Mortadella Chicken Meatballs

Ingredients

• 2 cups nickel-sized chunks bread, crust removed (from about half an Italian-style loaf or small baguette)
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1/2 pound mortadella, roughly chopped
• 1/2 pound ground chicken (preferably dark meat)
• 3 tablespoons Roasted Garlic puree
• 1/3 cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/3 cup thinly sliced scallions, whites only (4 to 6 scallions)
• 1 large egg

Instructions

1. 1

   Preheat the oven to 400°F.

2. 2

   Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spray the paper with nonstick cooking spray.

3. 3

   In a medium bowl, combine the bread and milk and soak until the bread is thoroughly saturated, about 15 minutes.

4. 4

   Squeeze the bread in a clean kitchen towel to wring out as much milk as possible and discard the liquid. You should have about 1¼ cups of wrung bread.

5. 5

   Meanwhile, in a food processor, process the mortadella into small pieces, the same size as the ground chicken.

6. 6

   In a large bowl, combine the chicken, mortadella, bread, roasted garlic puree, parmesan, salt, black pepper, cayenne, scallion whites, and egg and mix by hand until well incorporated.

7. 7

   Form into 1½-inch meatballs (about 2 tablespoons each) and place on the lined baking sheet.

8. 8

   Bake the meatballs until golden brown and firm, and a thermometer poked in the center reads 160°F, about 15 minutes.

9. 9

   Serve immediately (and see also Serving Note for more suggestions). Leftovers keep, tightly covered in the refrigerator, for up to 3 days.