Chicken Koftas

Ingredients

• 1 cup Onion (coarsely chopped; sweet)
• 1 cup Cilantro (packed fresh leaves and tender stems)
• ½ cup Mint (packed fresh leaves)
• 4 Garlic (peeled and smashed)
• 2 tbsp Ginger (coarsely chopped fresh)
• 1 Jalapeño (chile, stemmed and coarsely chopped)
• 1 lb Ground Chicken (8% fat; lean)
• ¼ cup Bread Crumbs (dry; or cornmeal)
• 2 tbsp Olive Oil
• 1 Chicken Egg (large)
• 2 tsp Garlic Powder
• 1¼ tsp Kosher Salt
• 1 tsp Cumin (ground)
• 1 tsp Coriander (ground)
• 1 tsp Black Pepper (ground)
• 1 Cooking Spray

Instructions

1. 1

   Gather all ingredients.

2. 2

   Add onion, cilantro, mint, garlic, ginger, and jalapeño to a food processor; pulse until very finely chopped, about 10 (1-second) pulses. Transfer mixture to a kitchen towel, and squeeze out as much liquid as possible.

3. 3

   Add squeezed onion mixture, ground chicken, breadcrumbs, oil, egg, garlic powder, salt, cumin, coriander, and black pepper to a large bowl; mix gently until thoroughly incorporated.

4. 4

   With moistened gloved hands, shape chicken mixture into 12 (3x1-1/2-inch) cylinders and place on a baking sheet. (If grilling, shape mixture onto skewers).

5. 5

   To Broil: Preheat the oven’s broiler and set a rack about 7 inches from the heat source. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil, and coat with cooking spray. Arrange koftas in a single layer about 2 inches apart, and spray with cooking spray. Broil, flipping koftas halfway through cook time, until browned and a thermometer inserted into center reads 165 degrees F (74 degrees C), about 8 minutes.

6. 6

   To Grill: Preheat grill to medium, 350 to 400 degrees F (175 to 200 degrees C). Place skewers on oiled grates; grill, covered, flipping every 2 minutes, until charred and a thermometer inserted into center reads 165 degrees F (74 degrees C), about 8 minutes. Alternative Method: Heat a large oiled grill pan over medium-high, about 2 minutes. Add koftas to pan; grill, uncovered, flipping every 2 minutes, until charred and a thermometer inserted into center reads 165 degrees F (74 degrees C), about 10 minutes.

7. 7

   To Air-fry: Preheat an air fryer to 380 degrees F (193 degrees C) for 2 minutes. Spray koftas with cooking spray. Working in batches if needed, add koftas to air fryer basket in a single layer, and cook, flipping after 4 minutes, until browned and a thermometer inserted into center reads 165 degrees F (74 degrees C), about 8 minutes.