Today I wanted to make a meal with a Cream Sauce that I could pour over a Tagliatelle-Style pasta. And then I wanted it to be a one-dish meal, perhaps with a Swedish type meatball. And this Gluten-Free Chicken Meatballs in Cream Sauce Over Tagliatelle is the result.
So, into the fridge, I went only to find that I didn’t have any ground beef or pork, but I had Chicken thighs. I recalled reading that I could de-bone them and grind up the meat for meatballs, so that’s what I did.
Here is the result, and boy, it’s a home run.
It may sound very complicated, but you can easily de-bone thighs. Or if you prefer, buy ground chicken, your choice. You need 1 pound of thighs (before de-boning) or ¾ pound of ground chicken in any event. This yields approximately 30 meatballs of about 1 ½ inch in diameter.
Gluten-Free Chicken Meatballs in Cream Sauce Over Tagliatelle
It may sound very complicated, but you can easily de-bone thighs. Or if you prefer, buy ground chicken, your choice. You need 1 pound of thighs (before de-boning) or ¾ pound of ground chicken in any event. This yields approximately 30 meatballs of about 1 ½ inch in diameter.
Ingredients
Meatball Ingredients
¾ pound ground chicken (minced chicken)
⅓ cup milk
2 slices bread crumbs - gluten free white bread
1 pinch salt
1 pinch ground black pepper- ⅓ cup bread crumbs - gluten free
3 tablespoons cheddar cheese - grated Italian cheese
¼ cup parsley - flat-leaf parsley minced in tiny pieces
1 egg - beaten separately
2 small carrots - shredded
2 tablespoons salted butter
½ cup chicken stock (chicken broth or chicken bouillon)
¼ cup white wine
Sauce Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons sweet butter
¼ cup all purpose flour (plain flour Australia and UK) - all-purpose gluten-free flour- ½ cup milk - perhaps a bit more if the sauce looks dry
2 tablespoons cream cheese
1 leaf sage- 1 pinch salt
- 1 pinch ground black pepper
½ teaspoon nutmeg - ground - ¼ cup chicken stock (chicken broth or chicken bouillon)
Instructions
Meatball Instructions
- Place the bread slices in a small bowl and soak in the milk.
- After about 2 minutes, squeeze out most of the milk, but it’s ok if the bread is still very wet. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, place the ground chicken.
- Add the bread crumbs, cheese, salt and pepper, and the milk-soaked slices that you crumble up into very small pieces to the ground chicken. I didn’t use all of the ends of the slices. Mostly use the white centres.
- Add the egg and parsley and the first half of the shredded carrot.
- Combine with clean hands and shape into mini balls, about 1 ½ inch in diameter. Don’t over-mix. The more you handle it, the tougher it will turn out.
- In a skillet, melt the 2 tablespoons of salted butter and then saute the meatballs, turning once after each side has become golden-tinged, for about 3 to 4 minutes.
- Brown in butter until golden on 2 sides.
- Add the wine, the second half of the shredded carrot and cover. Simmer on low for about 10 minutes and then remove from heat.
- Set aside but don’t remove from skillet.
Sauce Instructions
- In a small saucepan, make a roux. That’s placing the butter over low heat till melted. Then add the flour a little at a time, whisking after each addition.
- Stir into a paste, and no lumps are there.
- Add the milk and cheese and continue to whisk until cream cheese is melted into the sauce. Add the salt and pepper and the nutmeg. Stir. Add the sage leaf.
- Simmer for only about 5 minutes, but stay there, gently stirring to avoid sticking to the pan. If this seems a little too thick, you may add a few spoons of chicken broth. Combine again with the gently whisking. In the end, remove the sage leaf and discard it.
- In a larger pot, boil your salted water and cook Tagliatelle noodles. (Schar makes a very good type.) Cook until al dente.
- Drain.
- Add sauce and then meatballs on top.
Nutrition
Calories: 253.7kcalCarbohydrates: 12.2gProtein: 12.3gFat: 17gSaturated Fat: 8.9gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1.4gMonounsaturated Fat: 4.9gTrans Fat: 0.4gCholesterol: 92.4mgSodium: 290.1mgPotassium: 351.3mgFiber: 0.8gSugar: 2.6gVitamin A: 2685.3IUVitamin C: 3.2mgCalcium: 105.1mgIron: 1mg
How did this recipe turn out for you?We’re eager to hear your thoughts!
