Chicken Meatballs with Cauliflower Rice is the perfect quick dinner recipe or go-to meal prep dish. Not a fan of tomato sauce, no problem, these meatballs are delicious on their own or are versatile enough to go with just about any sauce!
Ingredients to make Chicken Meatballs with Cauliflower Rice:
- 16 oz 95% Lean Ground Chicken
- ½ cup Panko Bread Crumbs (20 grams)
- ½ Yellow Onion diced, (80 grams)
- 2 Jalapeno diced, (40 grams)
- 2 Large Whole Eggs
- ¼ tsp Black Pepper
- ¼ tsp Garlic Powder
- ¼ tsp Red Pepper Flake
- 1 tbsp Fresh Basil Leaves
- 1 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 2 cans Diced Tomatoes, No Salt Added (15-ounce cans)
- ¼ tsp Sea Salt
- ¼ tsp Black Pepper
- ¼ tsp Garlic Powder
- ½ tsp Red Pepper Flake
- 1 tbsp Fresh Basil Leaves
- 2 tbsp Tomato Paste
- 3½ cups Frozen Riced Cauliflower (1, 12-ounce bag)
- ¼ Yellow Onion diced, (40 grams)
- ½ tbsp Unsalted Butter
- ½ tbsp Fresh Basil Leaves
- ¼ tsp Sea Salt
Instructions:
- In a large bowl combine ground chicken, bread crumbs, yellow onions, jalapeno, eggs, peppers, garlic powder, red pepper, and fresh basil. Stir until well combined.
- Using your hands scoop out enough ground chicken mixture to create a 1-inch ball. Roll the ball in your hands. Once you have a firm ball, set the ball on a plate to the side. Continue to do this until you have used up all the ground chicken mixture. You should be able to create 12, 1-inch balls.
- Now heat a large stovetop pan to medium heat. Once the pan is hot add your oil to the pan. Then add your chicken meatballs to the pan. Cook the chicken meatballs for about 6 minutes, rolling the balls to another side after every 2 minutes. This should allow you to get a nice golden color around the meatballs.
- After 6 minutes of browning the meatballs, cover the pan with a lid and turn the heat down to medium-low and cook for another 5 minutes, turning the meatballs halfway through.
- While the meatballs are cooking start working on your sauce.
- In a small saucepot add your 2 cans of diced tomatoes, salt, pepper, garlic powder, red pepper flake, basil, and tomato paste. Stir everything together and cook on medium-low heat for about 10 minutes. Stir frequently to prevent burning.
- While the meatballs and sauce are cooking also work on your riced cauliflower.
- In another small saucepot add your frozen cauliflower, diced onions, butter, basil, and salt. Cook at medium heat for about 8 minutes, stirring often to prevent burning.
- By the time your cauliflower is done, everything else should be complete. Plate your cauliflower first, then top with your meatballs, then pour your sauce over top. Season with a sprinkle of fresh basil and serve!
Chicken Meatballs with Cauliflower Rice
A simple recipe packed with big flavor
Servings 3
Calories 438kcal
Ingredients
- 16 oz 95% Lean Ground Chicken
- ½ cup Panko Bread Crumbs (20 grams)
- ½ Yellow Onion diced, (80 grams)
- 2 Jalapeno diced, (40 grams)
- 2 Large Whole Eggs
- ¼ tsp Black Pepper
- ¼ tsp Garlic Powder
- ¼ tsp Red Pepper Flake
- 1 tbsp Fresh Basil Leaves
- 1 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 2 cans Diced Tomatoes, No Salt Added (15 ounce cans)
- ¼ tsp Sea Salt
- ¼ tsp Black Pepper
- ¼ tsp Garlic Powder
- ½ tsp Red Pepper Flake
- 1 tbsp Fresh Basil Leaves
- 2 tbsp Tomato Paste
- 3½ cups Frozen Riced Cauliflower (1, 12 oucne bag)
- ¼ Yellow Onion diced, (40 grams)
- ½ tbsp Unsalted Butter
- ½ tbsp Fresh Basil Leaves
- ¼ tsp Sea Salt
Instructions
- In a large bowl combine ground chicken, bread crumbs, yellow onions, jalapeno, eggs, peppers, garlic powder, red pepper, and fresh basil. Stir until well combined.
- Using your hands scoop out enough ground chicken mixture to create a 1-inch ball. Roll the ball in your hands. Once you have a firm ball, set the ball on a plate to the side. Continue to do this until you have used up all the ground chicken mixture. You should be able to create 12, 1-inch balls.
- Now heat a large stovetop pan to medium heat. Once the pan is hot add your oil to the pan. Then add your chicken meatballs to the pan. Cook the chicken meatballs for about 6 minutes, rolling the balls to another side after every 2 minutes. This should allow you to get a nice golden color around the meatballs.
- After 6 minutes of browning the meatballs, cover the pan with a lid and turn the heat down to medium-low and cook for another 5 minutes, turning the meatballs halfway through.
- While the meatballs are cooking start working on your sauce.
- In a small saucepot add your 2 cans of diced tomatoes, salt, pepper, garlic powder, red pepper flake, basil, and tomato paste. Stir everything together and cook on medium-low heat for about 10 minutes. Stir frequently to prevent burning.
- While the meatballs and sauce are cooking also work on your riced cauliflower.
- In another small saucepot add your frozen cauliflower, diced onions, butter, basil, and salt. Cook at medium heat for about 8 minutes, stirring often to prevent burning.
- By the time your cauliflower is done, everything else should be complete. Plate your cauliflower first, then top with your meatballs, then pour your sauce over top. Season with a sprinkle of fresh basil and serve!
Nutrition
Calories: 438kcal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 41g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0g | Cholesterol: 268mg | Sodium: 528mg | Potassium: 327mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 34IU | Vitamin C: 137mg | Calcium: 15mg | Iron: 23mg
Macro Adjustments:
Below outlines the items in each macro group that are easily adjustable to meet your specific macros.
Fat:
The fat in this recipe comes from the oil the meatballs are cooked in, the egg yolk used in the meatball base, and the 95% lean chicken. If you wanted to reduce the fat, the easiest way would be to choose a leaner 98% or 99% lean ground chicken.
Carbohydrates:
This is a relatively low-carb recipe with the carbs coming from several different ingredients, the cauliflower, the tomato sauce, and the meatballs, all making it difficult to adjust the carbs in this recipe. If you are looking for a higher carb recipe you could easily swap out the cauliflower rice for regular rice.
Protein:
The ground chicken is a great source of protein and easily adjusted to reach your personal protein needs!
Meal Prep:
Yes, this is a great dinner or lunch for meal prep and will last in the fridge for up to 6 days.
Freezer Friendly:
Yes, you can freeze this recipe for up to 6 months in an air-tight container.
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