will produce roughly 30 meatballs- plenty to feed your family.
GF OPTIONAL ORANGE CHICKEN MEATBALLS
MEATBALL INGREDIENTS:
-2 lbs ground chicken
-1 T fresh grated ginger
-1 t garlic powder
-1/2 t sesame oil
-2 t raw honey
-2 T orange juice
-1/2 t Sambal Olek or sriracha
-1 egg
-3/4 c oat bran (GF) or 3/4 cup panko breadcrumbs
-1.5 t salt
-1/4 bell pepper, minced
-2 garlic cloves, grated
-2 T soy sauce (omit if GF)
- scallions to garnish
ORANGE SAUCE:
-1/2 c orange juice
-1/2 t grated fresh ginger
-1/2 t Sambal Olek or sriracha more to taste
-1 T sweet chile sauce
-1 t sesame oil
-1/2 T soy sauce (omit if GF)
-1/2 T brown sugar
-1 t balsamic vinegar (increase to 2 t if GF)
DIRECTIONS:
1.) Preheat oven to 400 degrees
2.) Place all meatball ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Mix until all ingredients are completely combined.
I like to mix with my hands while wearing disposable kitchen gloves
3.) Roll mixture into 1.5” meatballs and place on lined baking sheet. I use an ice cream scoop with a trigger on this to ensure they’re all the same size.
4.) Bake for 20-25 minutes at 400, until chicken is cooked through and reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees.
5.) Mix orange sauce ingredients in a small fry pan over medium heat. Allow sauce to bubble and thicken for 3-4 minutes. Add meatballs to pan and coat with sauce. Once plated, pour remaining sauce over meatballs and serve.
