Home
Heart Healthy
Chicken Rice Meatballs

Heart Healthy Chicken Rice Meatballs Recipe

               
Chicken Rice Meatballs
Made with chicken and rice, these meatballs are lighter than the traditional beef variety. Easily make this a gluten-free meal by omitting the flour in the sauce.
Facebook
Bread icon
Ingredients
Recipe yields 8 servings
1 1/2 lbs ground chicken
1/2 cup uncooked rice, rinsed
1 large egg
3 Tbsp plain Greek yogurt
1 Tbsp chopped fresh dill
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/8 tsp salt plus 1/2 tsp salt
Black pepper to taste
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 large carrot, grated
2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 Tbsp tomato paste plus 1 cup water
1 tsp ground cumin
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
1 Tbsp paprika
1 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
Play icon
Directions
Step 1

In a bowl, combine the chicken, uncooked rice, egg, 1 tablespoon of the yogurt, dill, garlic, 1/8 teaspoon salt and black pepper. With wet hands, roll the chicken mixture into 1-inch balls.

Step 2

In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and carrot and sauté for about 3 minutes, or until the vegetables begin to soften. Add the flour and mix to coat the vegetables; cook for 1 minute. Slowly add chicken broth and stir until smooth and thickened. Add tomato paste mixture, remaining 2 tablespoons yogurt, cumin, nutmeg, paprika, remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and black pepper to taste and cook until gravy is thickened and smooth. Add the meatballs. Bring the sauce to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover and cook for 25 minutes, or until the meatballs are no longer pink. Sprinkle with fresh parsley.

Time: 60 minutes
Servings: 8
Calories: 220
Make this for: Healthy Kids
Dietary Review:
dietary-image
Jane Schwartz, RDN, CLT
This recipe has been reviewed by a dietitian.
Nutrition Info
Play icon
Nutrition facts
Serving Size: 5 meatballs
Per serving:
calories:220
total fat:9g
sat fat:2g
cholesterol:95mg
sodium:338mg
total carb:14g
fibers:0g
proteins:24g

You might also like

About This Healthy Recipe

For a lighter take on a classic meatball recipe, try these heart healthy meatballs. Made with a mixture of low-fat ground chicken and rice and accented by an interesting flavor combination of dill, cumin, paprika, garlic, nutmeg, parsley and pepper, these are not your average meatballs. Instead they’re a healthy meatball recipe that is light and flavorful. The meatballs taste delicious on their own, but it’s the savory sauce that really makes this dish, keeping the meatballs moist and adding a whole new dimension to the recipe. If you want to make these meatballs gluten-free, omit the flour and thicken the sauce with a bit of cornstarch. You can serve this chicken meatball recipe on its own but it also goes great over brown rice or another whole grain. And don’t be surprised if your kids keep asking you to make these delicious meatballs again and again, because they’re a kid-friendly favorite!

Welcome to Health eCooks™! We cook your favorite foods healthier!

Health eCooks™ showcases hundreds of chef-tested and dietitian-reviewed recipes that are as nutritious as they are delicious. A subsidiary of Baldwin Publishing, Inc., our healthy recipes have been viewed by millions of people on over 900 health websites and in 450,000 healthy cookbooks. Our goal is to inspire you with recipes that aren’t just good for you—they taste good, too!

Who are we?

We are professional chefs, registered dietitians and food editors and for more than two decades we’ve created healthy recipes and how-to-cook videos. We’ve published nearly half a million healthy cookbooks for the medical brands Americans trust with their lives.

Chef-tested recipes

| Every recipe has been tested (and tasted!) by professional chefs in our Health eCooks™ test kitchen.

Dietitian-reviewed recipes

| All recipes carry a stamp of approval by registered dietitians who ensure they adhere to rigorous health and medical standards.

We make it easy so you can cook it healthy!

Recipe Reviews
Reviews for  Chicken Rice Meatballs
account
Add rating & review

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Heart Healthy Chicken Rice Meatballs Recipe
Ingredients
Recipe yields 8 servings
1 1/2 lbs ground chicken
1/2 cup uncooked rice, rinsed
1 large egg
3 Tbsp plain Greek yogurt
1 Tbsp chopped fresh dill
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/8 tsp salt plus 1/2 tsp salt
Black pepper to taste
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 large carrot, grated
2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 Tbsp tomato paste plus 1 cup water
1 tsp ground cumin
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
1 Tbsp paprika
1 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
Directions
Step 1

In a bowl, combine the chicken, uncooked rice, egg, 1 tablespoon of the yogurt, dill, garlic, 1/8 teaspoon salt and black pepper. With wet hands, roll the chicken mixture into 1-inch balls.

Step 2

In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and carrot and sauté for about 3 minutes, or until the vegetables begin to soften. Add the flour and mix to coat the vegetables; cook for 1 minute. Slowly add chicken broth and stir until smooth and thickened. Add tomato paste mixture, remaining 2 tablespoons yogurt, cumin, nutmeg, paprika, remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and black pepper to taste and cook until gravy is thickened and smooth. Add the meatballs. Bring the sauce to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover and cook for 25 minutes, or until the meatballs are no longer pink. Sprinkle with fresh parsley.

Share to Email