Tender italian mini chicken meatballs browned in extra virgin olive oil and then simmered in savory chicken broth. Add in juicy cherry tomatoes, orecchiette pasta noodles, and mozzarella balls for a delicious italian dinner without tomato sauce. This Orecchiette Pasta with Baby Chicken Meatballs is a one pot meal with so many delicious flavors in every bite.
I originally discovered this mini chicken meatballs with pasta recipe years ago, through chef Giada De Laurentiis. Does anybody remember watching Everyday Italian on the Food Network? I have to admit, I grew up with pretty strict parents when it came to entertainment (which I am so grateful for). So there wasn’t a lot that I was allowed to watch on cable. One thing that always was allowed though—Food Network. Honestly, this wasn’t even much of a sacrifice because I LOVED it. I loved Ina, Giada, and Alton. I swear part of the reason I love to cook so much, and why I knew what “mince” meant when I was 8 years old, is thanks to Food Network.
Giada de Laurentiis was always one of my go-tos (her chicken piccata is AMAZING), and lucky for me her show always came on when I got home from school! She is known for recipes that take Italian concepts and flavors, but prepare them in a more simple way.
This is Giada's recipe for orecchiette pasta with mozzarella and mini chicken meatballs. I love how the orecchiette noodles serve as little bowls to house pockets of flavor. It is a delicious comfort food pasta dinner any time of the year, but especially perfect in the colder months.
Ingredients for Orecchiette Pasta with Baby Chicken Meatballs Recipe
- orecchiette pasta noodles
- plain or Italian bread crumbs
- fresh flat-leaf parsley chopped
- eggs
- whole milk
- ketchup
- freshly grated romano
- salt
- fresh cracked black pepper
- ground chicken
- olive oil
- chicken stock
- cherry tomatoes
- fresh grated parmesan cheese
- mozzarella balls (pearls or ciliegine)
- fresh basil
How to Make Orecchiette with Chicken Meatballs
Boil water for pasta in a large pot. Once the water is boiling, add pasta and cook until al dente or firm. About 8-10 minutes.
In a medium-sized bowl, add the following ingredients: breadcrumbs, chopped parsley, eggs, ketchup, milk, Romano cheese, and salt and pepper. Add the ground chicken to this mixture and mix gently to combine.
Form ground chicken mixture into small meatballs. A melon baller works well for a size guideline. Make sure your hands are damp when rolling the meatballs, it helps the mixture not to stick as badly.
In a large, deep skillet or dutch oven, heat half of the olive oil over medium heat. Brown meatballs, turning gently to cook all sides. You will want to do this in stages, adding the rest of the olive oil as needed. As the meatballs finish, move to a plate on the side.
Once all the baby chicken meatballs are done, bring the finished ones back to the pot. Add in chicken stock and bring up to a boil, being sure to scrap the bottom of the pot to get up any flavor lying there. Add in the halved tomatoes and simmer on low for 5-10 minutes-- until meatballs are cooked through.
Add the cooked pasta to the pot, along with the grated Parmesan, fresh mozzarella, and basil. Toss lightly to combine and serve!
Top Tip
These meatballs are very tender and have the tendency to crumble a bit. This doesn't affect the flavor of the final dish at all, so it has never bothered me. If you would like the meatballs to be a little more firm/stay more round, add an additional ¼ cup of breadcrumbs before forming them.
You may also make these into baked chicken meatballs and bake then at 400 degrees fahrenheit for 20 minutes before adding them to the pot and completing the dish from there.
Substitutions/variations
Ground turkey: You can replace the ground chicken with ground turkey if you prefer.
Another small pasta: If you can't find orecchiette, any small pasta like farfalle or penne would work just fine!
What does orecchiette mean
Orecchiette means "little ear" in italian. It is a semolina pasta resembling the shape of a small ear and is about the size of a nickel.
How do you pronounce orecchiette
Orecchiette is pronounced "oh-reck-ee-ET-tay."
Orecchiette with Baby Chicken Meatballs
Ingredients
- 1 lb orecchiette pasta
- ¼ cup plain or Italian bread crumbs
- ¼ cup fresh flat-leaf parsley chopped
- 2 eggs lightly beaten
- 1 tablespoon whole milk
- 1 tablespoon ketchup
- ¼ cup romano grated
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 pound ground chicken
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 2 cups chicken stock low salt is best
- 4 cups cherry tomatoes
- ½ cup parmeson freshly grated
- 8 ounces mozzarella balls pearls or ciliegine
- ½ cup fresh basil chopped
Instructions
- Boil water for pasta in a large pot. Once the water is boiling, add pasta and cook until al dente or firm. About 8-10 minutes.
- In a medium-sized bowl, add the following ingredients: breadcrumbs, chopped parsley, eggs, ketchup, milk, Romano, and salt and pepper.
- Add the ground chicken to this mixture and mix gently to combine.
- Form chicken into small meatballs. A melon baller works well for a size guideline. Make sure your hands are damp when rolling the meatballs, it helps the mixture not to stick as badly.
- In a large, deep skillet or dutch oven, heat half of the olive oil over medium heat.
- Brown meatballs, turning gently to cook all sides. You will want to do this in stages, adding the rest of the olive oil as needed. As the meatballs finish, move to a plate on the side.
- Once all the meatballs are done, bring the finished ones back to the pot. Add in chicken stock and bring up to a boil, being sure to scrap the bottom of the pot to get up any flavor lying there.
- Add in the halved tomatoes and simmer on low for 5-10 minutes-- until meatballs are cooked through.
- Add the cooked pasta to the pot, along with the grated Parmesan, fresh mozzarella, and basil.
- Toss lightly to combine and serve!
Melissa
Looks delicious! I can’t wait to try this recipe- maybe it will make me like tomatoes!
Shannon N Roehrig
Looks delicious!