Moroccan-Spiced Chicken Meatballs

By Lidey Heuck

Total Time: 30 minutes
Rating: 5(2,490)
Notes: Read community notes

Chicken meatballs may not be a traditionally Moroccan dish, but they work beautifully when spiced with paprika, cumin, cinnamon, ginger and garlic, which are commonly found in the country’s cuisine. Whole-milk yogurt does double duty here: It’s used to make the meatballs moist and tender, and makes for a speedy sauce to serve with them. Don’t use ground chicken made with ultralean breasts; look for labels that show a mix of white and dark meat. (Or if you’re feeling ambitious, grind your own boneless, skinless chicken thighs in the food processor.) Serve the meatballs with couscous and a green vegetable for a flavorful weeknight dinner that’s well worth the effort.

or to save this recipe.
Subscriber benefit: give recipes to anyone
As a subscriber, you have 10 gift recipes to give each month. Anyone can view them - even nonsubscribers. Learn more.
Subscribe
Share
Print Options
Include recipe photo

Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

1⅓cups plain whole-milk yogurt
1tablespoon, plus 1 teaspoon minced or grated garlic (about 4 cloves)
2teaspoons lemon juice (from 1 lemon)
Kosher salt and black pepper
1pound ground chicken (not 100 percent breast meat)
½cup panko bread crumbs
1large egg, lightly beaten
3tablespoons minced fresh parsley, plus more for serving
1tablespoon olive oil, plus more for frying
1teaspoon light brown or granulated sugar
1teaspoon sweet paprika
½teaspoon ground cumin
½teaspoon ground ginger
¼teaspoon ground cinnamon
3tablespoons toasted pine nuts (optional)

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Preparation

Step 1
First, make the yogurt sauce: Combine 1 cup of the yogurt, 1 teaspoon of the garlic, the lemon juice, ¼ teaspoon salt and black pepper to taste in a small bowl. Mix well, and chill until ready to use.
Step 2
Make the meatballs: In a large bowl, combine the remaining ⅓ cup yogurt, remaining 1 tablespoon garlic, chicken, panko, egg, parsley, olive oil, sugar, paprika, cumin, ginger, cinnamon, 1½ teaspoons salt and a few generous grinds of black pepper. Mix gently but thoroughly, until incorporated. Using an ice cream scoop or two spoons, form meatballs about 1½-inches in diameter, then place them on a plate or sheet pan until ready to use.
Step 3
In a large skillet, heat ⅛-inch olive oil over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, fry the meatballs in batches, flipping occasionally, until browned all over and cooked through, 4 to 5 minutes. (If the meatballs begin browning too quickly or the oil begins smoking, lower the heat.) Transfer the cooked meatballs to a paper towel-lined plate.
Step 4
To serve, spread the yogurt sauce in an even layer on a flat platter. Arrange the meatballs on top, and top with a sprinkle of chopped parsley and the pine nuts, if using. Serve hot.

Ratings

5 out of 5

2,490 user ratings

Your rating

Have you cooked this?

Private Notes

Leave a Private Note on this recipe and see it here.

Cooking Notes

RPR2 years ago

Delicious and easy recipe! Instead of frying I baked for 20 min. at 400 and they came out perfectly (and minimized the kitchen mess!). Tossed some zucchini on the same baking sheet and it was an easy side. Flavors are wonderful and this will definitely be a weeknight staple. For those asking about a nondairy alternative to the sauce - I’ve made a coconut yogurt tzatziki before with great success; this is a very similar sauce so it will probably be an easy swap.

modificatioms2 years ago

Recipe came out great as is. A few possible modifications for next time: Omit the garlic from the yogurt sauce, it’s really strong. Bake the meatballs in the oven after browning them or make them into little patties instead of balls because they took a long time in the pan and got a little too dark. Serve with lots of fresh mint.

Kevin S2 years ago

Delicious weeknight meal! We used ground turkey instead of chicken because that’s what we had on hand. Also opted to bake for 20 minutes @ 400° like some others suggested and they turned out great.

Karen2 years ago

I think a tahini and lemon juice sauce would go nicely.

Michelle2 years ago

Delicious. I baked them, too. Next time, I’m punching up the spice, either cayenne or I’m adding scallions, or both! I had leftover tabouli and tzasziki sauce and made a salad to go with. Pinot blanc is a nice plus ;)

Miss Pickers2 years ago

Tahini sauce would be a great alternative as would serving on/with hummus. Will try as part of a larger mezze platter with tabbouleh, stuffed vine leaves, fattoush etc.

Lori2 years ago

I substituted tahini for the yogurt and cilantro for the parsley. The result was delicious. It’s a keeper!

Dan2 years ago

Meatballs took longer to cook than anticipated but was delicious.

Ilene Africk2 years ago

I broiled the dark meat chicken meat balls for 7 minutes. Then flipped them and broiled for another 8 minutes. I add them to my chicken soup for additional flavor.

randi1 year ago

Skipped the yogurt part to save time and just added 1/3 cup of prepared tzatziki to mixture. Used GF panko Also baked at 400 for 25 minutes. Delicious!

melissa8 months ago

Replying to myself...Yes, Melissa, the labne was a wonderful sub, as was the cauliflower rice in place of panko. I baked them for convince, slightly higher temp to adjust for altitude in Colorado, 415 for 20 minutes, and they were so good had them 2 nights in a row. :)

chrissy1 year ago

This is my new favorite weeknight dinner recipe. I used a combination of ground chicken and turkey and they turned out incredible. As always, I double the amount of prescribed spices. You definitely want the cinnamon to come through on this one. I doubled the recipe for 5 people and had some left overs. I paired this with a chickpea “potato” salad. DIVINE.

Josh B1 year ago

I added pomegranate seeds to the meat mixture which added overall sweetness and flavor to this already amazing recipe.

Alyson3 weeks ago

Could I use Ras El-Hanout in place of the individual spices? If so, how many teaspoons would be needed? Thanks for advice.

Josée1 month ago

Easy and delicious, served with couscous, a spicy carrot salad and pita bread and we had an easy weeknight meal that was very good. I also cooked them in the oven while I prepared the yogurt sauce and carrot salad.

Shannon1 month ago

Excellent, quick and unique recipe! I used ground turkey instead of chicken and replaced 1/3 cup of the yogurt in the yogurt sauce with tahini, like other commenters mentioned -- which added a really good flavor. It turned out great and took about 30 minutes, including a simple side salad. My partner went back for thirds!

Mary1 month ago

Cook at 400 for 20 minutes. Add dill or mint to the yogurt sauce. Top with pomegranate seeds if you have. Good with ground turkey too

ophelia1 month ago

Baked at 400F for 22 min and perfect.

DVB1 month ago

Great recipe, we really like the flavor combo. I subbed cilantro for parsley and served the dish with Israeli couscous cooked with leeks and mushrooms in Chechen stock. Dolloped the yogurt sauce around the serving plate ant topped with chopped cilantro and a squeeze of lime.

Name sharon2 months ago

I just made this. Using less oil and salt. It was good. But i did sprinkle feta on top…feta makes everything taste betta.

thomas2 months ago

I made these with Israeli couscous and added pomegranate seeds. It was delish.

Annie G2 months ago

Made with ground turkey (used the less lean option). Bought a jar of tahini sauce and substituted that for the yogurt except I added 1/4 cup to the meatballs instead of 1/3. Oven at 400 F for 20 mins, flipped once. Came out great, tahini is a great flavor in meatballs! We served with olive bread and taktouka

GloriaR2 months ago

My husband and I both enjoyed these. I think I would try some of the other sauce suggestions next time though. I followed others and baked at 400. Good flavor but I slightly prefer the chicken miso meatball recipe over this one….

Helen2 months ago

I’ve made this with chicken and pork - both were delicious! Last time when I made them with pork I cooked them under the broiler and it was SO easy and quick. I think I prefer that method.

Carlie2 months ago

I made a carmelized onion, raisin, dish as well - cook the onions and raisins on low heat forever until they are carmelized, with butter and a little chicken stock. Layer that on top of the yogurt sauce then the meatballs. Spicy and sweet is the goal.

live your life2 months ago

I heeded some of the comments and doubled the dried spices in the meatball. I usually find yogurt sauce in these recipes left over and going nowhere so just halved the amount there, also added zest of the lemon. Baked meatballs at 400 for about 16-17 mins w olive oil drizzled over and under. Very flavorful! Served with pearl couscous and some additional mint, parsley and baby spinach. Perfect for us with these mods

condiment queen2 months ago

Great recipe! Baked these on a parchment-lined sheet pan for 20 minutes at 400 degrees, convection setting. Yogurt sauce is so goooood -- lovely compliment to the warm spices. Served with Trader Joe's Harvest Grains Blend and a cucumber/tomato/red pepper salad.

Laura3 months ago

I'm not one for frying so I baked them for 20 min at 400º as others suggested. They were very good but a little bland; I will add try adding red pepper flakes the next time. The yogurt sauce was perfect with them.

Private notes are only visible to you.