Chicken & Mozzarella Meatball Sliders

For the meatballs
2 pounds ground chicken (or turkey)
1/2 cup whole or 2% milk
1 large egg
1/2 cup plain bread crumbs
1/4 cup finely chopped parsley
5-6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 large shallots, finely chopped
1 heaping tablespoon kosher salt
2 teaspoons ground mustard
1 teaspoon dried oregano
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
6 sticks Mozzarella string cheese, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

For the sliders
Small dinner rolls, split, buttered, and toasted (or griddled)
Arugula or basil leaves
Warmed tomato sauce
Grated Parmesan cheese
Toothpicks, optional

Place the chicken in a large mixing bowl and allow to sit at room temperature for thirty minutes to an hour. (I do this to keep my hands from freezing when I mix the ingredients.) Preheat oven to 450 °F.

Whisk together the milk and egg. Stir the bread crumbs into the milk mixture and allow to soak for a minute or so until it resembles a thick porridge. Add the bread crumb mixture to the chicken, along with the parsley, garlic, shallots, salt, mustard, and oregano. Season generously with freshly ground black pepper. Toss gently with your hands to mix ingredients until just combined. It will be a little wet. Cover and refrigerate, if desired.

Fill a spring-form ice cream scoop halfway with meat mixture. Place a mozzarella cube into the meat, then top with another half of meat mixture. Release the ball and gently pat into a cohesive ball. Arrange on a parchment-lined baking sheet and continue with remaining meatballs. It's okay if the meatballs are touching.

Bake the meatballs until they reach an internal temperature of 160°F, about 15-20 minutes. Switch oven to broil and cook for another 2-3 minutes, until golden-brown. Remove from the oven and allow to rest for a few minutes.

To assemble the sliders, place a layer of arugula on the bottom half of roll. Top with a warm meatball, a drizzle of tomato sauce, and a generous sprinkling of Parmesan and black pepper. Cover with top half of roll and secure with a toothpick if desired. Serve immediately.

Transfer leftover (cooked) meatballs to a baking sheet and place in freezer. Once frozen, the meatballs can be portioned into freezer bags and frozen until needed. Reheat meatballs in a 350°F oven until warmed through.

Recipe Notes

• To check the seasoning, cook one meatball by itself. Taste and season the remaining chicken mixture as desired.
• You can half the recipe, but I like having lots of meatballs in the freezer