Pesto Chicken Bites

These pesto chicken bites are loaded with flavor, easy to make and packed with protein and healthy fats.  A great meal served as is or even over spaghetti . The chicken pesto combo always gets me!  I’m always dreaming up various ways to use pesto in recipes and it turns out that MEATBALLS is definitely a good idea.

Making the chicken bites is basically the same as making chicken meatballs. But chicken bites sound so much more fun, doesn’t it? You can make them as I’ve instructed in the recipe below, or you can bake them in on a sheet pan at 200*C for about 15 minutes or so until they’re cooked through. I would broil them for the last couple minutes of baking time so they brown a bit on the top. But my preferred method is cooking them in a skillet as they tend to stay a bit moister that way.

You can serve these Pesto Chicken Bites one of two ways: on a platter with toothpicks and the sauce in a small bowl in the center for dipping or on a platter with toothpicks but the sauce poured onto the platter and the bites sitting right in the sauce (as in the photos below). I prefer the latter as I think it’s not only prettier but easier for family or guests to pick up. Both ways work well, however, so choose whichever way you like.

Ingredients

For the chicken bites:

• 500gms chicken mince

• 2 large eggs

• 3 cloves garlic minced

• 1/2 cup breadcrumbs

• 1 tsp salt

• 1/2 tsp black pepper freshly ground

• 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

For the pesto

1/4 cup rosted pine nuts

2 cup fresh basil leaves

3 cloves of garlic

1/2 cup parmesan cheese

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 —3/4 cup olive oil

Instructions

For the pesto sauce:

1. Place all ingredients into a high-powered blender and blend until very smooth. Allow to sit at room temperature while you make the chicken bites to allow flavors to meld. Check on my Instagram highlights for more details.

For the chicken bites:

1. Using your hands, mix together the ground chicken, egg, garlic, breadcrumbs, salt, and black pepper. Form the mixture into small, bite-sized rounds (meatballs), about 1-inch thick. 

2. Heat the 2 tbsp olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken bites and cook them until they're nicely browned on all sides and cooked through, about 7-8 minutes, in batches if necessary. 

3. Serve the chicken bites place the bites in a shallow dish with sides, pour in some of the sauce and set the bites on top, then serve the remaining on the side for dipping. Alternatively, Serve the chicken bites on a platter with a small bowl of chimichurri sauce for dipping.