Hungarian Apricot Chicken Recipe

Hungarian Apricot Chicken
With Gorgonzola and Mozzarella

One night when I was in Budapest three years ago, we went to Fanyüvő for dinner. It was within walking distance of our hotel and seemed like the type of neighborhood restaurant locals would visit for delicious home style meals. It was marvelous. So many items on their menu appealed to me and over a glass of dry Tokaji, I decided on apricot chicken with gorgonzola and mozzarella cheese.

What a delicious dish it was! The chicken was succulent and the sharpness of the gorgonzola contrasted perfectly with the sweetness of the apricots. Unfortunately, I did not think to ask for their recipe and emailing them two years later yielded no results. The good news is that after a little experimenting, I came up with a recipe that is very close to what they served. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

If apricots are in season where you live, use fresh apricots. If they are out of season, canned apricots work just as well.

I don’t recall Fanyüvő serving this entree with any sides, but it goes well with wide noodles or rice. I served it here with black Thai rice cooked in chicken broth.

Hungarian Apricot Chicken With Gorgonzola and Mozzarella

• 6 boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 4 lbs)
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp white pepper
• 3/4 tsp paprika
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 cup gorgonzola cheese, crumbled
• 1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
• 2 15 oz cans apricot halves (or if in season, use 12 fresh apricots)
• 2 TBS chopped fresh parsley

Yield: serves 6 as a main course.

This Assembled Apricot Chicken
With Gorgonzola and Mozzarella
Is Ready To Bake

Preheat the oven to 350°.

Lightly grease a large baking pan or casserole with olive oil or cooking spray.

Butterfly the chicken breasts and trim any fat from them. Mix the salt, pepper, and paprika together and dust both sides of the chicken with it. Heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium high heat. Place the chicken in the oil and brown each side; about three minutes per side. Remove the chicken from the pan and arrange it in the large baking pan.

Sprinkle the mozzarella cheese over each piece of chicken. Top the mozzarella cheese with gorgonzola. Place four or five apricot halves on top of each chicken breast. Dust lightly with paprika and the parsley. Place this chicken in your preheated oven and bake for 15 to 18 minutes until the cheese is melted and the chicken is fully cooked.

Serve this Hungarian apricot chicken with gorgonzola and mozzarella entrée with rice or buttered noodles.

I am sharing this apricot chicken with gorgonzola and mozzarella recipe with Menu Plan Monday, Mangia Mondays, More the Merrier Monday, Bedazzle Me Monday, Motivate Me Monday, Life Made Lovely Monday, Tuesdays at the Table, Show Me What Ya Got, Passionately Artistic, Slightly Indulgent Tuesday, Totally Tasty Tuesdays, Tuesday’s Tasty Tidbits, Made From Scratch Tuesday, Tutorial Tuesday, Tasty Tuesday, Real Food Wednesdays, Whatever Goes Wednesday, What’s Cooking Wednesday, Wow Us Wednesdays, These Chicks Cooked, Midweek Fiesta, Show and Tell, Full Plate Thursday, It’s a Keeper Thursday, Creative Juice, Strut Your Stuff, Delightfully Inspiring Thursday, Catch A Glimpse Thursday, Simple Lives Thursday, Tastetastic Thursday, Frugal Food Thursday, Foodie Friday, Creation Corner, Frugal Friday, Feature Yourself Friday, Anything Goes, Freestyle Friday, Shine On Fridays, Feature Friday Free For All, Simply Delish Saturday, Not Baaad Sundays, and Savory Sunday.

Sesame Chicken Meatballs Recipe

Sesame Chicken Meatballs Are
Simply Fabulous Party Food

These sesame chicken meatballs are simply fabulous party food. Spiked with curry and mustard, they are full-flavored yet mild enough for finicky eaters. Toasted sesame seeds add the finishing touch and give these chicken meatballs balanced texture.

Believe it or not, six dozen of these party pleasers disappear quickly so we do not recommend cutting this recipe in half. In fact, you will need about six dozen sesame chicken meatballs to fill a tray like the one pictured here.

This recipe is very easy. However, these meatballs may take longer to prepare than you expect. Most of the time is in shaping and rolling the meatballs (true with any meatball recipe).

The colder your ingredients, the easier it is to shape these chicken meatballs. Consider poaching the chicken and toasting the sesame seeds the night before you make the meatballs. This will allow plenty of time for these ingredients to cool in the refrigerator.

Cost-saving tip: look for sesame seeds in the bulk foods aisle where grains and dried fruit are sold by the pound. In bulk foods, sesame seeds are a mere fraction of the cost of those tiny containers in the spice aisle.

Mixing Ingredients For Sesame
Chicken Meatballs Recipe

Sesame Chicken Meatballs

• 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 1.85 lbs)
• 1 small onion plus 3 TBS chopped onion
• 1 celery rib
• 1 carrot
• pinch of rosemary
• pinch of thyme
• 3 TBS dried parsley plus one pinch
• 2 tsp curry powder
• 2 tsp mustard powder
• 1 tsp paprika
• 3/4 cup mayonnaise, whole or light
• salt to taste
• 2/3 cup sesame seeds

Yield: about 6 dozen sesame chicken meatballs

Rolling Chicken Meatballs In Sesame Seeds

Place the chicken in a small stockpot and cover it with water. Cut the onion in half and place it in the pot with the chicken. Cut the celery and carrot into thirds and add these pieces to the pot. Add a pinch of rosemary, thyme, and parsley. Heat over high heat until the water boils. Then, reduce the heat to low and simmer 15 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat source.

If you are making meatballs the same day, then place the chicken breasts on a cutting board and allow them to cool undisturbed. If you are making meatballs the next day, then place the chicken and some of its broth in a food storage container and refrigerate overnight. Discard the vegetables and broth or use it for another recipe.

Preheat the oven to 325°. Spread the sesame seeds evenly on a cookie sheet and toast them 12 — 15 minutes until golden brown. Place the toasted sesame seeds in a small bowl and refrigerate them until you roll your meatballs.

Slice the cooled chicken into chunks and place it in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a large chopping blade. Process the chicken until it is finely chopped and looks similar to ground chicken. You should have four cups of chopped chicken. Place this chopped chicken into a mixing bowl. Add 3 TBS of chopped onion to the food processor and process to a smooth purée. Add this onion purée to the chicken. Add the 3 TBS of parsley, curry powder, mustard powder, paprika, and mayonnaise to the mixture. With your hands, mix until all ingredients are distributed evenly throughout the mixture. Add salt to your preference and mix again.

Using your hands, form the mixture into small meatballs (slightly smaller than a hardboiled egg yolk). Make five or six meatballs at a time. Carefully place each chicken meatball in the bowl of sesame seeds. Roll the meatballs in the sesame seeds until they are completely covered with seeds. Repeat this process until all of the chicken mixture is formed into meatballs.

Refrigerate these sesame chicken meatballs until serving. This is one party food you will make for years to come. Enjoy!

I am sharing this sesame chicken meatballs recipe with Menu Plan Monday, Mangia Mondays, More the Merrier Monday, Bedazzle Me Monday, Motivate Me Monday, Life Made Lovely Monday, Tuesdays at the Table, Show Me What Ya Got, Passionately Artistic, Slightly Indulgent Tuesday, Totally Tasty Tuesdays, Tuesday’s Tasty Tidbits, Made From Scratch Tuesday, Tutorial Tuesday, Tasty Tuesday, Real Food Wednesdays, Whatever Goes Wednesday, What’s Cooking Wednesday, Wow Us Wednesdays, These Chicks Cooked, Midweek Fiesta, Show and Tell, Full Plate Thursday, It’s a Keeper Thursday, Creative Juice, Strut Your Stuff, Delightfully Inspiring Thursday, Catch A Glimpse Thursday, Simple Lives Thursday, Tastetastic Thursday, Frugal Food Thursday, Foodie Friday, Creation Corner, Frugal Friday, Feature Yourself Friday, Anything Goes, Freestyle Friday, Shine On Fridays, Feature Friday Free For All, Simply Delish Saturday, Not Baaad Sundays, and Savory Sunday.