You will Need:
- 1, 1lb package of ground chicken. This is to make your meatballs homemade, but I would also recommend purchasing frozen, pre cooked ones for a quick and easy meal
- 1 can of crushed tomatoes. Again, this is to make your sauce homemade (which, in my opinion, is the only way to go), but if you have a favorite jarred sauce, that works just as well
- Slider buns. I found mine just at the grocery store next to the regular hamburger buns
- Shredded or sliced mozzarella cheese and grated parmesan cheese
- 1 egg + 1/2 cup of breadcrumbs and spices. If you're using pre cooked meatballs and sauce, you don't need these, but if you're making everything homemade, I recommend using salt and pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, parsley, paprika, and basil
I started off by making my sauce. I started the pan with a little bit of olive oil and garlic and let that simmer a little bit before adding in the can of crushed tomatoes. Once I had the base for my sauce, I added in the spices. For the sauce, I used salt and pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, parsley, fresh basil (dried works, too), and some parmesan cheese. I tend to use between 1-2 teaspoons of each (aside from the basil where I used 6 freshly picked leaves and sliced them into strips) and about a teaspoon of the parmesan. You don't nenecessarilyeed to measure out your spices, either, just go by sight and taste (but remember, you can always add but you can't take away!).Once the spices are added, leave it on a medium-low heat to simmer while you prep everything else.
Ground chicken needs a lot of seasoning, so I like to do this in stages. I cracked an egg and added half of my breadcrumbs straight away, along with a sprinkle of each of my spices. For the meatballs, I used all of the same as in the sauce, except I skipped the basil and parmesan cheese and added a small dash of paprika to give it an extra layer of flavor. You only need a tiny bit of paprika though, any more will overpower everything else. Once I add the first layer, I mix with my hands and gradually add more and more so that I know everything is evenly distributed.
I was able to roll out 20 1-inch meatballs out of this mixture, but depending on how big you make them you'll get more or less. In the past, I've made 12 larger ones (one per sandwich) but I've also done 24 tiny ones (two per sandwich). The amount of breadcrumbs you add also plays a part in extending your mixture significantly or not.
In a 400 degree convection oven, bake your meatballs for 10-15 minutes, flipping over halfway through the cooking time to get a nice crispy outer coating on each side. If you prefer a softer meatball, feel free to decrease the oven time.
Trial and error has taught me to put the meatballs directly into the sauce once out of the oven. This helps make sure every meatball has an even coating of sauce and makes assembling the sandwich a little bit easier! The actual building of the slider is simple: layer mozzarella and parmesan cheese on the bottom bun, add a bit of sauce, a meatball or two, and then top off with the top bun! I stuck toothpicks in mine (half for presentation points, half to hold them together...meatballs are round and they roll).
And that's it! I love these as a quick lunch or dinner. If you prefer your bun toasted, just separate the buns, lay them on a lined baking sheet and toast them in the oven for a few minutes while cooking the meatballs. These would make a great entertaining snack, and if you use pre made meatballs and sauce (or if you pre make your own and freeze them!) you can take out a single serving of the ingredients and have a quick snack on a busy day.
Do you like sliders?
Alyssa
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