Orange Chicken Meatballs are a new family favorite around here! I love that they are Whole30/Paleo (my kids don’t know that) and the flavor in that sauce is just insane!
Why You Will Love This Recipe:
- Kid-Friendly: My kids are a huge fan of this recipe! I mean, who doesn’t love meatballs!
- Flavor: The sauce is INSANE! So much flavor packed in there!
- Leftovers: Trust me, you are going to want to make extras so you have some leftovers waiting for you the next day!
What You Will Need
Meatballs:
- ground chicken – love the leanness of ground chicken, but it still doesn’t seem to get too dry. I have made this with ground turkey and it does work as well! I just prefer ground chicken.
- egg: this helps bind everything together as it cooks.
- almond flour: this also acts as a binder
- seasoning: onion powder, garlic powder, kosher salt, ground black pepper
- orange zest: this helps bring some of that natural orange flavor right inside the meatball
- olive oil: this is used to help coat the pan before searing the meatballs
Sauce:
- orange juice + orange juice concentrate + orange zest: helps create that major orange flavor!
- garlic + coconut aminos + sesame oil: these help create that Asian-inspired flavors
- tapioca starch : helps thicken the sauce
How to Make Orange Chicken Meatballs
Step One: Combine your sauce ingredients and let simmer.
Step Two: Combine your meatball ingredients and form into meatballs.
Step Three: Sear meatballs on sides then continue cooking until fully cooked.
Step Four: Remove meatballs and add sauce to skillet. Add tapioca starch and whisk until sauce thickens.
Step Five: Combine sauce and meatballs; stir to combine.
Step Six: Serve and enjoy!
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Orange Chicken Meatballs
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 22–24 meatballs 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stove Top
- Cuisine: Asian-Inspired
Description
Orange Chicken Meatballs – a flavorful and delicious weeknight dinner option the whole family will love!
Ingredients
Meatballs:
- 1 pound ground chicken
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup almond flour
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- zest of 1 orange, minced
- olive oil
Sauce:
- 1 1/5 cups orange juice
- 1/4 cup orange juice concentrate
- 2 tablespoons fresh orange zest
- 2 teaspoon garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons + 2 teaspoon coconut aminos
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon tapioca starch (added later)
Add-Ins:
- 2–4 cups fresh broccoli florets
- Cauliflower Rice
Instructions
- Combine: Combine orange juice, orange juice concentrate, orange zest, garlic, coconut aminos and sesame oil in a small saucepan. Let simmer while making the meatballs.
- Combine: Combine ground chicken, egg, almond flour, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, black pepper and orange zest in a medium mixing bowl.
- Scoop: Use a cookie dough scoop to scoop out approx. 1 1/2 tablespoons of meatball mixture, forming a ball, and place on a large plate. Continue until all of the meatball mixture is used. (See Notes)
- Skillet: Take large/medium cast iron skillet and bring to medium-high heat. Add a tablespoon of oil and use a spatula to spread evenly to coat the pan. Add chicken meatballs and sear on all sides, about 3 minutes.
- Cover: Turn down heat to medium and cover. Let cook 10-15 minutes, moving around frequently, until fully cooked (165 internal temperature – I recommend using a meat thermometer).
- Sauce: Once meatballs are fully cooked remove them from the skillet and place on a plate; set aside. In the same skillet you cooked the meatballs, pour in the sauce that has been simmering. Add in the tapioca starch and whisk continually, bringing the sauce to simmer. It will slowly start to thicken. Once sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, add the meatballs back in. Toss to coat the meatballs. Remember the sauce will thicken even more as it cools a little.
- Broccoli: If you are making broccoli to go with this you can add that in at this point, cover the dish and let the broccoli steam for a few minutes (just don’t let the sauce go above a small simmer or it may get gummy). You can also just steam your broccoli separately and then add in to the sauce or serve it on the side.
- Serve immediately.
Notes
- Ground Chicken: Ground chicken can be very sticky so it helps to have a little bowl of oil next to you when you are making the chicken meatballs. Get a little oil on your fingers and then rub on the inside of the cookie dough scoop before scooping up the meatball mixture. The place directly onto the plate and just reform as necessary.
- Other Options: If you aren’t concerned with Whole30/Paleo then feel free to serve with regular rice for a gluten-free option!
Keywords: orange chicken meatballs
