Baked Chicken “Bomba”

Bomba Mix

• 3 lbs organic air chilled ground chicken – preferably dark meat
• 1/4 cup each of small dice onions, peppers and green onion tops
• 1 tablespoon each of oregano, parsley and mint – all snipped separately – do not cut too fine
• 1 egg
• 1 cup fresh bread crumbs
• 1/2 grated parmesan or dry jack cheese
• 2 teaspoon salt or more to taste
• 2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Cheese Filling

• 1 lb whole cow’s milk ricotta cheese
• 1/4 cup grated dry jack cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne

To Bake

• 3 cups of crushed whole tomatoes – fresh, if in season, otherwise canned
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 2 sprigs of thyme
• 2 sprigs of oregano

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees
• Mix cheese filling together and chill.
• Place all bomba ingredients in a large bowl and mix well.
• Dip clean hands in ice water and form 8 equal sized meatballs (bombas). The mixture will be soft, just do your best to get the shape right. The colder this mixture is, the easier it is to shape.
• Form a hole in the center of each bomba with your thumb. The hole should be almost to bottom of bomba. Using a pastry bag or a spoon, fill the hole with the cheese mixture.
• Place bombas in a shallow casserole dish. Add tomatoes, stock and herbs. Bake, uncovered, for 45 minutes or until meatballs are cooked through.
• Serve over basil mashed potatoes and enjoy.

Thanks to Chef Tony Najiola from the fantastic Central Market in Sonoma County (Petaluma), CA for the recipe pairing.