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A bowl of meatballs sits on a timber table with a side salad a glass of white wine.

Harissa Meatballs

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  • Author: Emma Lee
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 25 minutes
  • Total Time: 35 minutes
  • Yield: 20 meatballs 1x
  • Category: Dinner
  • Method: Roasting
  • Cuisine: Middle Eastern

Description

These fiery harissa meatballs are always a winner in our house. They’re tender, juicy, and a little spicy, making them a perfect easy weeknight dinner.


Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 slices of day-old bread
  • 1 red onion
  • 600g chicken thigh fillets
  • 2 cloves garlic, peeled
  • 3 tbsp harissa
  • handful fresh parsley
  • 1 tbsp sea salt flakes
  • a good grind of freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

  1. Preheat your oven to 190°C
  2. In a food processor fitted with a multipurpose blade, pulse your bread until they become breadcrumbs.
  3. Add the Spanish onion and garlic and pulse until finely chopped.
  4. Add the chicken thighs, peeled garlic cloves, harissa paste, parsley, sea salt, and black pepper. 
  5. Turn the food processor on and mix/chop until everything is minced together and uniform in color/texture.
  6. Scoop small amounts of the chicken mince mixture and using damp hands, roll the chicken meatballs onto an oiled baking sheet leaving space in between each one to cook.  Drizzle with a little oil and pop into the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes.

Notes

Chicken is cooked when it has an internal temperature of 75°C.

I have used a food processor to speed up the prep for this recipe. To make by hand, refer to the post above.

To cook meatballs in a skillet –  Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the meatballs in a single layer, leaving space between each one. Cook for about 3-4 minutes per side, until golden brown and fully cooked (internal temperature should reach 75°C). Remove from the pan and serve!

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 5 meatballs
  • Calories: 367
  • Sugar: 4.1 g
  • Sodium: 2187.1 mg
  • Fat: 22.5 g
  • Carbohydrates: 14.2 g
  • Protein: 27.2 g
  • Cholesterol: 142.5 mg