Tired of the same ol’ dinner rotation?! I get that way too! Check out these Grain Free Crispy Chicken Parm Meatballs for a fun and flavorful twist on the mundane!
Got the chicken breast blues?! Sometimes dinner feels like a real chore and I’m the first to seek out the change that makes it just a smidge more exciting. A couple weeks ago I was telling y’all about my Goldberg’s obsession and how I wanted to recreate Bev’s shrimp parm. After all was said and done I ended up making this Crispy Gulf Fried Shrimp paleo style and it was fantastic. But I was still dreaming up something a little saucier!
I made these Grain Free Crispy Chicken Parm Meatballs to finally fill that void and decided on the meatball delivery system because truth be told, finger foods are just more fun. Plus it’s Summer which means parties and appetizers (my favorite food group), so grab your toothpicks and marinara sauce and let’s get started!
I made two options to accommodate nut allergies. You can use almond flour or ground pumpkin seed if you prefer. I do not have any other information on subs for you so if you experiment, let me know what works! When made as is, they are delicious and have a thin crispy crust just perfect for dunkin’ in sauce!
Grain Free Crispy Chicken Parm Meatballs
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 10
- Total Time: 20 minutes
Ingredients
For the Meatballs:
- 1 pound ground chicken (or ground turkey)
- 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning (like Primal Palate’s Amore)
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup tapioca starch, cassava flour, or arrowroot
For the Coating:
- 1/2 cup arrowroot or tapioca flour
- 1/2 cup almond flour or ground pumpkin seed meal (I make mine at home)
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 egg
For Frying:
- Avocado oil
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350F
- Preheat avocado oil over medium heat in a small sauce pan. You want enough oil to equal around 1/2 inch depth in the pan
- Combine the meatball ingredients in a mixing bowl and stir to incorporate well
- In another small bowl, whisk the egg for the coating
- In a 3rd bowl, combine the flours for coating with the sea salt
- Form 1-2 inch meatballs with your hands and dredge them in the flour blend
- Now roll them in the egg mixture and dredge them once more in the flour blend
- Fry the meatballs, a few at a time in the hot oil until they coating starts to brown and then remove the meatballs with a slotted spoon and transfer them to a sheet pan
- Repeat until all the meatballs are fried and then bake them for 10 minutes or until cooked through
- Serve with warm marinara sauce, fresh flat leaf parsley and parmesan shreds if tolerated
This looks great! I have used similar recipes using ground clean pork rinds so that might work here too. Also, back in my pre-paleo days I have used ground Parmesan cheese as a breading which gets crisp. If dairy isn’t an issue, I would use the Parmesan cheese option too.
I bet my picky kids would like this. Thanks for providing quality recipes.
Enjoy!