Chicken Parm "Meatballs"

I found this on Pinterest and couldn't wait to try it.  These were yummy!  Now, I had some left over breading in the freezer from the Mother's Day meal, as I honestly double to triple any breading recipe as I like it coated!   And I used that left over instead of what is listed below, but it's not that completely different.  It worked really well.

Chicken Parmesan "meatballs"

Ingredients

·1 cup Ian's Gluten Free panko

·1/2 cup Parmesan cheese (or more)

·1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

·1  egg

·1 pound ground chicken breast (or dark meat)

·1/2 cup diced white onion  (I used dried onion flakes)

·2 cloves garlic, minced

·1 tablespoon dried oregano

·6 fresh basil leaves, torn (my grocery store was out, I used dried)

·1 pinch salt and pepper

·16 small mozzarella cubes, cut from a block

·2 cups  marinara sauce of your choice

Directions

1.    Preheat oven to 400 F.

2.    In a small ziploc bak, combine the panko, half of the Parmesan cheese, and the olive oil.  Set aside.

3.    In a large bowl, lightly beat the egg. Then add the chicken, onion, garlic, oregano, the remaining Parmesan, basil, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Mix well with your hands.

4.    Lightly coat a  muffin tin with cooking spray. Place a couple of tablespoons of the chicken mixture in each well. Nestle a cube of mozzarella in the center of the mixture. Pat the chicken over the cheese to completely cover it.

5.    Sprinkle the panko/Parmesan mixture on top of each chicken mound, lightly pressing it into the meat.

6.    Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the panko is golden brown and the chicken is cooked through. If needed, you may broil the panko to further brown it.

7.    Let rest 5 minutes. Then using a knife, lightly loosen each cupcake from the muffin tin.

8.    In the meantime, warm the marinara sauce in a small saucepan.

9.    Serve meatballs with warmed marinara