Baked Chicken Meatballs and Orzo

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4.20 from 5 votes

Baked Chicken Meatballs and Orzo

Prep Time25

Cook Time30

Total Time55

Course: Mom's Best 100 Easy Chicken Recipes, Over 500 Family Dinner Recipes Ideas

Keyword: chicken, ground chicken, meatballs, orzo

Servings:

Author: Sweet Basil

Ingredients

For the Meatballs

1 Cup Panko Bread Crumbs or cracker crumbs
1/2 Cup Milk
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
1 teaspoon Salt
1/4 teaspoon Aleppo Pepper optional
2 Pound Ground Chicken or ground chicken thighs
2 Eggs whisked
1 Cup Grated Parmesan
1 Shallot minced
1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
4 Tablespoons Fresh Parsley minced
2 teaspoon Fresh Thyme minced
2 teaspoons Fresh Rosemary minced (or use 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning instead of thyme and rosemary)
Olive Oil or canola oil

For the Orzo

1 Cup Baby Spinach optional
1/4 Cup Sun-Dried Tomatoes optional
2 Tablespoons Oil from the sun-dried tomatoes jar, additional tablespoon butter if not using sun dried tomatoes
3 Tablespoons Butter divided
8 Ounces Baby Bella Mushrooms sliced
1 Shallot minced
2 Sprigs Rosemary
2 Sprigs Thyme
3 Cloves Garlic minced
Pinch Salt
1/2 Cup Cooking Dry White Wine or 1/2 cup real white wine
2 Cups Orzo
4 Cups Chicken Broth
1 Cup Heavy Cream
1 Tablespoon Balsamic Vinegar
Pecorino Romano for garnish
Red Pepper Flakes

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

For the Meatballs

Preheat the oven to 400. Line a baking sheet with foil or parchment and a little cooking spray.
In a bowl, add the panko, milk and tablespoon of oil. Stir and set aside.
1 Cup Panko Bread Crumbs, 1/2 Cup Milk, 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
Add all remaining meatball ingredients to a bowl. Add in the milk mixture and gently stir everything until it's just combined.
1 teaspoon Salt, 2 Pound Ground Chicken, 2 Eggs, 1 Cup Grated Parmesan, 1 Shallot, 1 teaspoon Garlic Powder, 4 Tablespoons Fresh Parsley, 2 teaspoon Fresh Thyme, 2 teaspoons Fresh Rosemary, 1/4 teaspoon Aleppo Pepper
Use a cookie scoop to scoop the meat onto the baking sheet. Oil both hands with olive oil and roll the meatballs in your hands to coat in oil, re-oiling as needed. Place back on the baking sheet and bake at 400 for 25-30 minutes.
Olive Oil

For the Orzo

With a paper towel, dry the sun dried tomatoes and set aside.
1/4 Cup Sun-Dried Tomatoes
Add the sun-dried tomato oil to a skillet over medium heat.
2 Tablespoons Oil
Add the rosemary and thyme sprigs. Allow the herbs to crisp, turning often. Transfer them to a paper towel lined plate.
2 Sprigs Rosemary, 2 Sprigs Thyme
Add 1 tablespoon butter and half of the mushrooms in a single layer and cook, turning only once to brown, as well as seasoning with salt and pepper after browning. Remove to a plate. Cook the second half with another tablespoon of butter. See post.
3 Tablespoons Butter, 8 Ounces Baby Bella Mushrooms, Pinch Salt
Add the shallots and garlic, stirring often as they cook and then add another pinch of salt.
1 Shallot, 3 Cloves Garlic
Pour in white wine. Allow the wine to simmer and reduce for a good 5 mins, until it's almost all evaporated, deglazing the pan as necessary. It's important to reduce down the wine or it'll be too strong in the sauce.
1/2 Cup Cooking Dry White Wine
Add the orzo, mushrooms, stock and cream. Sprinkle in rosemary, thyme and salt & pepper. Be sure the cream is at room temp and your stock is just warming up or it will curdle the cream. Bring to a simmer and cook for 2 minutes, stirring often.
2 Cups Orzo, 4 Cups Chicken Broth, 1 Cup Heavy Cream
Reduce the heat to medium-low, and cook for 5-6 more minutes, stirring often.
Add the spinach, and sun dried tomatoes and season again. Let the cream simmer while the spinach wilts and then add the remaining butter and add the cheese, stirring continuously. Stir in vinegar.
1 Tablespoon Balsamic Vinegar, Pecorino Romano, 1 Cup Baby Spinach
Serve with meatballs, additional cheese, red pepper flakes and fried herb leaves.
Red Pepper Flakes

Nutrition