Home
Recipes
Basil & lemon chicken meatballs

Basil & lemon chicken meatballs with spaghetti

Basil & lemon chicken meatballs

Name: Basil & lemon chicken meatballs
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 55 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 1 lemon zested and juiced; 50g fresh breadcrumbs; 1 tbsp milk; 50g grated mozzarella; 2 tbsp sundried tomato pesto; 500g chicken mince; 15g basil stems finely chopped and leaves roughly chopped; 5 garlic cloves crushed; 2 tbsp olive oil; 1 onion finely chopped; 400g can cherry tomatoes; pinch of sugar; cooked pasta to serve

Ailsa Burt

Save recipe

Serves 4

Easy

Prep: 20 mins

Cook: 35 mins

A star rating of 4.8 out of 5.4 ratingsRate

loading...

Try chicken for a lighter take on meatballs. With lemon and basil flavours, they would work well in a meatball sub. You could also use turkey mince if you prefer

Freezable

Skip to ingredients

Alternatives

Complete the dish

Showing items 1 to 3 of 3

Slow-roasted mutton shoulder with garlic bean mash & gremolata

A star rating of 5 out of 5.5 ratings

Goat mole chilli with pickled radishes

A star rating of 5 out of 5.2 ratings

Air-fryer gammon

A star rating of 4.7 out of 5.22 ratings

Ingredients

Nutrition

Units:

MetricUS

1 lemon

zested and juiced
50g fresh breadcrumbs
1 tbsp milk
50g grated mozzarella
2 tbsp sundried tomato pesto
500g chicken mince
15g basil

stems finely chopped and leaves roughly chopped
5 garlic cloves

crushed
2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion

finely chopped
400g can cherry tomatoes
pinch of sugar
cooked pasta

to serve

Keep the screen awake with cook mode on the Good Food app.

Nutrition: Per serving

kcal355
fat17g
saturates5g
carbs14g
sugars7g
fibre3g
protein35g
salt1g

Method

step 1

Mix the lemon zest, breadcrumbs and milk together and set aside. Mix in the mozzarella, pesto, chicken, most of the basil leaves and half the garlic. Season well with salt and pepper and mix together using your hands until evenly combined. Roll into 20 balls, around 35g, the size of ping pong balls. Heat the olive oil in a pan over a medium-high heat. Add the meatballs and give them a shake to coat in oil. Fry for 6-8 mins until browned all over. Remove to a plate.
step 2

Tip the onion into the pan along with a pinch of salt, and stir to coat. Cook for 8-10 mins until beginning to soften, then stir in the remaining garlic and chopped basil stems. Cook for 2-3 mins until fragrant. Tip in the can of tomatoes, then swill out the can with a good splash of water. Add that to the pan, then stir in the sugar and some seasoning. Bring to a simmer, then nestle the meatballs into the sauce.
step 3

Cook for 15 mins until reduced and the meatballs are cooked through. Season to taste again if needed and add a squeeze of lemon juice, if you like. Spoon over the pasta and sprinkle over the remaining basil leaves to serve.

Ailsa Burt

As Food Editor and Test Kitchen Manager, Ailsa loves experimenting with new flavour combinations with the ethos that cooking should be fun and doesn’t have to be complicated. A trained chef; she previously worked in restaurants before moving into food writing. She’s worked for Sainsbury’s magazine, Good Housekeeping and a meal kit company in Canada, specialising in recipe development and food styling. Discover more of Ailsa's recipes

Comments, questions and tips

Rate this recipe

What is your star rating out of 5?1 star out of 52 stars out of 53 stars out of 54 stars out of 55 stars out of 5

Choose the type of message you'd like to post

CommentQuestionTip

Overall rating

A star rating of 4.8 out of 5.4 ratings

Get 3 months of Good Food All Access

Get 3 months of Good Food All Access for just £6. Find triple-tested recipes that take the stress out of deciding what to cook, spend less time planning, and more time enjoying the season.

Subscribe now