Pesto Chicken Meatballs Over Lemon Arugula
- Author: Annie Chesson
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 15 mins
- Total Time: 35 mins
- Yield: 5 servings 1x
- For the meatballs:
- 1 pound ground chicken
- 1/2 cup whole wheat panko (if you can’t find whole wheat, regular is fine)
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon salt
- For the pesto:
- 1 cup loosely packed basil leaves
- 1/2 cup loosely packed parsley
- 1/2 cup loosely packed cilantro
- 2 tablespoons pine nuts
- 2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
- 1 clove garlic
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- For the arugula salad:
- 5 cups loosely packed baby arugula
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees
- In a medium bowl, mix all of your meatball ingredients together (chicken, panko, egg, salt) until just combined
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and form your meatballs. Using about 2 tablespoons of meat mixture for each ball, roll the meat in between your palms to form the balls and place them on your parchment paper
- Bake the meatballs for 10 minutes, remove from oven, turn them over, and bake for another 5 minutes
- Meanwhile, make your pesto
- In a food processor, combine the basil, parsley, cilantro, pine nuts, parmesan cheese, garlic, lemon juice, and a little salt and pepper
- Pulse until the mixture is finely chopped
- With the food processor running, drizzle in your olive oil
- Remove the lid, scrape down the sides, and place the lid back on
- Turn the food processor back on and add water, one tablespoon at a time (scraping down the sides in between each tablespoon), until you get the consistency of pesto that you desire. It will most likely be between 2 and 4 tablespoons of water (maybe a little more, maybe a little less – it really depends on what you like)
- Season your pesto to taste with salt and pepper
- Let your pesto sit in the fridge until everything is ready
- For your arugula salad, whisk together all the ingredients for the dressing (lemon, olive oil, dijon mustard, salt and pepper to taste) and set aside until ready to serve
- When the meatballs are done baking, remove them from the oven and toss together in a bowl with all of your pesto until they are all evenly coated
- To serve, start with about 1 cup of arugula, dressed to your preference, and top with about three pesto coated meatballs