Chicken Veggie Meatballs
These veggie chicken meatballs are a nourishing dinner to serve over rice with your favorite side dish. They’re packed with vegetables and are cooked in a lemony sauce with potatoes, spices and a delicious blend of spices.
The meatballs are so flavorful when cooked in the sauce, but can even be baked and enjoyed as is. I love serving them over a bowl of fluffy white rice with fresh parsley and extra squeeze of lemon.
It’s a hearty dinner that comes together all in one pot.
What you’ll need to make Chicken Veggie Meatballs
For the chicken meatballs-
- ground chicken
- veggies: grated zucchini, carrots and scallions
- lemon zest
- parsley
- egg
- breadcrumbs
- spices: turmeric, cumin, salt & pepper
For the sauce-
- diced onion
- celery and yellow potatoes
- lemon juice
- honey
- water
- spices: salt, pepper, cumin, turmeric
1. Start by preparing the chicken meatballs.
Combine the ground chicken in a bowl with the grated veggies, spices, herbs, egg and breadcrumbs. Form into 20 flattened meatballs
2. Pan-fry the chicken meatballs in olive oil until browned on both sides. They don’t need to be fully cooked through
Alternatively, you can bake the meatballs on 425 F for 10 minutes, flipping halfway through
3. Remove the seared meatballs and start on your sauce by sauteeing the onion in the same pot.
Add in the celery and potatoes with the spices, lemon juice and honey. Place the meatballs back into the pan then cover with the water
Cook over a low flame for 30-35 minutes, until the potatoes are fork tender.
The chicken meatballs stay soft and juicy from the added veggies, and absorb all of that delicious lemon flavor. They’re even delicious on their own, without the lemony potato sauce.
Prepare ahead of time
The chicken meatballs can be made in advance and frozen for up to two months. If you plan to freeze them raw, you can thaw them the night before in the fridge then bake or pan-fry them when ready to cook.
If you plan to freeze them cooked, I suggest cooking them fully through on the pan, and then freezing.
This one-pot dish is so hearty and simple to make. I know you guys are going to love it!
Other chicken recipes you’ll love:
Orange Pomegranate Chicken
Chicken Burrito Bowls with Harissa Honey Vinaigrette
Chicken Tacos with Avocado Salsa
Ingredients
Chicken Veggie Meatballs
- 1 1/2 lbs ground chicken
- 1 zucchini grated (1 cup)
- 1 carrot grated (1 cup)
- Handful of parsley chopped
- 3 scallions finely diced
- 1 lemon zested
- 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
- 1 egg
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- Olive oil to pan fry
Lemon Sauce with Potatoes
- 2 1/2 cups water
- Juice from 1 lemon
- 1 small yellow onion finely diced
- 2 tbsp honey
- 3 yellow potatoes peeled and cut into 1" pieces
- 2 celery stalks thinly sliced
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
Directions
- Prepare the chicken meatballs by combining the ground chicken with the grated veggies, egg, breadcrumbs, lemon zest, parsley and spices together in a bowl.
- Prepare a baking sheet or plate with parchment paper, then roll about 3 tbsp of the chicken mixture into meatballs, slightly flattened- you should get about 20. Place them onto to sheet pan until they're all rolled.
- Heat a large dutch oven or pot with about 1/4 cup olive oil on medium heat. Pan-fry the meatballs for about 3-4 minutes per side to brown. Make sure to work in batches to not overcrowd the pan.
- Once the chicken meatballs are browned, remove them from the pan.
- Add in another 2 tbsp of olive oil to the same pan and add the diced onion. Saute for about 5-7 minutes.
- Add in the celery and potatoes and toss for 1-2 minutes.
- Add in the turmeric, cumin, salt & pepper with the lemon juice and honey and mix together.
- Pour in the water then place the chicken meatballs back into the pot. Top with fresh chopped parsley.
- Cover the pot and bring to a boil, then reduce the flame to simmer for 30-35 minutes, until the potatoes are fork tender
- Garnish with fresh parsley and fresh squeezed lemon before serving.
So delicious!