RecipeCastle

Baked Sage Chicken Meatballs with Parmesan Orzo: A Gourmet Twist on Comfort Food

Baked Sage Chicken Meatballs with Parmesan Orzo: A Gourmet Twist on Comfort Food
Prep
15 min
Cook
30 min
Total
45 min
Serves
4
Calories
450 kcal

Ingredients

  • 2 ozfresh Italian bread, diced
  • ½ cupwarm water
  • 2 tbspbutter
  • 1shallot, minced
  • 4 clovesgarlic, minced
  • 1 tspgranulated garlic
  • ¼ tspcrushed red pepper
  • 1 ½ lbsground chicken thigh
  • ¼ cupgrated parmesan cheese
  • 2 tbspchopped fresh sage
  • 2 tbspchopped fresh parsley
  • ½ tspkosher salt
  • 2 tbspbutter
  • 8sage leaves
  • 1 cuporzo
  • 1 cupdry white wine
  • 1 small handfulfresh thyme sprigs, tied in kitchen twine
  • 1 ½ cupschicken stock
  • ⅓ cupheavy cream
  • 2 ozfresh spinach (approximately 2 cups)
  • ¼ cupgrated parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
  • —freshly cracked black pepper

Instructions

  1. 1

    Preheat the oven to 450°F. Prepare a sheet pan with parchment paper and lightly oil it. Soak the diced bread in warm water for at least 5 minutes.

  2. 2

    In a skillet, heat butter over medium heat. Add shallot and garlic. Cook until softened, then stir in garlic and red pepper flakes.

  3. 3

    In the bowl with soaked bread, add ground chicken, parmesan, sage, parsley, salt, and the cooked shallot mixture. Mix and form into 15 meatballs, place on sheet pan, and bake for 25-30 minutes.

  4. 4

    In the same skillet, melt butter and add sage leaves. Crisp the leaves, remove, then add shallots and orzo to the pan. Stir in white wine and thyme, and simmer for 2 minutes.

  5. 5

    Add chicken stock, simmer, reduce heat, then add heavy cream, spinach, and parmesan. Stir until spinach wilts and parmesan melts.

  6. 6

    Serve meatballs over orzo. Garnish with crispy sage, cracked pepper, and extra parmesan.