Chicken and cured ham meatballs in a gentle onion sauce

Cured ham can give meatballs character without hiding it beneath a strong sauce. Here it is finely chopped and mixed with chicken, with a light onion sauce alongside. This proposal serves four: set out the ingredients first and let the ham contribute its salt before deciding whether more is needed.

Ingredients and timing for 4 servings

4 servings · Preparation: 30 min · Cooking: about 25 min · Approximate total: 55 min.

Approximate timings for this editorial recipe proposal, which has not been kitchen-tested. Adjust cooking to your ingredients and equipment.

• 500 g minced chicken
• 80 g cured Spanish ham, finely chopped
• 1 egg
• 40 g breadcrumbs and 60 ml milk
• 1 onion, about 150 g, and 1 garlic clove
• 350 ml low-salt chicken stock
• 20 g flour for a light coating
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Parsley and pepper; salt only if needed at the end

Step-by-step method

1. Soak the breadcrumbs in milk. Chop the ham, onion and garlic separately. Keep boards and utensils for raw chicken separate and wash your hands after handling it.
2. Gently combine chicken, ham, egg, soaked crumbs, parsley and pepper. Do not taste the raw mixture. Shape about 20 similar meatballs and dust lightly with flour.
3. Heat the oil and brown the meatballs in batches; they will not yet be cooked inside. Transfer to a plate reserved for this stage, not the serving plate.
4. Soften the onion over low heat in the same pan. Add garlic, stir and pour in the stock. Loosen the browned bits without burning them.
5. Return the meatballs and simmer gently, turning carefully. Begin checking at around 15 minutes: the centre of several pieces, including the largest, must reach 74 °C. Time alone does not confirm safe cooking.
6. Add a little water if the sauce becomes too thick. Taste the cooked sauce, add salt only if needed and serve with rice or vegetables.

Adapt the recipe to your kitchen

Meatballs breaking when turned? The mixture may be too wet or not yet browned. Handle gently and avoid adding endless breadcrumbs, which make them firm.

Sauce too salty? Choose stock without added salt and do not salt the mixture initially. Heavy reduction also concentrates the ham's salt.

For leftovers, cool without leaving at room temperature for more than 2 hours, refrigerate in shallow containers and reheat to 74 °C at the centre. Never serve on the raw chicken plate.

Above 32 °C ambient temperature, refrigerate perishable food within 1 hour rather than waiting 2 hours.

Cooking temperatures: FoodSafety.gov · Hygiene and cooling: FoodSafety.gov.

The selection follows the Jamones Paco Heredia catalogue. Editorial photographs illustrate formats; check the collection for current products and their details.

Choose your ham and plan your purchase

You need 80 g of ham for the four suggested portions. Compare 80 g sliced ham packs and check that the listing is for ham if following these ingredients. The carousel may also include shoulder.

Cebo Iberian ham and 100% Iberian bellota ham are different categories; the recipe does not require the most expensive one. Check the specific product's ingredients and storage instructions. For other formats, explore ham to buy.