Importance Score: 15 / 100 🟠
Transform Leftover Chicken into Delicious Polpette di Pollo: A Jamie Oliver Recipe
For many home cooks, Monday evenings present a culinary challenge: what to do with the remaining roast chicken from Sunday dinner? Instead of resorting to typical dishes like chicken fried rice or curry, consider elevating your leftovers with a flavourful and simple Italian recipe. Chef Jamie Oliver offers a traditional take on chicken meatballs, Polpette di Pollo, prepared in a rich tomato sauce. This recipe utilizes classic Italian techniques to maximize flavour without requiring extensive ingredients, proving to be an ideal leftover chicken recipe for a satisfying weeknight meal.
A Versatile and Healthy Chicken Meatball Recipe
Jamie Oliver’s Polpette di Pollo recipe is not only straightforward to prepare but also offers nutritional benefits. Each serving contains approximately 386 calories and boasts an impressive 30g of protein, making it a wholesome choice. These Italian meatballs are incredibly versatile, perfect served hot with pasta, or enjoyed cold in salads, offering flexibility for packed lunches or meals on the go.
Polpette di Pollo Recipe: Step-by-Step Instructions
Ingredients for the Chicken Meatballs:
- Leftover cooked chicken
- 3 slices of bread
- 50ml milk
- Olives
- Garlic
- Capers
- Parmesan cheese
- 1 egg
- Salt
- Black pepper
- Olive oil
Instructions for Preparing the Chicken Meatballs:
Begin by roughly chopping the leftover chicken into smaller pieces. Tear three slices of bread and soak them in 50ml of milk, allowing the milk to be fully absorbed. Combine the soaked bread, olives, garlic, capers, and Parmesan cheese in a blender and pulse until combined. Add the chopped chicken and one egg to the blender mixture. Pulse again until the mixture is blended but retains some texture; avoid over-blending to maintain a desirable consistency. Season with a pinch of salt and freshly cracked black pepper. Roll the mixture into 2cm meatballs. Place the meatballs onto a baking tray, drizzle with olive oil, and bake in a preheated oven at 180C.
Ingredients for the Simple Tomato Sugo (Sauce):
- 3 cloves of garlic
- Olive oil
- 2 tins of chopped tomatoes
- Water
- Sugar (optional)
Instructions for Preparing the Tomato Sugo:
While the meatballs are roasting, prepare the tomato sugo. Finely chop three cloves of garlic. Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a pan and sauté the chopped garlic until fragrant, ensuring it does not brown. Add two tins of chopped tomatoes and a splash of water to the pan. Allow the sauce to simmer for approximately 10 minutes, adding a pinch of sugar if needed to balance the acidity of the tomatoes. After the chicken meatballs have roasted for 20 minutes, pour the tomato sauce into the roasting dish. Continue cooking for an additional 5 to 10 minutes to allow the meatballs to finish cooking in the sauce.
Serving Suggestion
Once cooked, garnish the Polpette di Pollo with a sprinkle of fresh parsley before serving. Enjoy this flavourful and resourceful dish!