Zucchini Chicken Meatballs with Pearled Couscous
There’s something quite comforting about a one-pan dish that packs in protein, carbs and veggies all in one. These zucchini chicken meatballs hit all of those marks by combining lean ground chicken with grated zucchini for a tender yet flavorful bite. It’s the kind of meal that feels both homey and fresh—a balance of hearty and light.
The zucchini does double duty here—it keeps the meatballs moist, and adds a subtle sweetness too. It’s used in both the meatballs and the couscous for an extra boost of veggies.
A Light & Comforting One-Pan Meal
This dish is a complete meal that I love to serve with homemade pickled red onions or tahini sauce for a little added flavor. It’s simple enough for busy evenings, yet special enough to impress company. It’s proof that comfort food doesn’t have to be complicated.
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Ingredients you’ll need
For the chicken meatballs
- Ground chicken
- Grated zucchini
- Egg
- Breadcrumbs
- Lemon zest
- Parsley
- Salt, pepper, cumin, garlic powder
For the skillet
- Olive oil
- Onion
- Zucchini
- Pearled couscous
- Dijon mustard
- Fresh parsley
- Garlic powder, salt & pepper
- Combine the chicken meatball ingredients together in a bowl. Oil your hands and shape into meatballs
- Sear the meatballs in a hot pan with olive oil for about 5-6 minutes per side
- Remove the chicken meatballs from the pan and add in olive oil. Saute the onion and zucchini until soft, for about 5-7 minutes. Add in the dijon, spices, couscous and parsley and mix
- Pour the water into the pan, then nestle the chicken meatballs back into the couscous.
- Cover and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the flame to simmer for about 30-35 minutes.
- Garnish with fresh parsley and lemon juice
My braiser pan is my go-to baking dish for these types of recipes. It’s the perfect pan to serve out of straight from the oven, and makes this recipe that much simpler to make!
This recipe is simple, yet flavorful, and truly elevates your weeknight dinner. It’s an all-in-one meal that hits the marks for a well-rounded dinner. I can’t wait for you guys to try it!
Other one-pan recipes–
One-pan Chicken and Couscous
Lemon Orzo and Salmon
One-pan Chicken and Couscous
Zucchini Chicken Meatballs with Couscous
Ingredients
Chicken Meatballs
- 1-1.2 lbs ground chicken
- 1 zucchini grated about 1 cup, liquid squeezed out
- 1/2 cup unseasoned breadcrumbs
- 1/2 cup parsley chopped
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/4 tsp cumin
Couscous Skillet
- 1 1/2 cups pearled couscous
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 1/2 yellow onion diced
- 1 zucchini diced
- 3 cups water
- 1 tbsp dijon mustard
- 1/2 cup parsley chopped
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
Directions
- Prepare the chicken meatballs: grate 1 zucchini and squeeze out the liquid. Add to a bowl with the ground chicken, breadcrumbs, egg, chopped parsley, lemon zest and spices. Combine well with your hands.
- Scoop about 2 tbsp of the mix and roll into meatballs.
- Heat a large skillet on medium heat. Pour in 1/3 cup olive oil. Once hot, cook the meatballs for about 5 minutes per side, then flip for another 5 minutes. Remove the chicken meatballs from the pan and set aside.
- To the pan, add in the diced onion and zucchini. Saute together on medium/high heat for 5-7 minutes, until soft.
- Add in the couscous, dijon mustard, spices and parsley. Toss together.
- Pour the water into the pan and mix. Nestle the chicken meatballs back into the pan. Cover the pan and bring it to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the flame to low and simmer for about 30-35 minutes.
- Let the pan rest off of the flame for 5 minutes. Garnish with chopped parsley and lemon juice when serving.
The flavor of this dish is outstanding! Ours only needed about 20 minutes rather than 30-35, but thanks to Whitney’s comment, I kept an eye on it and pulled it in plenty of time. Saving this for our dinner rotation for sure! Thanks so much for sharing your creativity!
These are yummy! I use ancestral ground chicken with the organ meat included for additional nutrition. I also serve with either hummus or tzatziki but you really don’t need them I was surprised with how moist they were. Pickled onions are a great compliment. Thank you!
This was delicious but make sure to read the cooking instructions on your couscous. After 30 minutes mine turned to mush