The Greek meatballs don’t need any introductions! But these particular chicken meatballs are delicious and nutritious with many vegetables, accompanied by a perfect peanut butter sauce. Yes, you read that correctly, peanut butter! Don’t worry, keep reading and all your questions will be answered… JUMP TO RECIPE
Everything began in the not-so-distant Netherlands, when… some years ago I got to know the peanut butter, and I loved it quite a bit, in all of its versions. That’s where I learned to eat it with desserts and savoury foods, I ate it with my potatoes, and my meat, and it found its way to my strolls inside my sandwiches… When I returned to Greece, that love didn’t fade, it only grew more intense, and now I’m teaching it to the little hands. As a worthy heir, he loved it, and thanks to peanut butter, he ate fruits. He was just 7 months old…
The little hands have grown up since then and he’s now calling for “vou” (from “voutyro” which means butter in Greek), and he’s dipping his fingers in the jar. He’s happily testing all my ambitious trials, like this sauce, or rather, these sauces! Because the little hands know how delicious and nutritious peanut butter is.
The benefits of peanut butter
Especially when it comes to the jars by the Nutlers family, which are 100% peanut butter, made from 100% Greek peanuts, with no palm oil, sugar-free, salt-free, and additives-free (find it here), peanut butter is both nutritious and with an amazing flavour, truly delicious. It has good fats, it’s rich in vitamins E, B3, and B6, in magnesium and plant fibres, and an excellent source of proteins, folic acid, and zinc. Remember to include it in your family’s daily diet, in a balanced dietary context, and give energy and nutrition to yourselves and your children.
How to offer peanut butter
Remember that it’s suitable for children over the age of 6 months old. Yes, yes, 6 months! Mixed with water, offered with fruit, yogurt, in preparations, spread on bread. Or you can simply make this sauce that I suggest, and serve it with meatballs or vegetable sticks, use it as a dip for breadsticks, or with some additional water, it can become an amazing sauce for your salad. Regarding the fear of allergies, I’ve written more here.
What you are going to need for the chicken meatballs
- Ground chicken. Prefer a trustworthy or organic chicken.
- Vegetables, so many vegetables. They give flavour, and also make each bite count. Carrots, broccoli, onions, and peppers are some of those I had in my fridge and used in this recipe.
- Spices, to make the flavour soar.
- Egg, to bind the mixture. Prefer organic or free range. If you don’t want to use eggs, use a substitute, and more specifically, a flaxseed “egg” (1 Tbsp. ground flaxseed + 3 Tbsp. water, mix and set aside for 5 minutes).
- Oat flakes. They substitute the bread usually added in meatballs to gather up the liquids.
What you are going to need about the peanut butter sauces
- Peanut butter, I write more about the reasons above…
- Carob syrup, to give its sweetness and unique flavour.
- Spices, like ginger, because it makes an excellent combination with them.
- Orange juice or vinegar, depending on the version you choose.
We enjoyed our meatballs for lunch as a family, dipping them in both peanut butter sauces, because we couldn’t choose between them. We ate them with rice, which, when mixed with the peanut butter orange sauce, was a delight. To explain further, the one with the orange is sweeter and softer and makes an excellent combination with the chicken. The one with the vinegar had a more intense flavour, and while it was hot, it reinforced the flavour of the cold meatballs further. The choice is yours…
Don’t forget to try our favourite recipe μπούτι κοτόπουλο με πορτοκάλι και κουρκουμά.
Preheat the oven to 200°C, set to fan.
Heat up a non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Sauté the onion with 1 Tbsp. olive oil until soft, for about 6–7 minutes. When it’s ready, set aside to cool. (You can skip this step if you’re in a hurry.)
At the same time, chop and prepare the vegetables, while mixing the onion regularly on the pan to make sure it doesn’t burn.
Add all ingredients to a bowl and mix well with your hands until they combine.
Place the bowl in the fridge for half an hour until it thickens up. (You can skip this step as well, since it can be kneaded even if it doesn’t go in the fridge.)
Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
Remove the mixture from the fridge and shape into balls.
Bake for 20 minutes or until the meatballs are golden brown.
Mix all ingredients thoroughly in a small bowl or a deep plate.
Heat up all ingredients in a pot for 4–5 minutes, without boiling them.
Mix continuously until homogenous and remove from the heat.
Serve by pouring over the cold meatballs.
Ingredients
Directions
Preheat the oven to 200°C, set to fan.
Heat up a non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Sauté the onion with 1 Tbsp. olive oil until soft, for about 6–7 minutes. When it’s ready, set aside to cool. (You can skip this step if you’re in a hurry.)
At the same time, chop and prepare the vegetables, while mixing the onion regularly on the pan to make sure it doesn’t burn.
Add all ingredients to a bowl and mix well with your hands until they combine.
Place the bowl in the fridge for half an hour until it thickens up. (You can skip this step as well, since it can be kneaded even if it doesn’t go in the fridge.)
Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
Remove the mixture from the fridge and shape into balls.
Bake for 20 minutes or until the meatballs are golden brown.
Mix all ingredients thoroughly in a small bowl or a deep plate.
Heat up all ingredients in a pot for 4–5 minutes, without boiling them.
Mix continuously until homogenous and remove from the heat.
Serve by pouring over the cold meatballs.
Notes
Αυτό το περιεχόμενο χορηγείται με άδεια Creative Commons Αναφορά Δημιουργού-Μη Εμπορική Χρήση-Όχι Παράγωγα Έργα 4.0 Διεθνές .
Το περιεχόμενο αυτού του blog αποτελεί πνευματική ιδιοκτησία της εταιρίας LITTLE HANDS BLW. Συνεπώς, ΑΠΑΓΟΡΕΥΕΤΑΙ κάθε αναδημοσίευση, αντιγραφή ή τροποποίηση του χωρίς την έγγραφη συγκατάθεση της εταιρίας. Εάν ενδιαφέρεστε για το περιεχόμενο του blog, μπορείτε να επικοινωνήσετε μαζί μας για να συζητήσουμε πως θα μπορούσαμε να συνεργαστούμε.
