Lemon Herb Chicken Meatballs
Lemon and herbs are a natural complement to the taste of juicy chicken. We add a luscious sauce that you can serve with your favorite rice dish, but you can easily substitute your favourite pasta sauce for a lighter version of a classic dish.
Ingredients
Meatballs
- 1 pound lean ground chicken
- 2 shallots finely chopped
- 1 lemon zest & juice
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 3 sprigs fresh rosemary chopped
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 egg lightly beaten
- 1/4 cup breadcrumbs
- 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese grated
- Salt to taste
- Black pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
Sauce
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 lemon zest & juice
- 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 1/2 teaspoon red chili pepper flakes
- 1 large ripe tomato chopped
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme chopped
- 1/2 cup flat leaf parsley chopped
Instructions
Meatballs
- Pre-heat the oven to 400 °F, and lightly grease a baking dish.
- In a bowl, add the ground chicken, onion, garlic, breadcrumbs, egg, Dijon mustard, lemon zest & juice, rosemary, Parmesan, salt and pepper.
- Blend with a fork or your hands until the mixture is well blended, and sticks together. If it’s too wet, you can add a little more of the breadcrumbs, bit by bit, until you achieve the desired texture.
- Use a spoon to create meatball rounds. As they are formed, placed them in the greased baking dish.
- Drizzle with olive oil, and bake for about 10 to 12 minutes as you make the sauce.
Sauce
- In a saucepan, heat the olive oil at a medium high temperature. Add the garlic and cook for 1 to 2 minutes.
- Add the lemon zest and chopped tomato, and continue to saute for another 3 to 5 minutes.
- Add the lemon juice, broth, white wine, red chili flakes and thyme, and bring to a boil.
- Once the meatballs have cooked for about 10 minutes, add the sauce mixture to the baking dish.
- Top with the chopped flat leaf parsley, and place the dish back in the oven to cook for another 10 to 15 minutes.
- Remove and serve with rice or pasta.
Notes
Notes:
- You’ll want to have a little extra of the breadcrumbs on hand just in case. (See instructions.)
- The tomato should be nicely soft and ripe. If you can’t find one fresh, you can substitute 1/2 cup canned.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
