Coated Chicken and Pastrami Balls with Lemon-Basil Dipping Sauce

Yields 30 chicken balls

• 1 lb (450 g) ground dark chicken
• 4 oz (110 g) pastrami, finely diced
• 3 scallions, sliced
• 1/3 cup seasoned breadcrumbs
• 2 Tbsp mayonnaise
• 2 Tbsp barbecue sauce
• 1 Tbsp dried parsley
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp salt
• avocado oil, for frying

Coating

• 1 sleeve Snackers crackers, crushed
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp water
• 1/2 tsp Chili-Lime Recipe in a Bottle or chili lime spice blend

Lemon-Basil Dipping Sauce

• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 2 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
• 1/2 Tbsp maple syrup
• 1 tsp dried basil or 1 cube frozen basil
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/8 tsp kosher salt
• 1/8 tsp coarsely ground black pepper

To prepare lemon-basil dipping sauce, combine all ingredients in a small bowl. Whisk until completely smooth. Set aside.

Combine all chicken ball ingredients in a bowl and mix well. (Do not overmix, as that will toughen the meat and yield dense balls.) Using a 1-Tbsp cookie scoop, form the mixture into balls.

To prepare the coating, place crushed crackers in a small bowl.

Whisk the egg, water, and chili-lime seasoning in another small bowl.

Dip each ball into the egg mixture, allowing the excess to drip off. Next, evenly coat each ball with the crushed crackers.

Heat a thin layer of avocado oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add chicken balls in batches to avoid overcrowding. Brown the chicken balls on all sides for 6–8 minutes, until cooked through.

Transfer to a plate with a slotted spoon. Serve with lemon-basil dipping sauce or store-bought sweet chili sauce.