Keep dinner easy with Chicken Meatballs with Orzo. Homemade meatballs are cooked with orzo pasta, cheese, chicken broth, and lemon in one pan. It’s a well-balanced dinner the entire family will love!
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Creamy orzo pasta with homemade meatballs
Try these Chicken Meatballs with Orzo for a family dinner tonight. It’s a creamy dish that’s going to WOW everyone!
When you mix homemade savory chicken meatballs and creamy orzo pasta together, you create magic. The meatballs are seasoned with garlic and herbs, then pan-seared to create a golden crust. Afterward, they’re nestled into a mixture of orzo pasta, melted Boursin cheese, chicken broth, and lemon.
The end result is a deeply flavored meal that checks all of the boxes. It’s:
- Comforting, creamy, and cheesy.
- Well-balanced thanks to fresh herbs and lemon.
- Packed with protein, carbs, and rich flavors to leave you feeling satisfied.
Watch How To Make Chicken Meatballs with Creamy Orzo
Just like my French Onion Chicken Meatballs and Chicken Meatball Banh Mi, this recipe is sure to become a new family favorite!
Ingredients and substitutions
- Avocado oil
- Ground chicken – Chicken keeps the meatballs lighter than traditional ground beef and pork meatballs. They’re light, tender, and juicy, and elevated with fresh herbs and savory seasonings.
- Green onions
- Dill – Fresh dill is best. You need it to season the meatballs and orzo pasta.
- Garlic powder
- Kosher salt
- Egg – Just one egg is needed to help bind the meatball mixture together.
- Onion
- Orzo pasta – Orzo is a small pasta that looks like rice, but tastes just like any other pasta noodle. It’s traditionally used in soups, stews, and one-pot dishes, like my Lemon Chicken and Orzo Pasta. If you don’t have orzo, replace it with rice, quinoa, or another short pasta noodle.
- Chicken stock – Or use vegetable stock if that’s what you have at home.
- Boursin cheese – This is a creamy and soft cheese that comes in a variety of flavors, like garlic and herb, shallot and chive, and black pepper. It melts into the cooked orzo, giving the final dish a luscious texture and flavor. If you can’t find Boursin, use garlic and herb cream cheese instead.
- Lemon juice and zest – Freshly squeezed lemon juice and shaved lemon zest will brighten up every bite. Without it and the rich cream could take over and overwhelm the dish.
How to make chicken meatballs and orzo
Add the ground chicken, herbs, spices, and egg to a mixing bowl. Mix them together with clean hands, being careful not to overwork the mixture.
Form the 1 ½ inch meatballs with a cookie scoop. Wet your hands to help you form them into round balls without the meat sticking.
Heat the avocado oil in a large skillet. Once it’s hot, add the meatballs and sear until they’re brown on all sides. Set them aside on a paper towel-lined plate when done.
To begin the pasta, saute the onions in the same pan you used to sear the meatballs. Once soft, add the orzo and toast for 1 minute.
Lower the heat and pour in the chicken stock, stirring to combine. Next, stir in the Boursin cheese and half of the lemon juice and zest.
Nestle the meatballs into the creamy orzo and cover with a lid. Let everything simmer and cook together until the orzo is tender and the meatballs are cooked through.
Take the pan off of the heat and stir in the remaining lemon juice and zest. Garnish with fresh dill, then serve!
Oven baked chicken meatballs
Baking the meatballs instead of pan searing will seal in the savory flavors and require less oil:
- Assemble and form the meatballs as normal and lay them on a lined baking sheet.
- Bake in a 400ºF oven for 25 to 30 minutes.
Tips for the best chicken meatballs
- Wet your hands when rolling the meatballs. This will prevent the meat from sticking.
- Only mix the meatball ingredients together until everything just comes together. Overworking it can lead to dried out meatballs.
- For an extra cheesy flavor, mix freshly grated parmesan cheese in with the meatball mixture.
Frequently asked questions
Chicken is lower in fat compared to beef and pork, making it a healthier choice for homemade meatballs.
Yes! Both ground chicken or ground turkey can be used in this recipe.
The leftover cooked meatballs and orzo will stay fresh for up to 4 days when stored in an airtight container in the fridge. When it’s time to eat, reheat the leftovers in the microwave, on the stovetop, or in a 350ºF oven until warmed through.
Yes! You can freeze both the raw and cooked meatballs.
To freeze the raw meatballs, place them on a baking tray, then freeze until solid. Transfer them to an airtight container or ziplock bag and freeze for up to 2 months. They can be cooked from frozen but may need an extra few minutes in the oven.
To freeze the baked or pan-fried meatballs, wait for them to cool and store them in an airtight container or ziplock bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Let them thaw in the fridge overnight before reheating.
Looking for more easy dinner ideas?
- Creamy Sausage Pasta with Spinach
- Easy Ravioli Lasagna
- Chicken and Dumplings Soup
- One Pot Beef Stroganoff
Did you try this Chicken Meatballs with Orzo recipe? Let me know what you think by leaving a comment below and giving this recipe a rating! Don’t forget to take a picture tag me on Instagram or use #lenaskitchenblog to be featured in my stories! I love seeing what you come up with!
Chicken Meatballs with Orzo
Equipment
Ingredients
Chicken Meatballs
- 3 tablespoons avocado oil
- 2 pounds ground chicken
- ¼ cup green onions, finely chopped
- ¼ cup dill, finely chopped
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 2 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 egg
Orzo Pasta
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 16 oz orzo pasta
- 5 cups chicken stock
- 5.2 oz Boursin cheese
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, more to taste
- 1 medium lemon, juiced and zested (divided)
- 2 tablespoons dill, finely chopped
Instructions
Chicken Meatballs
- Add chicken, herbs, spices and egg to a mixing bowl and mix well to combine. Using a cookie scoop, scoop out to make rough meatballs.
- Wet your hands to form the meatballs.
- Heat a heavy bottomed pan to medium heat, add avocado oil and then the meatballs. Sear the meatballs for 2 minutes, flip and sear on the other side for another 2 minutes. Remove the meatballs to a plate and set aside.
Orzo Pasta
- In the same pan add 2 tablespoons of avocado oil and then the onions. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add the orzo pasta and cook for 1 minute.
- Turn the heat to low. Add the chicken stock, and stir to combine. Scraping anything that got stuck to the bottom of the pan.
- Add the ½ the lemon juice, ½ the lemon zest, and Boursin cheese and stir to combine. Season with salt.
- Nestle the meatballs in the orzo and cover with a lid. Cook for 10-12 minutes. Gently stir the orzo halfway so it doesn’t stick to the pan.
- Remove from heat, add remaining lemon juce and zest, mix well to combine and sprinkle with fresh dill. Serve while not.
Video
Notes
- Wet your hands when rolling the meatballs. This will prevent the meat from sticking.
- Only mix the meatball ingredients together until everything just comes together. Overworking it can lead to dried out meatballs.
- For an extra cheesy flavor, mix freshly grated parmesan cheese in with the meatball mixture.
- Substitutions: Instead of chicken, use turkey or pork.
Kaila
What could I use in place of the egg?
lena
Kaila, you can sub out one egg for a 1/4 cup of plain greek yogurt, the yogurt will help keep the meatballs juicy. Or you can grate one medium onion and add 1/2 cup gluten-free panko bread crumbs. Hope this helps.
Christina Gabor
I absolutely loved the creaminess the Boursin provided. Even my picky eaters loved it! It was simple to make and clean up was easy. I added some chili flakes for an extra kick.
Can’t wait to make it again.
Lisa
What flavor of Boursin cheese did you use
lena
I use the garlic and herb one, but the other savory flavor you enjoy works too.
Inna
Sooo delicious! Will be on repeat!