Home
Recipes
Chicken, lemon & ricotta meatballs with linguine

Chicken, lemon & ricotta meatballs with linguine served in a bowl

Chicken, lemon & ricotta meatballs with linguine

Name: Chicken, lemon & ricotta meatballs with linguine
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 2 chicken breasts; 2 lemons zested; 200g ricotta; 3 tbsp parsley chopped; 150g fresh breadcrumbs; 100ml milk plus 2 tbsp; 1 medium egg beaten; 25g plain flour for dusting; 1 tbsp olive oil; 300g linguine; 320g green beans trimmed and halved

Melissa Thompson – Journalist and food writer

Save recipe

Serves 4

Easy

Prep: 20 mins

Cook: 20 mins

A star rating of 3.5 out of 5.22 ratingsRate

loading...

Flavour-packed, easy to make and nutritious – our zesty chicken meatballs tick all the boxes for a family meal

Skip to ingredients

Alternatives

Complete the dish

Showing items 1 to 3 of 3

Pepper steak with noodles

A star rating of 3.4 out of 5.24 ratings

Harissa fish pie

A star rating of 4.7 out of 5.32 ratings

Fennel-roasted cauliflower with quinoa

A star rating of 4.2 out of 5.25 ratings

Ingredients

Nutrition

Units:

MetricUS

2 chicken breasts
2 lemons

zested
200g ricotta
3 tbsp parsley

chopped
150g fresh breadcrumbs
100ml milk

plus 2 tbsp
1 medium egg

beaten
25g plain flour

for dusting
1 tbsp olive oil
300g linguine
320g green beans

trimmed and halved

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

Nutrition: Per serving

kcal628
fat15g
saturates6g
carbs69g
sugars6g
fibre8g

high
protein49g
salt0.8g

Method

step 1

Cut the chicken into very small pieces using a sharp knife. You can use a food processor, but pulse so it doesn’t turn into a paste. Put in a bowl and add half the lemon zest, half the ricotta, half the parsley, the breadcrumbs and mix together. Add the 2 tbsp milk, the egg and a good pinch of seasoning. Mix again.
step 2

Dust a plate lightly with flour. Wet your hands, take a golf ball-sized piece of the meatball mixture and roll into a ball. Set on the floured plate and repeat until all the mixture has been used up.
step 3

Heat a heavy-based frying pan over a medium heat, add the oil, then the meatballs, ensuring they don’t touch each other. Cook for 10-15 mins, turning so they brown on all sides. Transfer to a plate.
step 4

Meanwhile, heat a large pan of salted water and add the linguine. Cook following pack instructions, and 3 mins before the end of the cooking time, add the green beans. Drain, saving the pasta water. Rinse the linguine and beans under cool water to stop them cooking further.
step 5

Add the remaining ricotta to the frying pan, breaking it up as much as possible. Pour in the 100ml milk and 2 tbsp of reserved pasta water, then cook down to thicken slightly for a couple of minutes. Add the pasta, beans and remaining lemon zest and parsley. Season to taste, mix in the meatballs and serve.

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 3.5 out of 5.22 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