Chicken Harissa Meatballs

My favorite kind of dinner is the kind that makes people think you worked way harder than you actually did. You know the type. Everything looks beautiful, tastes incredible, and secretly came together in under an hour.

That's exactly why I love a sheet pan dinner. It has major Martha May Whovier energy. Like, "Oh this? I just threw this together." Did she ever actually say those words? No idea. But that's the feeling. A little effortless, a little dramatic, and everyone assumes you have your life together as you flounce away in your chic feather robe.

The first time I saw ground chicken, I was a little icked. I had meant to grab ground turkey for turkey chili but somehow came home with ground chicken instead.

I didn't even know what ground chicken was. To me, it sounded like something a bodybuilder would eat over a bed of unseasoned brown rice. So I contemplated chicken chili, decided it didn't sit right with me, and back into the fridge it went until I felt more ambitious.

Well, as it turns out, you don't have to be a bodybuilder eating out of a meal prep container to appreciate ground chicken. It deserves so much more credit than that. It's just waiting for someone to season it properly.

Kind of like potatoes. Or men.

The nice thing about ground chicken is that it takes on whatever you give it. Which is exactly why we're giving it harissa.

Harissa is a North African chili paste that's smoky, a little spicy, and full of warm spices. It does a lot of the heavy lifting here, which I always appreciate in an ingredient.

If you read my Anatomy of a Meatball post, you already know I think every meatball needs four things: meat, something to hold it together, seasoning, and cheese. Cheese technically isn't required, but...I think we both know it is.

Meat: 1 pound ground chicken

Binding: Breadcrumbs, one egg, and two tablespoons of olive oil

Seasoning: Four tablespoons of harissa, fresh parsley, kosher salt, and probably more black pepper than you think you need.

Cheese: ¼ cup crumbled feta

Mix everything together with your hands until it's just combined. Less is more here. The more you work the meat, the tougher the meatballs become—which is helpful in some situations, but not this one.

The mixture will probably feel softer than you're expecting. That's exactly what you want. Resist the urge to keep adding breadcrumbs until it feels "right." Trust me.

Roll the mixture into about twelve golf ball-sized meatballs and place them on a lightly oiled sheet pan.

Bake everything at 425°F for about 12 minutes, or until the meatballs reach 165°F.

This is where you need to lock in—we are using the broiler.

The broiler can give you beautiful crispy edges one second and burn everything the next. There is truly no in-between. So lock in, switch the oven to low broil for another 4 to 5 minutes, and for the love of God, don't walk away.

Once everything has a little color, pull it out of the oven and let it cool for a few minutes.

I usually serve these with warm naan and tzatziki because that's what I almost always have in my fridge. They're also really good over rice with a cucumber and tomato salad, or honestly just standing at the counter eating one straight off the sheet pan while you decide if you actually feel like setting the table.