Chicken Asparagus Zucchini Meatballs +9M

I love cooking chicken, it’s lean meat and such a versatile ingredient to play with. Only one side effect: if overcooked, the chicken can dry out easily. That’s why in this recipe I used both the zucchini and the asparagus to give moist…and flavor back to the chicken.

The final result are super moist, tender and tasty meatballs. The recipe can be served to babies starting from 9 months of age if you are following the baby led weaning approach (simply cut the meatballs in tiny pieces) or to toddlers. I love adding the chicken meatballs in the school lunches too 🙂

To give more nutrients to the chicken meatballs I added asparagus and zucchini (totally in season!!), but you can switch to other vegetables like sweet peas, swiss chars, bok choy, broccoli, cauliflower.

In the recipe I also added one handful of corn (I used frozen one, that’s why you will see a pale yellow color in the video), to give more texture and a twist of sweet flavor to the meatballs. Also the corn flavor very well balanced the cilantro 🙂

If you are looking for a smooth texture for your little one either skip the corn or blend it all together with the greens at the beginning.

The chicken meatballs are yummy served with flour tortillas spread with a bit of hummus or with a side of pita bread, basmati rice, mashed potatoes, pasta.

The procedure is very simple. Basically the food processor/blender does it all 🙂

In a food processor add the garlic + cilantro + green onion. Chop for 10 seconds.

Add the asparagus (I chopped them in big pieces) and the zucchini (sliced in thick slices). Chop for 30 seconds.

You will obtain a minced consistency.

Transfer in a bowl and add the ground chicken, corn, egg, breadcrumbs (substitute with almond meal if you want the meatballs to be gluten free), a pinch of salt for older kids and some oregano. Mix well together.

Create small meatballs with your hands: I use 1 tablespoon of mix for each meatball.

Line a baking sheet with some parchment paper and place the meatballs one next to the other. Bake in preheated oven to 400F/180C for 20/25 min.

You can freeze the meatballs before baking them and store them in the freezer for up to 3 months.

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Chicken Asparagus Zucchini Meatballs +9M
Ingredients
  • 1 lb ground chicken
  • 12 oz fresh asparagus
  • 1 large zucchini
  • 3/4 cup frozen corn
  • 2 green onion
  • 1 egg
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1 handful fresh cilantro
  • 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
  • pinch salt
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
Instructions

  1. In a food processor add the garlic + cilantro + green onion. Chop for 10 seconds.

  2. Add the asparagus (I chopped them in big pieces) and the zucchini (sliced in thick slices). Chop for 30 seconds to obtain a minced consistency.

  3. Transfer in a bowl and add the ground chicken, corn, egg, breadcrumbs (substitute with almond meal if you want the meatballs to be gluten free), a pinch of salt for older kids and some oregano. Mix well together.

  4. Create small meatballs with your hands: I use 1 tablespoon of mix for each meatball.

  5. Line a baking sheet with some parchment paper and place the meatballs one next to the other. Bake in preheated oven to 400F/180C for 20/25 min.

May 11, 2018 By
5
About

In Italian BuonaPappa means “enjoy your baby food”. I thought that if I had issues cooking for my baby for the first time, well, maybe I was not the only mom in this situation. Why not start sharing what I learned with other moms and dads all around the world? That's how BuonaPappa.net was born, THANK YOU for following! I feel honored and humbled daily that you would stop by and view my recipes. Grazie mille!

5 Comments

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  • Reply
    Chicken Asparagus Zucchini Meatballs +9M – MySpecialFood.com
    May 11, 2018 at 11:18 pm

    […] I love cooking chicken, it’s lean meat and such a versatile ingredient to play with. Only one side effect: if overcooked, the chicken can dry out easily. That’s why in this recipe I used both the zucchini and the asparagus to give moist…and flavor back to the chicken. The final result are super moist, tender and tasty meatballs. The recipe can be served to babies starting from 9 months of […] Source: Chicken Asparagus Zucchini Meatballs +9M […]

  • Reply
    Tracy
    June 10, 2018 at 10:28 pm

    Hi can I omit the egg in this recipe?

    • Reply
      Barbara Lamperti
      July 5, 2018 at 1:33 pm

      Hi! The egg has a binding role in this recipe. yes, you can skip it and use instead 1 Tbsp chia seeds, they will glue together the mix. Simply leave 1 Tbsp chia seeds and 2 Tbsp water in a cup for at least 1hr so that the chia seeds get jelly, than prepare the meatballs. Ciao!! b

  • Reply
    Qie
    September 26, 2018 at 8:35 pm

    Hi Barbara, What size of food processor do you use? Thanks! Btw, your mini frittatas are my son’s favorites. Thanks a lot for the recipe! 🙂

    • Reply
      Barbara Lamperti
      October 3, 2018 at 10:54 pm

      Hi! I’m so glad your son likes the mini frittatas!! My kids love eggs too 🙂 Food processor: I’ve been using this food processor for the past three years http://amzn.to/2i7v0k7 It’s powerful and I like the double blade that avoids the annoying part of opening the food processor and scrap the sides in halfway 🙂 Let me know should you need more info and THANK YOU!! for following BuonaPappa. Ciao! b

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