Baked Chicken Meatballs and Orzo

Soft chicken meatballs and orzo in a thick, rich tomato sauce. This is what comfort food is all about!

Today I’m going to show you a nifty little trick to cooking meatballs and orzo. No frying pan needed! Follow me…

Chicken Meatballs

Chicken meatballs are a nice switch-up from beef and pork meatballs. They come out super soft and juicy, plus they’re really easy to make!

What kind of chicken should I use?

I highly recommend using boneless skinless chicken thighs and grinding them up in a food processor. A local butcher can easily do this for you too. Thighs are much fattier and are more flavoursome than breasts.

Can I just use store-bought ground chicken?

You will find chicken mince in most shops, but I find it ranges quite widely in quality. It’s also usually low in fat and/or chicken breast. If you are going with store-bought, just make sure it’s unseasoned. Also, chicken mince from the shops can sometimes be watery, so you may need more breadcrumbs to mould into meatballs.

Can I make the meatballs ahead of time?

If you want to get ahead of the game you can certainly prepare the meatballs ahead of time (not bake ahead). I’ve added more on this in the recipe card below 😊.

Process shots: add chicken thighs to food processor (photo 1), pulse until it resembles ground meat (photo 2), add to bowl with breadcrumbs, parmesan, parsley, onion, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, salt & pepper (photo 3), mix to combine (photo 4), scoop out chunks (photo 5), roll into balls (photo 6).

Meatballs and Orzo

Okay, so here’s the trick. We’re going to bake the meatballs on a wire rack ABOVE the orzo. That way, any fat/flavour that drips out of the meatballs will fall straight into the orzo. Plus, with the meatballs being on a wire rack, the hot air will better circulate them and cook them more evenly.

Tomato Orzo

Underneath the meatballs is going to be the orzo in a simple, yet rich and delicious tomato sauce. The orzo will be uncooked and will cook in the sauce. We’re using uncooked orzo for 3 main reasons:

1. The orzo soaks in all that gorgeous flavour as it cooks.
2. The starch from the orzo will thicken the tomato sauce and give it a silky/glossy finish.
3. Less washing up.

The base of the sauce is a combination of tomato passata and chicken stock.

Process shots: add onion and oil to baking dish (photo 1), bake then stir in garlic (photo 2), stir in tomato passata, stock, tomato puree, oregano and seasoning (photo 3), stir in uncooked orzo (photo 4), add meatballs on top with oil (photo 5), bake until meatballs are cooked (photo 6).

Baked Orzo

The meatballs will likely cook before the orzo does, so just remove them and keep them warm to one side. From there, just give the orzo a really good stir and bake it again until al dente.

What consistency should the orzo be?

You’re looking for the orzo to be about 90% cooked through, so still a teeny bit hard. The sauce should still be fairly saucy, although if for whatever reason it’s too thick, just add in a splash more hot water to thin out as needed.

From there, you’ll want to toss through heaps of fresh basil and finish with your meatballs!

Process shots: remove meatballs (photo 1), stir orzo (photo 2), bake again (photo 3), add basil (photo 4), stir to combine (photo 5), stir in meatballs (photo 6).

Serving Meatballs and Orzo

When it comes to serving, I recommend plenty of freshly grated parmesan! And yes me being me forgot to take a photo after the bucket of parmesan I served it with 🤣 I also like to serve up with any leftover parsley/basil I’ve got lurking about.

How many does this recipe serve?

It’ll serve 4 comfortably (5 meatballs each), or 5 smaller portions. You could always add a side of Garlic Bread (or Cheesy Garlic Bread).

Looking for another awesome meatball recipe? Check out my One Pot Meatballs and Rice!

Alrighty, let’s tuck into the full recipe for these baked chicken meatballs and orzo shall we?!

How to make Chicken Meatballs and Orzo (Full Recipe & Video)

Baked Chicken Meatballs and Orzo

Soft chicken meatballs and orzo in a thick, rich tomato sauce. This is what comfort food is all about!

5 from 2 votes

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Servings (click & slide): 4

Course: Dinner / Main Course

Cuisine: American / Italian

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes minutes

Calories per serving: 709kcal

Author: Chris Collins

Cost per serving: £3 / $4

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Equipment:

• Food Processor & Spatula (for making ground chicken)
• Large Mixing Bowl (for mixing meatballs)
• 8x12" Baking Dish (for baking orzo)
• Wire Rack (for baking meatballs)
• Jug (for stock)
• Box Grater (for onion)
• Fine Cheese Grater (for parmesan)
• Paper Towels (for oiling wire rack)

Ingredients (check list):

Meatballs

• ▢ 1lb / 500g boneless skinless Chicken Thighs (see notes)
• ▢ 2/3 cup / 40g Panko Breadcrumbs
• ▢ 1/2 cup / 40g freshly grated Parmesan
• ▢ 1/4 cup finely diced Fresh Parsley
• ▢ 1/2 medium Onion, grated on a box grated (save other half for sauce below)
• ▢ 1 clove of Garlic, finely grated/diced
• ▢ 1 Egg
• ▢ 1 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
• ▢ 3/4 tsp Salt
• ▢ 1/4 tsp Black Pepper
• ▢ Oil Spray, as needed

Orzo

• ▢ 2 cups / 400g Uncooked Orzo
• ▢ 1x 700g/25oz jar of Tomato Passata (strained/pureed tomatoes in US)
• ▢ 3 cups / 750ml hot Chicken Stock
• ▢ 2 tbsp Tomato Puree (tomato paste in US)
• ▢ 1 small bunch Fresh Basil, finely diced (1oz/30g)
• ▢ 1/2 medium Onion, finely diced
• ▢ 2 cloves of Garlic, finely diced
• ▢ 1/2 tsp Oregano
• ▢ 1/4 tsp EACH: Sugar, Salt (or salt to taste)
• ▢ 1/8 tsp Black Pepper, or to taste
• ▢ pinch of Chilli Flakes (optional)
• ▢ drizzle of Olive Oil
• ▢ freshly grated Parmesan, to serve

Instructions:

• Add chicken thighs to a food processor and pulse in short bursts until it resembles ground meat, scraping down the sides with a spatula as needed. Scoop out into a large mixing bowl and add breadcrumbs, parmesan, parsley, onion, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, egg, salt & pepper. Use your hands to combine until everything is evenly distributed (don't mix it into oblivion or it'll come out tough/dry).
• Oil a wire rack. I find this easiest with paper towels. Use a 1 tbsp measuring spoon to scoop out 20 chunks of meat and place them on the wire rack. One by one roll the chunks into meatballs. Liberally spray all over with oil.
• Add finely diced onion to an 8x12" baking dish and combine with a drizzle of oil. Place in the oven at 200C/390F for 8-10mins, or until soft & lightly golden. Add in garlic and allow it to sizzle for a minute or so, then pour in passata. Swill out the jar with ~1/4cup water and add that in too, then pour in chicken stock. Add tomato puree (paste), oregano, sugar, salt, pepper & chilli flakes if you're using them. Whisk to combine then stir in orzo.
• Add the meatballs & wire rack on top, then carefully transfer everything to the oven. Bake for 20-25mins, or until the meatballs are golden brown and piping hot through the centre. Remove the meatballs and cover to one side, then give the orzo a good stir, scraping up any orzo stuck to the dish as needed.
• Place back in the oven for another 5-10mins, or until the orzo is al dente. It should still be fairly saucy, with the orzo 90% cooked through. Stir through basil and check for seasoning, then toss in the meatballs.
• Serve up with plenty of parmesan and any leftover parsley/basil you've got!

Quick 1 min demo!

Notes:

a) Chicken - I highly recommend using thighs, because they're more fatty and flavoursome than breast. You can get a butcher to grind up chicken thighs if you'd prefer. You'll find chicken mince/ground chicken at most shops, but it's usually low in fat and/or breast meat. You'll also notice it's sometimes more watery, so if you're using store-bought you may need to add in more breadcrumbs to form the meatballs.

b) Consistency - It's unlikely the orzo will need more liquid to cook through the orzo, but if for whatever reason you notice after baking that the orzo is still quite hard and there's not too much liquid left, just add in some more hot water or stock as needed until the orzo is al dente. It's usually pretty saucy by the time the orzo is almost cooked, but it thickens up more as it rests, so by the time you've stirred through the basil and meatballs it's good to go.

c) Prep Ahead - If you want to get ahead of time I'd probably prep the meatballs and get them out of the way. Just roll them out and place them in the baking dish with cling film over the top. You can then keep them in the fridge for a day or so before using them, or freeze them for a few hours until firm, then transfer them to zip-lock bags. You can then thaw them in the fridge and use them as needed. In both cases, I'd get them out of the fridge 30mins or so before needed, just so they cook through evenly.

d) Serving/Calories - This will offer 4 large portions (5 meatballs each) or 5 smaller portions with 4 meatballs each. Calories assuming 1 tbsp olive oil used to bake onion, then no parmesan to serve. Based on whole recipe divided by 4.

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Nutrition:

Nutrition Facts

Baked Chicken Meatballs and Orzo

Amount Per Serving

Calories 709 Calories from Fat 139

% Daily Value*

Fat 15.49g24%

Saturated Fat 4.415g22%

Trans Fat 0.141g

Polyunsaturated Fat 3.089g

Monounsaturated Fat 6.136g

Cholesterol 158mg53%

Sodium 1051mg44%

Potassium 1526mg44%

Carbohydrates 109.98g37%

Fiber 15.6g62%

Sugar 11.13g12%

Protein 39.38g79%

Vitamin A 1949IU39%

Vitamin C 28.4mg34%

Calcium 204mg20%

Iron 6.41mg36%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Nutrition is based on the absence of salt unless stated as a measurement in the ingredients. Cost is worked out based on ingredients bought from UK supermarkets, then divided by the number of servings. In both instances these values are just for guidance. Please check out my FAQ Page for more info.

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Looking for more?You'll find plenty more delicious comfort food like this in my Debut Cookbook 'Comfy'

For more similar recipes check out these beauties:

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• Garlic Parmesan Sausage Orzo
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• Garlic Butter Prawn Orzo

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