Ingredients:

• Gluten-free pasta (Tagliatelle works well)

Meatballs:

• 1 lb. chicken thighs, bone-in, or ¾ lb. ground chicken meat
• ¼ to ½ cup milk
• 2 slices gluten-free white bread
• Pinch salt & pepper
• 1/3 cup gluten-free flavored bread crumbs
• 3 Tbsp. grated Italian cheese; (Parmegiano, Regiano or Romano)
• Several flat leaf parsley leaves, minced very small pieces
• 1 egg, beaten separately
• 1 large or 2 small carrots, shredded and separated into 2 half portions (one half in the meatballs, the other half in wine sauce as they cook)
• 2 Tbsp. salted butter
• ¼ cup white wine (Use a wine you’d drink to achieve best flavor, not supermarket brand cooking wine.)

Sauce:

• 4 Tbsp. sweet butter
• ¼ cup all-purpose gluten-free flour
• ½ cup Milk
• 2 Tbsp. cream cheese
• 1 sage leaf (remove when sauce is done)
• Salt & pepper, pinch of each
• ½ tsp. ground nutmeg (Taste sauce when done and add pinch more nutmeg if you desire)

Directions for Meatballs:

1. Place the bread slices in a small bowl and soak in the milk. After about 2 minutes, squeeze out most of the milk (it’s ok if the bread is still very wet). Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, place the ground chicken. If you are de-boning your own thighs, just cut off skin and remove meat from bones. In a mini-food processor, place the chicken meat and pulse until it’s ground.
3. To the ground chicken, add the bread crumbs, cheese, salt & pepper, and the milk-soaked slices that you crumble up into very small pieces. (Try to use mostly the white space in the bread and not the crusts.)
4. Add the egg and parsley and the first half of the shredded carrot. Combine with clean hands and shape into mini balls, about 1 ½” in diameter. Don’t over-mix. The more you handle, the tougher it will turn out.
5. In a skillet, melt the 2 Tbsp. salted butter and then sauté the meatballs, turning once after each side has become golden tinged. Should be about 3 – 4 minutes.
6. Add the wine and cover. Simmer on low for about 10 minutes and then remove from heat. Set aside, but don’t remove from skillet.

Sauce Directions:

1. In a small saucepan, make a roux. That’s placing the butter over low heat till melted. Then, add the glutenfree flour a little at a time, whisking after each addition.
2. Stir into a paste until there are no lumps. Add the milk and cheese and continue to whisk until cream cheese is melted into the sauce. Add the salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Stir. Add the Sage leaf.
3. Simmer for only about 5 minutes, but stay there, gently stirring to avoid sticking to pan. If this seems a little too thick, you may add a few spoons of chicken broth. Combine again with gentle whisking. At end, remove the sage leaf & discard.
4. In larger pot, boil your salted water and cook gluten-free Tagliatelle noodles (or other gluten-free noodle of choice). Cook until al dente.
5. Drain. Add sauce and then meatballs on top. Add some grated Italian cheese on top to serve.