Greek Chicken Meatballs with Tzatziki Sauce
These Greek chicken meatballs with tzatziki sauce are exactly what you need this week. They are crispy on the outside, with a perfectly moist, juicy center. This healthy chicken meatball recipe is easy to make, delicious and perfect for busy nights when you want a healthy meal in a short amount of time.
About this Greek Meatball Recipe
This recipe is great because it offers delicious Mediterranean flavors. The fresh mint, tzatziki sauce, lemon juice, and spices all come together to form the most harmonious dish. Personally, I enjoyed my Greek chicken meatballs with a side of buttered orzo and spinach. It was light, yet completely satisfying.
You could also enjoy these meatballs with fresh sliced tomatoes, feta cheese and honey. Or another tasty idea would be to enjoy them with some olives, pasta and whipped feta. These meatballs are such a great recipe, you’ll have to give them a try.
This Greek chicken meatball recipe makes 12-14 meatballs depending on size. Fry the meatballs in hot vegetable or canola oil to get a beautiful brown sear on the outside. Place the golden brown meatballs on a paper towel to absorb any excess oil. Once all of the meatballs are seared, place them in the prepared baking dish. Cover with foil and finish baking the meatballs in the oven. You’ll want the internal temperature to reach 165 degrees Fahrenheit to ensure doneness.
The nutritional information below reflects the Greek chicken meatballs, tzatziki sauce, and the orzo pasta with spinach. It is broken out over 5 servings with each person getting 3 meatballs, a portion of rice and tzatziki sauce. The vegetable oil and extra garnishes are not included in this number.
Storage
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for three to four days. Reheat in the microwave until heated through. Looking for more chicken meatballs recipes? Try my chicken parmesan meatball sliders or my BBQ chicken meatballs. Both are tasty and delicious!
Greek Chicken Meatballs with Tzatziki Sauce
Ingredients
- ½ cup canola or vegetable oil , for pan searing the meatballs
Chicken Meatballs
- 1 lb. ground chicken
- ½ cup plain breadcrumbs
- ½ cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1 large egg
- 2 tablespoons 2% milk
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon oregano
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- 2 tablespoons fresh chopped Italian parsley
Tzatziki Dip
- 1 cup Greek yogurt, 0% or 2% Fage
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice, fresh squeezed
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1.5 tablespoons dill, fresh, chopped small
- ¾ cup cucumber remove seeds using a spoon and dice small, you can also grate the cucumber instead, just be sure to squeeze out any excess moisture.
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Orzo Pasta with Spinach
- 8 ounces orzo pasta, al dente
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice, fresh squeezed
- 1 cup baby spinach, packed in cup
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Optional Garnishes:
- fresh mint, chopped
- lemon slices
- feta cheese, crumbles
- honey drizzle
- red pepper flakes, for some spice
- kalamata olives
Equipment
- pasta pot
- 11-inch skillet
- 8×8 baking dish
- colander
- 2 mixing bowls
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Set out an 8×8 baking dish. Glass prefered.
Prepare the Tzatziki:
- In a small mixing bowl, combine the Greek yogurt, deseeded and diced cucumbers, fresh squeezed lemon juice, olive oil, minced garlic, fresh chopped dill and salt. Stir until well combined. Set aside.
Prepare the Orzo Pasta and Spinach:
- Boil a pot of water and cook your orzo according to the package. I like mine al dente because it will continue cooking in the pan with the butter, spinach and seasonings.
- Once the pasta is cooked to your liking, drain off the pasta water using a colander and drizzle the pasta with olive oil.
- Place the pasta back in the pan and add the butter, salt, pepper, lemon juice and fresh spinach. Stir until everything is coated in the sauce and the spinach has wilted. Reduce the heat to low while you prepare the rest of the meal.
Prepare the Meatballs:
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the ground chicken, breadcrumbs, egg, milk, parmesan cheese, fresh chopped parsley, salt, onion powder, garlic powder, and oregano. Mix well using your hands.
- Form the chicken mixture into meatballs. I was able to get 14 medium sized meatballs.
- In an 11-inch skillet, add about a ½ cup of canola or vegetable oil. Heat the oil over medium / high heat or until it’s hot enough to give the meatballs a golden-brown sear.
- Add about 5 meatballs at a time, you do not want to overcrowd the pan. Be sure to turn them frequently to prevent them from burning.
- Once the meatballs have a golden-brown sear on all sides, place them on a paper towel to absorb any excess oil.
- Next, you'll add them to the 8×8 baking dish, cover them with foil and finish cooking them in the oven.
- Bake for an additional 20-25 minutes or until they are fully cooked through. Larger meatballs may take longer in the oven.
Assemble the Dish:
- Add the orzo pasta with spinach and a dollop of tzatziki to a plate. Top the orzo pasta and tzatziki with a few of the chicken meatballs and your favorite garnishes.
- Serve hot and enjoy!
4 Comments on “Greek Chicken Meatballs with Tzatziki Sauce”
Made the meatballs and tzatziki dip, both were amazing. Followed the recipe without any changes. The meatballs were crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside, and paired really well with the dip. Will definitely make again. Thank you!
I have a few talents, and one of them is certainly not cooking! This recipe was well written, easy to read, so SO tasty, and saves/freezes well! We ate this per the recipe, with eggs, made avo toast + meatball, with rice….literally will go with anything. Will be making this soon, but a larger batch to stuff the freezer with. Thanks Sara for taking time to create and share such masterpieces!
My family loved this recipe!!! Easy and yummy! Thank you!!!
My family loved this recipe!!! Easy to follow and so yummy! Thank you!!!