This One Pan Chicken Meatballs with Orzo recipe is so delicious, and only takes 45 minutes to make! With homemade chicken meatballs in a creamy Parmesan sauce, it's cooked with yummy Orzo pasta to make a filling dish the whole family will love!
⅔cupcream(any kind - heavy cream will give a richer flavor, light cream will be a bit thinner)
¼cupshredded Parmesan cheese
½teaspoonsalt
¼teaspoonblack pepper
Instructions
Chicken Meatballs
In a large mixing bowl, combine chicken, bread crumbs, cheese, milk, egg, parsley, Italian seasoning, salt, garlic, onion powder, and pepper. Mix well but don't overmix; make sure there are no clumps of bread crumbs in the mixture. Let sit for 10-20 minutes for the bread crumbs to absorb excess moisture.
Roll into 1-1¼" balls.
Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 2 tablespoons of oil and sear the meatballs on all sides until golden brown.
Remove to a plate and cover with foil to keep warm.
Garlic Parmesan Orzo
Add the garlic to the skillet and cook for 1 minute.
Add the broth and scrape the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to deglaze. Bring it to a low boil.
Add the orzo, cream, parmesan, salt, and pepper, and stir. Place the meatballs on top, cover, and simmer over medium-low heat for 10 minutes until the orzo is al dente. It might look liquidy at first, but it will thicken quickly!
Taste and serve.
Video
Notes
*We love meatballs, so there's a good amount of meatballs per serving in this recipe. If you prefer, you could increase the orzo to 2 cups and the broth to 3¼ cups to serve more people.*Baking meatballs: you can also bake the meatballs and add them to the orzo after they are cooked. Bake at 400 degrees F for about 12 minutes, until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F.Ingredients and Substitutions:
Meatballs: you can use any kind of meatballs here, even pre-cooked frozen meatballs. Simply add them to the pasta and continue cooking until heated through.
Orzo: any kind of small pasta works here, but you are aiming for the same cook time since the meatballs need to finish cooking through in the time it takes the pasta to cook to al dente.
Cream: I do not recommend using lighter cream or milk since the extended cooking time can cause it to curdle.
Storage
Store: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. Allow it to cool to room temperature before putting it in the fridge.
Make-Ahead & Freeze: The best way to make this recipe ahead of time is to make the meatballs and freeze them to use later on. Freeze them either before or after searing them. Allow them to cool, then put them on parchment paper on a baking tray in a single layer. Flash freeze them, then store them in Ziploc bags in the freezer for up to 3 months.