Gluten-Free Chicken Meatballs in Cream Sauce Over Tagliatelle
Gretel Shaw
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.
3tablespoonscheddar cheese - grated Italian cheese
¼cupparsley - flat-leaf parsley minced in tiny pieces
1egg - beaten separately
2smallcarrots - shredded
2tablespoonssalted butter
½cupchicken stock (chicken broth or chicken bouillon)
¼cupwhite wine
Sauce Ingredients
4tablespoonssweet butter
¼cupall purpose flour (plain flour Australia and UK) - all-purpose gluten-free flour
½cupmilk - perhaps a bit more if the sauce looks dry
2tablespoonscream cheese
1leafsage
1pinchsalt
1pinchground black pepper
½teaspoonnutmeg - ground
¼cupchicken 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.