Chicken Meatballs With Lemon Rice

Chicken meatballs on lemon rice in a plate with a lemon wedge and utensils.

Chicken Meatballs With Lemon Rice

Chicken Meatballs With Lemon Rice is both a hearty and light dish. Tender chicken meatballs in a lemon sauce are served over rice for a sumptuous bright dish.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Greek

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 30

Mixture rest time 30

Servings

Calories 660kcal

Author by Jenny Skrapaliori Graves

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

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 up the rice with a fork and serve.

Nutritional Info – Please remember that the nutritional information provided is only estimated and can vary based on the products used.

Nutrition