Chicken Meatballs with Lemon Rice is a Mediterranean skillet dinner, both hearty and light. Tender ground chicken meatballs simmered in lemon broth are served over sticky basmati rice for a sumptuous bright dish.
If you love these Chicken Meatballs With Lemon Rice, you will also love this Greek Chicken Orzo-Giouvetsi Kotopoulo, Chicken Skewers Orzo Bowls with Lemon or Buttermilk Chicken Thighs With Lemon Garlic Orzo!
Why this recipe sings
Our chicken meatballs and lemon rice is a delicious, simple dinner. The dish is ready in 45 minutes, delivering maximum flavor. The tender meatballs are seared in olive oil and cooked in a tasty lemon sauce. Then, they are served over basmati rice with generous amounts of sauce.
I have a secret to tell you. Lemon rice is a popular dish in the USA. However, in Greece, we don’t typically make “lemon rice.” Let me explain. Greeks cook plain rice (πιλάφι, pilafi) served as a side. The rice becomes lemony by adding the sauce of the main dish on top. There are recipes for lemon risotto, including parmesan and other ingredients, but I would call them more Italian than Greek.
The lemon broth is ladled over the rice and chicken meatballs. The result is scrumptious, comforting, and satisfying. Eat like a (modern) Greek. Enjoy!
Here is what you need
For the chicken meatballs
- Ground chicken.
- Canned chopped tomatoes, well-drained.
- Lemon zest.
- Onion and garlic.
- Dried thyme
- Ground mustard.
- Breadcrumbs.
- Fresh mint leaves.
For the lemon sauce
- Rosemary leaves.
- Garlic.
- Ground mustard
- Lemon juice.
- Broth.
For the rice
- Basmati rice. Or your favorite kind.
- Butter.
You also need
- Sea salt, and freshly ground pepper.
- Extra virgin olive oil.
- Chili flakes. For serving.
Detailed measurements and instructions can be found on the recipe card at the bottom of the page.
How to make this recipe
Prepare the meatball mixture
- Add the onion and mint to a food processor and pulse until all is chopped well but not mushy.
- Add meat, onions, and the rest of the ingredients to a large bowl. Knead the meatball mixture well, but don’t overdo it. You want it to be fluffy and moist. Add more breadcrumbs if needed (be mindful of the amount).
- Cover and leave in the fridge for 15 minutes to firm.
- Form the mixture into meatballs like a large walnut and spread them on a sheet. Pop the sheet in the fridge for 15 minutes to firm up the meatballs.
- Place a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil. Sear the meatballs for 3 minutes pers ide. Don’t disturb them once you place them on the pan. It is better to wait till they form a crust and brown and then turn them over. Chicken meatballs are fragile and might break. Work in batches of three or four meatballs tops.
- Transfer meatballs to a plate when they are done browning.
Make the lemon sauce and finish cooking the meatballs
- In the same skillet, add the chopped garlic and rosemary leaves. Stir and saute while scrapping the chicken bits from the bottom of the pan. Their culinary definition is fond, which brings so much flavor to the sauce.
- Add the broth, lemon juice and ground mustard. Stir and bring to a boil, then lower the heat to medium.
- Add the meatballs back into the pan. Cover and cook for 5 minutes or until meatballs are fully cooked.
Make the rice
- Feel free to cook the rice the way you love. I still cook it like my mother used to. She loved toasting it with butter before adding water or broth.
Here is my mom’s rice:
- Rinse the rice with water to remove extra starch.
- In a pot, add the butter over medium-high heat. When it melts, add the rice and toast until translucent, about one minute. Add the broth, stir, and cover the pot. Turn off the heat, but leave the pot on the stove as it is.
- Let the rice cook in the hot broth for 15 minutes.
- When time is up, fluff the rice with a fork and serve.
Serve meatballs over the rice, with a generous amount of lemon sauce all over. Add chili flakes if you like.
What to serve with chicken meatballs
Great side dishes for this recipe are a traditional Greek lettuce salad- maroulosalata, horta -wild greens with lemon and olive oil, or delicious cauliflower steaks. Add a rustic bread for wild dipping in the lemon sauce!
Cooked this? Rate this recipe! You can also leave a comment below. I love hearing from you!
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Chicken Meatballs With Lemon Rice
Ingredients
For the chicken meatballs
- 1.5 lb ground chicken preferably from thigh
- ½ cup canned chopped tomatoes well drained
- 2 tablespoons lemon zest from one lemon
- 2 tablespoons dried thyme
- 1 cup breadcrumbs
- 1 tablespoon ground mustard
- 1 onion
- 3 garlic cloves
- 5-6 spearmint leaves
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
For the lemon sauce
- ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 3 garlic cloves chopped
- 2 tablespoons rosemary leaves chopped
- 1 teaspoon ground mustard
- 1 lemon juiced
- 4 cups broth chicken or vegetable
You also need
- 2 cups basmati rice or the rice of your preference
- 1 tablespoon butter
Instructions
Prepare the meatball mixture
- Add the onion, garlic and mint to a food processor and pulse until all is chopped well but not mushy. Tranfer to a large bowl.
- Place ground chicken, and the rest of the ingredients to the bowl. Season with one teaspoon sea salt and half a teaspoon freshly ground pepper.Knead the meatball mixture well, but don't overdo it. You want it to be fluffy and moist. Having said that, add more breadcrumbs if it feels too loose.Cover and leave in the fridge for 15 minutes to firm.
- Form the mixture into meatballs like a large walnut and spread them on a sheet. Pop the sheet in the fridge for 15 minutes to firm up the meatballs.
- Place a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil. Sear the meatballs for 3 minutes per side. Don't disturb them once you place them on the pan. It is better to wait till they have a crust and are browned. Then, turn them over with a slotted spatula. Chicken meatballs are fragile and might break. Work in batches of three or four meatballs tops. Transfer them to a plate when they are done.
Prepare the lemon sauce
- In the same pan, add the chopped garlic and rosemary leaves. Stir and saute while scrapping the chicken bits from the bottom of the pan. They are called fond and bring so much flavor to the sauce. Add the broth, lemon juice and ground mustard. Stir and bring to a boil, then lower the heat to medium.
Finish cooking the chicken meatballs
- Add the meatballs back into the skillet. Cover and cook for 5 minutes or until meatballs are fully cooked.
Make the rice
- Make basmati rice as suggested or your favorite kind. Feel free to cook the rice the way you love. I still cook it like my mother used to. She loved toasting it with butter before adding water or broth. See the recipe notes for my mom's rice method.
Serving suggestion
- Add a cup of cooked rice and three to four meatballs in a bowl. Pour two to three (or more!) tablespoons of the sauce all over. Enjoy!
Notes
- Rinse the rice with water to remove extra starch.
- In a pot, add the butter over medium-high heat. When it melts, add the rice and toast until translucent, about one minute. Add the broth, stir, and cover the pot. Turn off the heat, but leave the pot on the stove as it is.
- Let the rice cook in the hot broth for 15 minutes.
- When time is up, fluff up the rice with a fork and serve.
Nutrition
Loving the change of pace from beef meatballs. What a great and easy dinner for any night of the week. It is always a hit with our family.
This is such a great meatball recipe! We love just about anything Greek in my house, and that sauce is amazing. 🙂
The lemon rice is my absolute favorite and it pairs so perfectly with the meatballs. Thanks for the delicious recipe. I’ll be making this for dinner soon again.
These Chicken meatballs with lemon rice was amazing . The meatballs were full of flavor while the lemon rice really pulled all the flavors together . My husband has already asked when I am making this again .
This was so delicious! Especially that lemon sauce. And it is super filling.
I could not wait to give this recipe a try, especially being a complete meal in one and it came out perfect! The meatballs were juicy and tender and the lemon rice and sauce was an amazing pairing.
What a fantastic, full of flavor dinner!!! Everyone raved about it. And the lemon rice was perfect with the meatballs. Thank you!!
This Chicken meatballs were so tasty! It was a great comforting dish to pair with lemon rice. Thanks for the recipe.
This was a perfect weeknight dinner for us. Love the chicken meatballs and the citrus sauce just completes the flavor.
Haven’t tried this yet because I’m confused as to how much broth to add to the sauce. It says, “You also need four cups of broth” – which I assume is for cooking the 2 cups of rice. But the instructions say to add broth to the pan in which you make the lemon sauce, and I don’t believe that quantity is indicated (apologies if I’ve just missed it). Thanks
Hi Carol!
The way Greeks have lemon rice is usually by pouring the sauce from the lemony dish on the rice and voila! lemon rice. We don’t intentionally make lemon rice by itself, it is most often a side dish to something saucy. So the same goes for this dish. The meatballs finish cooking in the sauce. You make your favorite rice (mine is basmati) separately and when you serve you pour plenty of the lemon sauce on the rice as well as the meatballs. My apologies for not making it clear, I will examine the post and add more info about this.
Thanks so much for checking us out!
I hope you will love this recipe. Come back and let me know!
x Jenny
It is unclear how much broth to add to the mixture with the rosemary, garlic and broth. Can you please clarify how much broth to use in the sauce?
Hi Andrea,
The broth goes in to the same pan you brown the meatballs. You transfer them to a plate, and start the sauce. Then you put them back in. I will make it more clear in the recipe. Thank you! x Jenny
I made this for dinner and my husband and I like it. My husband helped me make this and said it was super easy and delicious. We are going to make this again!
That’s awesome Amy! We also love this dish, it’s easy and delish! x Jenny