Ed Smith’s Garlic Butter Chicken Balls with Orzo
In Ed Smith’s brand new recipe book, Peckish, he showcases over 80 straightforward chicken recipes that will have you coming back for more. Arranged by the different cuts of chicken (drumstick, thighs, breast, wings, etc), as well the whole bird, recipes include midweek meals and dishes that are worthy of weekend gatherings.
Ed has kindly shared this recipe with us to celebrate the launch of Peckish.
GARLIC BUTTER CHICKEN BALLS WITH ORZO
FOR 4
Conjure in your mind the heady hit of warm garlic butter as it spills out of a Kyiv, then transport that to soft, baked chicken balls and luscious, glossy grains of orzo, which effectively double as both carb and sauce. That’s what this dish is! Homemade meatballs do take a short moment to shape. But otherwise this is more straightforward than filling, breading and frying the classic alternative.
Ingredients
70g (2½oz) breadcrumbs
4 tbsp milk
500g (1lb 2oz) minced (ground) chicken
1 lemon, zest finely grated, then cut into 6 segments
25g (1oz) flat-leaf parsley, very finely chopped
6 garlic cloves, minced (3 tsp)
60g (2¼oz) Parmesan, finely grated, plus extra to serve
1 medium egg
1 tbsp neutral cooking oil
275g (9¾ oz) dried orzo pasta
80g (2¾ oz) salted butter
150g (5½oz) baby spinach
Flaky sea salt and ground black pepper
Method
1. Put the breadcrumbs in a large bowl and add the milk. Stir and leave to soak for 10 minutes.
2. In a large bowl, use a spoon to thoroughly combine the chicken mince with the soaked breadcrumbs, lemon zest, 2 teaspoons of the chopped parsley, 1 teaspoon of the minced garlic, one-third of the Parmesan, the egg and a really, really generous pinch of salt and grind of pepper.
3. Heat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/400°F.
4. Line a baking sheet with greaseproof baking paper or a silicon mat. Spread the oil over it with your hands. Use the same oily hands to roll the mixture into 12 large meatballs, around 45g (1¾oz) each. Arrange them on the baking sheet as you work, occasionally wiping your hands over the oil (to prevent the meat sticking to your hands and to add a little oil to the outside of the balls). Bake for 13 minutes; they will be pale, but set and clearly juicy.
5. Meanwhile, bring a large pan of generously salted water to the boil. Add the orzo and cook at a steady simmer for a little less than the packet instructions so tender but not swollen. Strain, saving the cooking water.
6. When both the meatballs and pasta are nearly done, gently melt the butter in a medium saucepan over a low-medium heat, then add the remaining garlic to the pan. Let this warm through but not colour for 2–3 minutes, then stir in the remaining parsley. Transfer 2 tablespoons of the mixture to a large bowl.
7. Tip the orzo into the garlic butter pan. Stir in the remaining Parmesan, then add the spinach and pour in 200ml (7fl oz) of the reserved pasta water. Shuffle and fold the spinach into the orzo as it wilts. This should flow like a loose risotto – add more pasta water as the orzo swells and stiffens.
8. Tip the cooked chicken balls into the bowl of garlic butter, squeeze over 2 of the lemon segments, and gently toss so the balls are coated.
9. Ladle the orzo into shallow bowls and top with meatballs, more Parmesan, plus a segment of lemon each, to squeeze over while eating.
ALSO CONSIDER
Serving garlic and parsley butter orzo under breaded chicken (page 120), with some of the butter reserved to spoon over the top (an easy Kyiv!).
You can buy Ed’s cookbook here and follow him on Instagram here.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
ED SMITH (@rocketandsquash) is an award-winning food and recipe writer. After leaving a career as a lawyer for a life in food, he trained as a chef, worked briefly in restaurants and pop-ups, and now cooks, consults, develops recipes, writes and creates. Ed’s acclaimed cookbooks include Good Eggs, Crave, On the Side and The Borough Market Cookbook. He regularly contributes recipes to Waitrose Weekend and Waitrose Food magazine, and has written for all major UK recipe supplements, magazines and online food platforms.