Chicken Cheddar Apple Meatballs with Collagen

Looking for a new appetizer to serve at your next tailgate? Try this Chicken Cheddar Apple Meatballs recipe. Using ground chicken keeps these meatballs light, while cheddar cheese, green apple, parsley, and herbs pack in the flavor and moisture. Garden of Life’s Grass-Fed Collagen Peptides boosts the nutrition and protein content to keep you satisfied. Pair these Chicken Cheddar Apple Meatballs with Collagen with a creamy honey mustard yogurt sauce and you're sure to satisfy both sweet and savory cravings.

Serves: 6-8

Ingredients

For the meatballs:

• ½ cup 2% milk

• 1 large egg

• 3 scoops Garden of Life Grass-Fed Collagen Peptides

• ½ cup plain bread crumbs

• ½ tsp. garlic powder

• ¼ tsp. ground cinnamon

• 1 tsp. salt

• ½ tsp. ground black pepper

• 1 tsp. olive oil

• ½ medium yellow onion, finely chopped (about 1 cup chopped)

• 1 pound ground chicken

• 1 medium Granny Smith apple, cored, grated, and squeezed dry

• 1 cup coarse shredded sharp cheddar cheese

• ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley

For the dipping sauce

• ½ cup plain fat-free Greek yogurt

• 2 Tbsp. honey

• 1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard

• 1 Tbsp. yellow mustard

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together milk, egg, and collagen. Stir in the bread crumbs, garlic powder, cinnamon, salt, and ground black pepper. Set aside while you sauté the onion.

3. Heat olive oil in a skillet set over medium-high heat. When the oil shimmers, add the onion and sauté until translucent, about 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.

4. Add cooled onion, ground chicken, grated apple, shredded cheddar cheese, and parsley to the bread crumb mixture. Use clean hands to gently mix everything together.

5. Wet your hands or use an ice cream scoop to scoop chicken mixture into 1 ½-inch meatballs. You should get about 24 meatballs. Arrange meatballs on the parchment lined baking sheet.

6. Bake meatballs until internal temperature reaches 160 degrees Fahrenheit, about 16 to 18 minutes. If you’d like to brown the top of the meatballs even more, switch the oven to broil and cook for an additional 3 to 4 minutes. Be sure to keep a close eye on the broiler to prevent burning.

7. To make the dipping sauce, whisk together the yogurt, honey, Dijon, and yellow mustard until smooth.

Serve meatballs with toothpicks and yogurt sauce for dipping.