Lebanese Chicken Meatballs served over a bed of salad with a tangy dressing... these are in fact the definition of a perfect meatball!
Ingredients
For the Meatballs:
- 1 medium zucchini
- 1 pound ground chicken white or dark meat
- ⅓ cup sliced scallions
- ⅓ cup chopped mint
- 3 tablespoons chopped cilantro
- 3 cloves garlic finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons tahini
- ½-1 cup panko bread crumbs as needed
For the Salad:
- 3-4 heads baby romaine lettuce
- 4 green onions thinly sliced
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes halved
- 4 Persian cucumbers sliced
- ¼ cup fresh mint leaves
- ¼ cup fresh parsley
For the Sumac Dressing:
- 4 teaspoons ground sumac soaked in 4 teaspoons warm water for 15 minutes
- 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons pomegranate molasses
- 2 small garlic cloves minced
- 2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
- ¾ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- Kosher salt to taste
Instructions
For the Meatballs:
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Grate zucchini, combine with ½ teaspoon salt and let sit for 5 minutes. Squeeze out as much liquid as possible. Mix together zucchini and remaining ingredients in a large bowl. If the mixture feels too wet, add a ½ cup of panko bread crumbs. Divide the mixture into balls a little bigger than a golf ball. Heat a large saute pan over medium high heat, add a few tablespoons of olive oil and then cook the balls until cooked through on all sides.
For the Salad:
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In a large bowl toss together the lettuce, green onions, tomatoes, cucumber, mint, and parsley.
For the Dressing:
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In another smaller bowl, water with soaked sumac, lemon juice, pomegranate molasses, garlic, red wine vinegar and olive oil. Whisk to combine and season with salt as needed.