French Chicken Meatballs

French Chicken Meatballs. A tasty slow-cooked dish of chicken meatballs in a smooth, creamy French-style sauce. These soft chicken meatballs cook slowly in a creamy French sauce until they are tender and full of flavor. The sauce is cheesy and savory, and the meatballs stay juicy. Serve with mashed potatoes, pasta, or veggies for a warm, comforting family meal everyone will love.

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 3 hours 30 minutes
Total Time: 3 hours 50 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Chicken, Meatballs
Servings: 6
Equipment: 5–6 L slow cooker

Ingredients

• Meatball ingredients:

• 1 kg chicken mince

• 1 egg

• 2/3 cup fine packaged breadcrumbs

• 1 tbsp olive oil

• 1 tsp dried thyme

• 1 tsp onion powder

• 1/2 tsp garlic powder

• 1/2 cup shaved Parmesan cheese

• Sauce ingredients:

• 300 ml cooking cream (see note below for other creams)

• 1/2 cup liquid chicken stock

• 40 g packet of French onion soup mix (no water added)

• 1/2 cup shaved Parmesan cheese

• 1/2 tsp cracked black pepper

French Chicken Meatballs: Directions

1. Put all the sauce ingredients into the slow cooker and stir a little so they mix.

2. Put all the meatball ingredients in a big bowl and mix well with clean hands or a spoon.

3. Make about 30 meatballs. Each should be about the size of a golf ball. Roll them gently so they stay round.

4. Place the meatballs slowly into the sauce in the slow cooker. Try not to splash or crowd them.

5. Cover the slow cooker and cook on LOW for 3 hours 30 minutes. Do the “Tea Towel Trick” while cooking (see note).

6. Do not stir the meatballs during the first 2 hours. After about 2 hours they will be firm and you can move them gently.

7. Serve the meatballs with creamy mashed potatoes and steamed vegetables, or with pasta and garlic bread.

Notes

• Cooking cream is a type of cream that does not split when heated. If you do not have cooking cream, use regular cream and mix in 1–2 teaspoons of cornflour (cornstarch) first to help stop splitting.

• You do not need to brown or cook the meatballs before putting them in the slow cooker. Put them in raw and let them cook slowly. Do not stir for the first 2 hours so they can hold their shape.