Go Back
–+ servings
Serving meatballs with tomato sauce in a bowl with chopped green onion garnish.
Print Recipe
No ratings yet

Simple Chicken Meatballs with an Easy Tomato Sauce

Seared chicken meatballs and then cooked in tomato sauce.
Total Time1 hour 20 minutes
Course: Dinner, Lunch, Side Dish
Cuisine: Meat Dishes, Russian
Allergy: Dairy Free, Gluten Free, Nut Free
Servings: 5
Calories: 259kcal
Author: Marina Rizhkov

Equipment

Ingredients

  • 1 lb chicken thighs, grated
  • 1 onion, grated
  • salt, to taste
  • black pepper, to taste
  • chicken seasoning, to taste
  • 1 Tbsp rice, cooked
  • 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Easy Tomato Sauce

  • 1 onion, diced
  • 1-2 carrots, grated
  • 1 Tbsp tomato paste
  • water
  • salt, to taste
  • black pepper, to taste

Instructions

For the Meatballs:

  • Boil the white rice.
    1 Tbsp rice,
    Cooked rice in a bowl.
  • In a bowl mix the onion, chicken thighs, rice, chicken seasoning, salt, and pepper.
    1 lb chicken thighs,, salt,, black pepper,, chicken seasoning,, 1 Tbsp rice,, 1 onion,
    Ground chicken mixed with seasoning and rice in a bowl.
  • On a heated pan, add the extra virgin olive oil.
    1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • Shape meat into balls and fry each side quickly, this is just to get that beautiful color around the meatballs.
    Seared meatballs in a skillet.
  • Put the seared meatballs into a pot.
    Meatballs in a pot.

For the Sauce:

  • In the same pan that was used for the meatballs, sauté grated onions and carrots.
    1-2 carrots,, 1 onion,
    Sautéing carrot and onion in a skillet.
  • Add in tomato paste, stir and turn off heat.
    1 Tbsp tomato paste
  • Boil up some water in a kettle. It’s important the water is boiled and hot so the meatballs don’t fall apart.
    water
  • Add water to the pot, just until it covers all the meatballs.
    Meatballs in a pot with water.
  • Add the onion and carrots that you have sautéed.
    Meatballs in a pot with water topped with sautéed veggies.
  • Salt and pepper to taste.
    salt,, black pepper,
  • Turn heat on the lowest, cover with a lid and let it cook for 40 minutes. Serve with meatballs and mashed potatoes!
    Cooked meatballs in a pot with tomato sauce.

Notes

Season the meatballs. You could totally add in your own favorite spices and herbs. I chose to add in store-bought seasoning. Specifically, Trader Joe’s “seasoning” blend.

Nutrition

Calories: 259kcal | Carbohydrates: 8g | Protein: 16g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 89mg | Sodium: 106mg | Potassium: 325mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 2159IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 23mg | Iron: 1mg