2 tablespoons of the chopped California Prunes, olives, capers and garlic mix
For garnish:
chopped parsley
Takes ,
serves 6.
Instructions
Prepare the sauce: Place the capers, olives, garlic and California Prunes into a small food processor or handy chopper fitted with a blade attachment. Pulse to coarsely chop. Set aside two tablespoons of this mixture for the sauce. Place the rest of the sauce ingredients into a small saucepan and stir until the sugar is completely dissolved. Turn heat to medium-high. When it comes to a boil, reduce to simmer and add the two tablespoons of the chopped California Prunes, olives, capers and garlic. Continue stirring sauce occasionally while you prepare the meatballs.
Prepare the meatballs: Add the rest of the chopped California Prunes, olives, capers and garlic into a medium-sized bowl with the ground chicken. Sprinkle with bread crumbs, seasoning and chopped parsley. Thoroughly combine the mixture by hand. Form into balls and place them onto a foil-lined baking sheet.
Cook the meatballs: Preheat the oven to 425°F with the rack in the middle position. Remove the sauce from the heat. Brush the meatballs with the sauce and sprinkle lightly with brown sugar and salt. Transfer to oven and bake for 10 minutes. Bring tray of meatballs out onto your work surface and brush the meatballs again with the sauce. Return the meatballs to the oven and bake for an additional 10 minutes.
To serve: Remove from oven, brush with sauce and let cool for 5 minutes. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve as a snack with the remaining sauce on the side, or serve as a main course with favourite sides.
Chicken Marbella Meatballs
Ingredients
For the meatballs:
1 lb ground chicken
½ cup California Prunes, roughly chopped
1/3 cup green olives, roughly chopped
¼ cup capers, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
½ cup bread crumbs
¼ cup chopped parsley
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1½ teaspoons kosher salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
¼ teaspoon chili flakes
1 tablespoon brown sugar
For the sauce:
½ cup dry white wine
½ cup brown sugar, packed
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
¼ cup red wine vinegar
4 bay leaves
2 tablespoons of the chopped California Prunes, olives, capers and garlic mix
For garnish:
chopped parsley
Directions
Prepare the sauce: Place the capers, olives, garlic and California Prunes into a small food processor or handy chopper fitted with a blade attachment. Pulse to coarsely chop. Set aside two tablespoons of this mixture for the sauce. Place the rest of the sauce ingredients into a small saucepan and stir until the sugar is completely dissolved. Turn heat to medium-high. When it comes to a boil, reduce to simmer and add the two tablespoons of the chopped California Prunes, olives, capers and garlic. Continue stirring sauce occasionally while you prepare the meatballs.
Prepare the meatballs: Add the rest of the chopped California Prunes, olives, capers and garlic into a medium-sized bowl with the ground chicken. Sprinkle with bread crumbs, seasoning and chopped parsley. Thoroughly combine the mixture by hand. Form into balls and place them onto a foil-lined baking sheet.
Cook the meatballs: Preheat the oven to 425°F with the rack in the middle position. Remove the sauce from the heat. Brush the meatballs with the sauce and sprinkle lightly with brown sugar and salt. Transfer to oven and bake for 10 minutes. Bring tray of meatballs out onto your work surface and brush the meatballs again with the sauce. Return the meatballs to the oven and bake for an additional 10 minutes.
To serve: Remove from oven, brush with sauce and let cool for 5 minutes. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve as a snack with the remaining sauce on the side, or serve as a main course with favourite sides.
Chicken Marbella Meatballs
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Tender meatballs made with ground chicken, prunes, capers, green olives, oregano and garlic, Marbella style…
A new take on the classic recipe, you can serve these as either a tasty snack or a main course. Everyone loves CHICKEN MARBELLA MEATBALLS!
Our friends at California Prunes sponsored this post. California Prunes taste – and pair – like no other prunes in the world.
This is one of those recipes that checks off a whole bunch of boxes: it uses quality, choice ingredients; it’s easy to prepare; it has wonderful, memorable flavour; and it’s versatile.
You can serve these CHICKEN MARBELLA MEATBALLS as a tasty snack or main course, either lunch or dinner. This straightforward recipe gets a solid two thumbs up.
We know you’re going to love making these as much as we did, so remember to PIN it to a favourite Pinterest board, BOOKMARK it for future reference and SHARE it with your friends. Everyone should be making and serving this delicious dish.
Here are a few expert tips for when you go to make it:
CALIFORNIA PRUNES
This CHICKEN MARBELLA MEATBALL recipe has the hallmarks of the classic Marbella dish that was all the rage back in the 80s. One of the key ingredients is prunes, so we knew only California Prunes with their distinct, rich, sweet and fresh flavour, would do. California Prunes have low moisture levels, which means they can be stored in the cupboard for up to a year. Good idea to pick some up on your next grocery run!
Another thing that makes California Prunes so wonderful is that they’re super healthy. They’re an excellent source of Vitamin B6 and copper, which can help maintain a normal, healthy immune system. Also, California Prunes contain manganese which, together with copper, contributes to the protection of cells from oxidative stress. Love it!
THE LIST
In crafting this recipe, we tried to keep things as simple as possible, using readily available ingredients. Of course, we always try to give you options. Although we made this recipe using bread crumbs, you can also substitute with regular or gluten-free Panko if you’d like. Both will work.
THE CHOP
One important step in the recipe is the chopping of the California Prunes, garlic, capers and olives. The goal is to roughly chop them so they can be mixed in thoroughly with the ground chicken, crumbs and seasoning.
This is another great moment with California Prunes. Although they can simply be eaten by hand as an anytime snack, I like how they perform when chopped for this savoury dish. They mix perfectly with the other ingredients and even keep their soft consistency when baked.
GET SAUCED
The sauce for this recipe is a lovely reduction of red wine vinegar, brown sugar and a dry white wine.
It’s then used to brush the meatballs before, during and after they finish baking, giving them that signature Marbella flavour profile. My kitchen smells wonderful whenever I make this dish, and yours will too.
VERSATILITY
The concept for CHICKEN MARBELLA MEATBALLS was to breathe new life to a beloved, classic recipe. The initial thought was to make little nibbles that could be served with a side of the sauce for dipping. After testing, we realized the recipe is so versatile you can enjoy them as a main course. I often serve them on a bed of steamed rice with BUTTERED VEGETABLES and our KALE, CARROT & PARMESAN SALAD on the side.
Hopefully I’ve now inspired you to try this delicious chicken dish; it’s sure to please your family and friends.
BONUS ROUND!!!
Now, if you’re reading this thinking, “I can hardly wait to start adding California Prunes to my meal planning!”, I have yet another suggestion: try these NO-BAKE CALIFORNIA PRUNE POWER BALLS. Head HERE to view the full recipe. They’re really easy to make and I like to enjoy one mid-afternoon. They help maintain blood sugar and healthy cholesterol levels, while satisfying my hunger between meals. Give them a try.
These CHICKEN MARBELLA MEATBALLS are like a magic trick – so tasty, they’ll disappear in no time!
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Ingredients
For the meatballs:
1 lb ground chicken
½ cup California Prunes, roughly chopped
1/3 cup green olives, roughly chopped
¼ cup capers, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
½ cup bread crumbs
¼ cup chopped parsley
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1½ teaspoons kosher salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
¼ teaspoon chili flakes
1 tablespoon brown sugar
For the sauce:
½ cup dry white wine
½ cup brown sugar, packed
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
¼ cup red wine vinegar
4 bay leaves
2 tablespoons of the chopped California Prunes, olives, capers and garlic mix
For garnish:
chopped parsley
Directions
Prepare the sauce: Place the capers, olives, garlic and California Prunes into a small food processor or handy chopper fitted with a blade attachment. Pulse to coarsely chop. Set aside two tablespoons of this mixture for the sauce. Place the rest of the sauce ingredients into a small saucepan and stir until the sugar is completely dissolved. Turn heat to medium-high. When it comes to a boil, reduce to simmer and add the two tablespoons of the chopped California Prunes, olives, capers and garlic. Continue stirring sauce occasionally while you prepare the meatballs.
Prepare the meatballs: Add the rest of the chopped California Prunes, olives, capers and garlic into a medium-sized bowl with the ground chicken. Sprinkle with bread crumbs, seasoning and chopped parsley. Thoroughly combine the mixture by hand. Form into balls and place them onto a foil-lined baking sheet.
Cook the meatballs: Preheat the oven to 425°F with the rack in the middle position. Remove the sauce from the heat. Brush the meatballs with the sauce and sprinkle lightly with brown sugar and salt. Transfer to oven and bake for 10 minutes. Bring tray of meatballs out onto your work surface and brush the meatballs again with the sauce. Return the meatballs to the oven and bake for an additional 10 minutes.
To serve: Remove from oven, brush with sauce and let cool for 5 minutes. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve as a snack with the remaining sauce on the side, or serve as a main course with favourite sides.
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