Peruvian Chicken Meatballs

• servings: 4 servings
• active time: 20 minutes
• total time: 35 minutes

Ingredients

1 pound ground chicken (or turkey)

1 egg

½ cup breadcrumbs or panko

¼ cup fresh cilantro leaves (minced)

3 cloves garlic (minced)

1 Tablespoon soy sauce

1 Tablespoon olive oil

1 Tablespoon lime juice

1 teaspoon cumin

½ teaspoon coriander

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

½ teaspoon salt

Black pepper (to taste)

4 cups chicken broth (or bone broth, divided)

1 bay leaf (optional)

2 cups white rice

1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves

2 cups baby spinach leaves

4 green onions (coarsely chopped)

1 lime (zested, plus 1 Tablespoon lime juice)

1 TBSP olive oil

3 jalapeños (seeded, ribs removed and roughly chopped)

1 cup fresh cilantro leaves

2 green onions (chopped, green parts only)

2 cloves garlic (peeled)

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup Greek yogurt

1 Tablespoon lime juice

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Directions

Meatballs

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.

Mix all the ingredients together in a mixing bowl.

Roll the mixture into about 30 small balls. I like to use a 1 TBSP cookie scoop to do this. Place on baking sheet.

Bake for 15-17 minutes, until cooked through. Meanwhile, make the sauce and rice.

Green Rice

Add 3 ½ cups chicken broth and bay leaf to a medium pot and bring to a boil. Add rice, cover, and reduce heat to a simmer. Cook for 15-18 minutes, until the rice is tender.

Meanwhile, add the cilantro, spinach, green onions, lime juice, lime zest, olive oil and remaining ½ cup broth to a food processor or blender and process into coarse green paste. Stir into the cooked rice and allow to stand, covered, for a few minutes. Meanwhile, make the green sauce.

Green Sauce

To the now empty food processor or blender, add all the sauce ingredients except for the olive oil. Process until smooth. Then, with the motor running, slowly drizzle in the olive oil.

To Serve

Portion the rice into bowls and place the meatballs on top. Drizzle with the green sauce and enjoy.

Nutrition

• Calories: 934 kcal
• Total Fat: 47 g
• Saturated Fat: 9 g
• Unsaturated Fat: 36 g
• Trans Fat: 0.1 g
• Cholesterol: 156 mg
• Sodium: 2095 mg
• Total Carbohydrate: 92 g
• Dietary Fiber: 4 g
• Total Sugars: 4 g
• Protein: 35 g