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A pot of chicken puttanesca meatballs on a table.

Braised Chicken Puttanesca Meatballs with Pasta

Author: Kate
Perfect, succulent chicken Puttanesca meatballs filled with everything Puttanesca—salty anchovies, olives, capers, and garlic—all in tender ground chicken meatballs that are braised in a simple tomato sauce and served over pasta. This is a hearty meal you'll never say no to.
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Prep Time: 40 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
Servings: 4 servings

Equipment

Ingredients

For the meatballs:

For the sauce:

For the pasta:

Instructions

For the meatballs:

  • Place bread cubes in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the blade attachment. Process until the bread is in crumbs. Pour the breadcrumbs into a large mixing bowl and toss with the beaten egg until evenly moistened.
  • Wipe out the food processor bowl then add the garlic, anchovy fillets, olives, capers, salt, red pepper flakes, and the leaves from the sprig of oregano. Pulse until the mixture is finely chopped but not a paste. Add to the bowl with the bread mixture.
  • Add the ground chicken and gently mix with your hands until everything is well incorporated.
  • Roll one small tester meatball. Heat the 2 tablespoons of oil in a large (3-4 quart) shallow braising pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Cook tester meatball until it is browned on all sides and cooked through. Taste the meatball. Is it perfect? The meatballs will taste salty but when combined with the sauce and the pasta will be just right. If you'd like them spicier, add more red pepper flakes.
  • Gather mixture into round balls, about 3 inches in diameter, and place on a baking sheet. I like to make 8 large meatballs (2 per person). Make smaller or larger meatballs if you prefer.
  • Return the pot that you cooked the tester meatball in to medium heat and add meatballs in batches if necessary, being careful not to crowd. Cook meatballs turning frequently until browned on all sides. You don't need to cook them all the way through at this point they will finish cooking in the sauce, just make sure they are nice and browned. Remove the meatballs to a clean bowl as they finish cooking and continue with the next batch until all meatballs are browned. Set aside while you make the sauce.

For the sauce:

  • Add the 3 cloves chopped garlic and the teaspoon salt to the pot you just cooked the meatballs in. Cook, over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until fragrant, don't brown.
  • Add the can of tomatoes. Fill the can halfway with water, swirl to get all the tomato bits and pour into the pot. Stir to combine. Bring to a simmer then add the meatballs and all the juices that have collected at the bottom of the bowl.
  • Reduce heat to low and cook, uncovered, until sauce thickens slightly and meatballs are cooked through and tender, about 30 minutes. Stir in the kale and cook, just until wilted. Taste and adjust seasoning to your liking.

For serving:

  • While the sauce is simmering, bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil. Cook pasta according to package instructions and drain. Return to pot. Pour meatballs, kale and sauce over pasta. Add the parsley and grated parmesan, if using. Gently toss to combine.

Notes

  1. Food processor: If you don't have a food processor, you can cut the bread and other ingredients with a knife into very small pieces. 
  2. Salt level: The meatballs will seem salty. The anchovies, capers, and olives all are salty but when mixed with the sauce and the pasta they will be just perfect. 
  3. Meatball size: I like to make 8 large meatballs (2 per person) but make them smaller or larger as you'd like. You can use a cookie scoop to make the smaller ones all the same size. 
  4. Make-ahead: The meatballs will keep well in the sauce, covered in the fridge for up to 5 days. Keep the meatballs and sauce separate from the pasta to prevent the pasta getting soggy. 

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