Cilantro and Parsley Chicken Meatballs

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I had a bunch of leftover herbs from another recipe and decided to make these healthy chicken meatballs loaded with cilantro and parsley.

If you are a cilantro lover, you'll enjoy these.

These meatballs are also super versatile. If you have extra cilantro, serve these meatballs as appetizers with this creamy cilantro yogurt dip. Between the meatballs and the dip, you'll end up using over 1-1/2 cups of packed cilantro leaves!

Want the meal to be more substantial? Then serve the meatballs over a cilantro parsley pesto pasta! That's what I made for dinner, and is what is shown in the photo at the top of the page. That will also help you use up over a cup of cilantro and parsley each! (See recipe below for the pesto sauce. I adapted the recipe from here.)

But if all you have is just a small amount of leftover cilantro and parsley (just enough to make the meatballs)-- no worries. Just serve these meatballs tucked into a pita pocket with some lettuce, tomatoes and your favorite condiments. It will still be delicious that way.

Here's how to make the meatballs:

Place onions, garlic, cilantro and parsley in a small food processor

It looks super full, but it'll be OK

Chop until herbs are finely chopped

Scoop out the onion herb mixture into a bowl containing the ground chicken

Add the eggs, panko, and spices

Mix thoroughly (~5min)
Form small meatballs and add to an oiled pan

I used 2 spoons to form the meatballs cuz I didn't want to dirty my hands

Add 3 T water to pan and cover. Turn heat to medium low and cook 15 min

They will turn whitish when cooked. Check to make sure it's cooked all the way through.

Note 1: if you don't have ground chicken, you can substitute with ground turkey, just cut back on the panko because ground turkey is not as wet and loose as ground chicken. (I actually find using ground turkey to be tastier for this, but all I had this week for the pictures were ground chicken.)

Note 2: Sometimes, I don't want to dirty my hands, so I will use 2 spoons to form the meatballs. They don't come out as round, but if you are just making these for yourself (as opposed to serving guests), it doesn't have to be perfect.

Making the Cilantro Parsley Pesto Pasta (if you want to serve your meatballs over pasta):

Add cilantro, parsley, walnuts, cheese, olive oil, water, salt & pepper and process
Cook pasta according to packaged instructions. Toss with desired amount of pesto

Serve pasta with cilantro parsley chicken meatballs

Yields 3-4 servings (about 16 medium sized meatballs)

Ingredients for Meatballs:

  • 1 lb ground chicken
  • ¾ c panko (use only 1/2c if substituting ground chicken with ground turkey)
  • 2 eggs
  • 3 T dried chopped onion
  • 1 ¼ t salt
  • ½ t sugar
  • ½ t ground black pepper
  • ¼ t cumin
  • ½ c packed cilantro
  • ½ c packed parsley
  • ½ yellow onion roughly chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic

Procedures For Meatballs:

1. Add chopped onions, garlic cloves, cilantro and parsley to a food processor and pulse chop until herbs are finely chopped. (If you don’t have a food processor, then just finely chop all the herbs and onions and garlic with a knife and cutting board.)

2. Add the chopped herbs to a bowl containing the ground chicken.

3. Add all the remaining ingredients for meatballs into the bowl. Mix thoroughly. It will take a while to mix and ensure everything is incorporated and smooth.

4. Roll into medium sized meatballs (about 2 inches) and add to a large pan coated with about 1T oil. Turn the heat to low to medium low, and add 2 to 3 Tablespoons of water to the pan. Cover with a lid and cook for 15 minutes. Open the lid and check the bottom of the meatballs. They should just be slightly browned. Adjust heat accordingly, and cover the lid and cook for an additional 5 minutes or until cooked through.

5. You can enjoy these meatballs many ways. Serve as appetizers paired with this spicy garlic cilantro yogurt sauce dip, or serve tucked into a pita pocket with some lettuce and tomatoes, or serve over a bed of cilantro parsley pesto pasta (pesto recipe below).

Ingredients for Cilantro Parsley Pesto:

Yields about a little over 3/4 c pesto and serves 4; recipe adapted from this vegan pesto recipe here

  • 1/3 c toasted walnuts
  • 1 c packed cilantro leaves
  • 1 cup packed parsley leaves
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1/3 c olive oil
  • 2 T water
  • ¼ c grated parmesan cheese
  • ¼ t salt
  • ¼ t ground black pepper

Procedures For Cilantro Parsley Pesto:

1. Place all ingredients in a food processor and process until pesto is smooth. Takes about 5 minutes with stirring in between to ensure there are no large bits stuck on the sides of the processor. If you are using the stems of the cilantro and parsley, you will need to rough chop your herbs or the stems may end up just twirling and tangling around the middle spinner of your processor.

2. Taste the pesto and add more salt or pepper to your taste.

3. Use the pesto by tossing with hot pasta cooked according to packaged instructions. Pesto keeps well in the fridge for 2-3 days, or store in freezer for up to 3 months.