Last year, I started doing a throw back Thursday series where I featured a recipe that I had made previously that either had terrible photography or just didn’t get a lot of attention {sometimes both}. I’m continuing that during 2016 and the first one of the year is my recipe for chicken Parmesan muffins.
These “muffins” have all the delicious flavors of Chicken Parmesan but with little to no work involved in actually making them. Plus, just like my meatloaf muffins, kids love the little size. Oh, and did I mention they freeze like a dream so you can make a double batch and keep some on hand for later.
Ingredients for Chicken Parmesan Muffins:
1 lb ground chicken
1 egg yolk, lightly beaten
1/3 cup panko breadcrumbs
1 tsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 small onion, very finely minced OR grated
1 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
2/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
4 oz fresh mozzarella, cut into cubes {1/2 cup shredded works too}
1/2 cup marinara sauce
Let’s Make It:
1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 12 cup muffin tin with cooking spray or use silicone liners.
2) In a small pan, heat 1 tsp oil over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and lightly sauté for 1-2 minutes. Allow to cool for 5 minutes.
3) In a large bowl, mix ground chicken, egg yolk, breadcrumbs, onion mixture, dried herbs, salt, pepper and 1/2 cup grated Parmesan together. Gently mix with hands. {You can use a spoon but, honestly, hands work the best}
4) Fill each muffin cup about 1/3 full with meat mixture. Place one cube of fresh mozzarella one top of meat mixture in each muffin cup. Then, evenly divide the remaining meat mixture on top of the mozzarella.
5) Cover the top of each “muffin” with marinara sauce and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
6) Bake in preheated oven for 25-30 minutes or until fully cooked.
These muffins are definitely a favorite in our house. My husbands favorite dish is chicken Parmesan but I rarely have time to actually make it so these are a great substitute that I can make even on weeknights.
What are some of your favorite weeknight meals? Do you make meatloaf muffins for your family to save time?
Essential Items for this Recipe:
Muffin Pan // Silicone Baking Cups // Box Grater // Small Skillet
- 1 lb ground chicken
- 1 egg yolk, lightly beaten
- 1/3 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 small onion, very finely minced OR grated
- 1 tsp dried basil
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 2/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
- 4 oz fresh mozzarella, cut into cubes
- 1/2 cup marinara sauce
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 12 cup muffin tin with cooking spray or use silicone liners.
- In a small pan, heat 1 tsp oil over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and lightly sauté for 1-2 minutes. Allow to cool for 5 minutes.
- In a large bowl, mix ground chicken, egg yolk, breadcrumbs, onion mixture, dried herbs, salt, pepper and 1/2 cup grated Parmesan together. Gently mix with hands. {You can use a spoon but, honestly, hands work the best}
- Fill each muffin cup about 1/3 full with meat mixture. Place one cube of fresh mozzarella one top of meat mixture in each muffin cup. Then, evenly divide the remaining meat mixture on top of the mozzarella.
- Cover the top of each “muffin” with marinara sauce and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
- Bake in preheated oven for 25-30 minutes or until fully cooked.
This is a great idea- my family will love it! Pinning!
Jessy @ The Life Jolie recently posted…Marinara Sauce
MMMmm, these look perfect for a weeknight dinner. I like using my muffin tin for more than just muffins, so thanks for this recipe.
I love this recipe. I’m a big fan of muffin recipes partly because I have a two year old and we’re always on the go. We have a bunch of sweet muffins we eat for breakfasts, but this might come in handy for our lunch outtings. I love that you use ground chicken and just deconstructed the chicken parm idea! Such genius. Thanks so much for sharing this, Shannah! Glad I found you on ladies collective today!
Oh man, these look awesome! I totally need to try them. My toddler would LOVE these!
Morgan @ Morgan Manages Mommyhood recently posted…How to Cure a Smelly Sink Drain
These look so yummy! Thanks for linking up with What’s Cookin’ Wednesday!
Karly recently posted…Healthy Chocolate Banana Muffins
Boy, do these look fun! One of the problems I have with thinks like chicken loaf (or salmon) is by the time a larger loaf is done in the center, the outside is dry and crusty – this solves all that! They look delish…Thanks for bringing this by Throwback Thursday!
Mollie
frugal hausfrau recently posted…Shrimp & Grits with a Cajun Gastrique
These look wonderful. And what a terrific idea to do a TBT series. I’m featuring these at our weekly link party! http://www.thelifeofjenniferdawn.com/2016/02/bite-sized-recipes-for-desserts-and.html
Jennifer Dawn recently posted…Bite-sized Desserts and Appetizers & Weekly Link Party
Would this work with processed leftover chicken?
Do you mean leftover chicken that you chop in the food processor? I have never tried that but I certainly think it would work! You wouldn’t need to cook them as long though since your chicken is already cooked.
I really want to try this recipe. Are you using the mini muffin tin or the regular sized muffin tin? The picture looks mini. I would love to serve these as an appetizer next time I have company.
Hi – I use a regular muffin tin usually. You could totally use a mini muffin tin and just reduce the cooking time though. They would make great appetizers.
How do these freeze? Has anyone tried making a large batch for the freezer?
Hi! I have frozen them before and they do great. I have frozen them in muffin tins and also frozen them in silicone cups in the muffin tin and, once frozen, transferred out of the muffin pan to ziploc bags.