Chicken Meatballs and Mushroom Gravy-The Nate Show

Chicken Meatballs
Makes about 2 dozen 1 ½ inch meatballs

Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 pounds ground chicken, preferably thigh meat
2 large eggs
½ cup bread crumbs
½ cup chopped fresh parsley
¼ cup dry white wine
1 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon ground fennel
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions
Preheat the oven to 450°F. Drizzle the olive oil into a 9×13-inch baking dish and use your hand to evenly coat the entire surface. Set aside.
Combine the ground chicken, eggs, bread crumbs, parsley, white wine, salt, fennel, and pepper in a large mixing bowl and mix by hand until thoroughly incorporated.
Roll the mixture into round, golf ball-size meatballs (about 1 ½ inches), making sure to pack the meat firmly. Place the balls in the prepared baking dish, being careful to line them up snugly and in even rows vertically and horizontally to form a grid. The meatballs should be touching one another.
Roast for 20 minutes, or until the meatballs are firm and cooked through. A meat thermometer inserted into the center of a meatball should read 165°F.
Allow the meatballs to cool for 5 minutes in the baking dish before serving.

Mushroom Gravy
Makes 4 cups

Ingredients
¼ cup olive oil
1 large onion, halved and cut into 1/8-inch slices
1 ½ tablespoons salt
1 tablespoon fresh thyme
1 pound button mushrooms, wiped clean and cut into ¼ -inch slices
2/3 cup dry white wine
4 cups chicken stock
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
¼ cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley
Freshly ground black pepper

Directions
Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onions, salt, and thyme and cook, stirring constantly, until the onions have become soft and translucent, about 10 minutes.
Add the mushrooms and cook until almost all of their liquid has evaporated, about 10 minutes. Add the white wine and continue cooking until the pan is almost dry, about 5 minutes. Add the chicken stock and continue cooking until the stock is reduced by half, about 30 minutes.
In the meantime, combine the butter and flour in a small bowl and mix together with the back of a wooden spoon until a smooth paste forms. Add the paste to the simmering gravy and whisk continuously until the paste has completely dissolved and the gravy has thickened. Stir in the parsley and add pepper to taste.