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Nargisse Benkabbou's spiced chicken meatballs with garlic tomato sauce and tahini yogurt drizzle recipe

Nargisse Benkabbou's spiced chicken meatballs with garlic tomato sauce and tahini yogurt drizzle recipe

5 ratings

Chef Nargisse Benkabbou shares her gorgeous Moroccan-inspired meatballs dish that makes an easy yet impressive get-together lunch or dinner. The warming spices and rich flavours all come together in just one hour. Serve with flatbreads and Nargisse's roasted cauliflower recipe, if you like, see below for recipe. See method

  • Serves 6
  • Takes 1 hr
  • 294 calories / serving
  • Freezable
  • Healthy

Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 4 garlic cloves, crushed​
  • 1 tsp sweet paprika
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 400g tin chopped tomatoes
  • 10g fresh coriander, finely chopped
  • 1 tsp clear honey
  • 10g fresh dill or parsley, finely chopped
  • flatbreads, to serve (optional)

For the meatballs

  • 500g pack chicken mince
  • 1 medium onion, grated or finely chopped
  • 70g dried breadcrumbs
  • 10g fresh coriander, finely chopped
  • 2 tsp sweet paprika
  • 2 tsp ground cumin​

For the tahini drizzle

  • 100g Greek yogurt
  • 3 tbsp tahini
  • ½ large lemon, juiced
  • 1 garlic clove, crushed
1 of your 5-a-day and high in protein

Each serving contains

  • Energy

    1230kj
    294kcal
    15%
  • Fat

    15g 22%
  • Saturates

    4g 18%
  • Sugars

    7g 8%
  • Salt

    0.5g 8%

of the reference intake
Carbohydrate 16.8g Protein 21.4g Fibre 2.9g

Method

  1. Heat the oil in a lidded frying pan over a low-medium heat. Add the garlic, paprika and cumin and cook for 1-2 mins, stirring occasionally, until fragrant. Add the tomatoes, 80ml water, coriander, honey and some seasoning. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring to the boil. Cover the pan, reduce the heat to low, and simmer for 25-30 mins, stirring every 10 mins to prevent sticking, until reduced to a fragrant sauce. If it looks as if the sauce is too dry at any point, add 1-2 tbsp water.
  2. Meanwhile, in a bowl, combine the chicken mince, onion, breadcrumbs, coriander, paprika and cumin; season well. Use a spoon or your hands to mix well. Shape into around 18 large meatballs, 2½-3cm in diameter, then cover with clingfi lm and keep in the fridge until ready to use.
  3. When the tomato sauce is ready, taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary. Add the meatballs to the pan, cover and cook for about 7 mins until they start to firm up. Flip the balls, cover the pan and simmer for a further 7 mins or until they are cooked through.
  4. Meanwhile, mix the tahini sauce ingredients with enough water to make a drizzleable consistency. Drizzle the sauce over the meatballs, garnish with the herbs and serve with flatbreads, if you like.

Freezing and defrosting guidelines

Freeze cooked meatballs and sauce only. In order to enjoy optimum flavour and quality, frozen items are best used within 3 months of their freezing date. For more tips on freezing and defrosting food, read our article Love Your Freezer.

See more Moroccan recipes

For top tips on protecting you and your family when preparing raw meat and poultry, visit Food Safety in the Home.

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