Lemony Chicken Meatballs On Orzo
A BIG BATCH ENERGY one-pan dinner - beautiful, creamy, juicy, fresh and sprightly chicken meatballs with toasty, nutty, perfectly cooked orzo on the bottom. Double the meatballs and freeze the extras for future you.
Serves: 5 (makes 13 meatballs)
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 35 minutes
INGREDIENTS
For the meatballs
1kg chicken mince
1 cup green olives, roughly finely chopped (yeilds about ⅓ c)
1 tbsp fresh oregano, finely chopped
2 tbsp spring onion greens, finely chopped (I used 3, whites reserved for the orzo)
1/2 cup panko crumbs
1/2 cup grated parmesan
1 egg white
zest of 1 lemon
big pinch of salt
lots of pepper
For the orzo
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp butter
2 cups orzo
reserved spring onion whites, finely chopped
juice of 1 lemon
1 litre chicken stock
To serve
steamed asparagus
green beans, sauteed with garlic
fresh parsley, chopped
METHOD
Whisk the egg white until light and fluffy. In a large bowl, mash together the chicken mince, olives, oregano, spring onion greens, panko crumbs, parmesan, whisked egg white, lemon zest, salt and pepper. I added the parmesan in quarter cups because I realised later it needed more.
Use an ice cream scoop to portion the mixture into meatballs. My trusty ice cream scoop, for some reason, always scoops out odd numbers - I got 13.
Heat a large, heavy-based pan with a lid until it's quite hot - not searing hot, but just quite hot - then add the olive oil. The trick is to heat up the pan before you add the oil; mine turned easily without it being a non-stick pan. Brown the meatballs on the top and the bottom, then rotate the sides gently until each meatball is sealed. Set aside.
While the chicken is browning, chop the spring onion whites.
Add the butter to the pan, then the orzo and spring onion whites, and saute until the raw orzo is toasted and golden. Add the lemon juice and chicken stock and bring up to a simmer.
Nestle the meatballs back into the pan, reduce the heat to very low, pop the lid on and simmer for 10 - 12 minutes. It all depends on the size of your meatballs, so it's a good idea there's an odd one, because that can be your test subject. Your chef's treat.
Turn off the heat and allow to rest with the lid on for 5 minutes. The residual heat will cook through the final bit of meatball - the point of turning the heat off is to reduce the risk of burning the underside of the orzo in the pan.
Meanwhile, steam the asparagus, saute the green beans with some garlic and chop the parsley. Serve the meatballs and orzo with the greens on the side and parsley scattered over.
LEFTOVERS
Double the meatball quantities and freeze an additional 12 raw for future use. 12 was the perfect amount for my family of five, considering three of us are adults and one is a tween, so you just have to work out how much your family eats.
HINTS
Whip the egg white first so it's light and fluffy when you add it. I find not adding the whole egg makes the meatballs a little less tough.
Heat the pan before you add the oil - that's what lets the meatballs turn easily without a non-stick pan.
You could oven bake this. As soon as the meatballs are nestled into the orzo, pop the pan into a preheated 180C oven for about 15 minutes.
NUTRITION (per recipe total - serves 5 - guide only):
Energy: approx. 4,350 kcal (18,200 kJ)
Protein: approx. 285g
Fat: approx. 210g
Carbohydrate: approx. 325g
Sodium: approx. 7,500mg
This nutrition information is a guide only and may vary depending on brands, exact quantities, and ingredient substitutions used.