Chicken Meatballs with Caramelized Onion and Leeks
I’ve recently been loving chicken meatballs as a hearty protein during the week. They’re easy to make, affordable, and can be enjoyed alone or cooked in a sauce for more flavor. These simple chicken meatballs are cooked in a sweet caramelized onion and leek sauce with a little date syrup and a few spices.
They’re the perfect combination of savory with a hint of sweetness, and make for the ideal cozy dinner served over creamy mashed potatoes.
Any recipe that can be made ahead and frozen is a winner in my book. These meatballs are so easy to whip up, and can easily be frozen and thawed as needed for a quick protein during the week. You can even double the batch, then cook them in their sauce when you’re ready to enjoy them.
I love serving them with rice, mashed potatoes or couscous for a hearty dinner.
What to serve with your chicken meatballs-
What you’ll need to make chicken meatballs
For the chicken meatballs-
- ground chicken
- parsley and cilantro
- egg
- breadcrumbs
- spices: turmeric, cumin, salt & pepper
For the sauce-
- yellow onion
- leeks
- date syrup
- olive oil
- cumin, salt & pepper
Prepare the chicken meatballs
Start by combing the ground chicken in a bowl with the chopped herbs, spices, breadcrumbs and egg. Using your hands, combine everything until evenly incorporated.
With oiled hands, form the meatballs using about 3 tbsp of the mix- you should get about 14-16.
Heat a skillet on medium heat with olive oil, and sear the meatballs for about 3 minutes per side to brown. Remove them from the pan and set aside.
Saute the onions for the sauce
Into the same pan, drizzle a little extra oil. Add the sliced onions and leeks, and saute for about 20 minutes, stirring every few minutes to brown the onions.
Once browned, add in the date syrup, seasonings and water to create the sauce. Bring the sauce to a boil and place the chicken meatballs back into the pan.
Lower the flame, and simmer the meatballs for about 15 minutes.
You should be left with a thick, sweet onion sauce to serve over the fluffy chicken meatballs. The flavors are so delicious together- perfect for shabbat, a holiday meal or a cozy weeknight dinner.
Chicken substitutes
While I love making this recipe with ground chicken, you can also make it using ground turkey or beef.
Make ahead and freeze
If you wanted to prepare this meal ahead of time, I would suggest prepping the chicken meatballs and cooking them fully on the pan. Once cooked, let them cool and freeze them in a ziplock bag or airtight container.
The sauce is best when made fresh, so when you’re ready to serve it, just saute the leeks and onion, add in the remaining ingredients, and simmer the chicken meatballs in the sauce until it thickens.
Other hearty dinner recipes-
Spiced Peas and Meatballs
Honey Dijon Chicken
Moroccan Fish
Chicken Meatballs with Caramelized Onion and Leeks
Ingredients
Chicken Meatballs
- 1.2 lbs ground chicken
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup fresh parsley
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro
- 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/3 cup olive oil
Caramelized Onions & Leeks
- 2 yellow onions
- 2 leeks
- 2 tbsp date syrup
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/4 tsp turmeric
- 1 cup water
- Olive oil
Directions
- Thinly slice the onions and leeks and set aside.
- Add the ground chicken to a large bowl. Add the chopped parsley, cilantro, spices, egg and bread crumbs. Mix together with your hands until everything is evenly incorporated.
- With oiled hands, take about 3 tbsp of the mix and form into small patties- you should get around 14-16 meatballs
- Heat a skillet on medium heat with the 1/3 cup of olive oil. Sear the meatballs for about 3 minutes per side on medium heat, until browned. Remove from the pan and set aside.
- Into the same pan, drizzle a little extra oil. Add the sliced onions and leeks with a pinch of salt. Saute on medium heat for about 20 minutes total, mixing every couple of minutes until the onions have softened and browned.
- Add in the date syrup, salt, pepper, turmeric and water and mix well. Bring the pan to a boil.
- Place the chicken meatballs back into the pan and cover with a lid. Reduce the heat to low and simmer the meatballs for about 15-20 minutes.
Made these in less than an hour and they came out delicious!
How do you prepare date syrup?
I buy it! Most large grocery stores will sell it, otherwise you can also find it on Amazon
I would use honey instead!