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Sun-Dried Tomato Basil Chicken Meatballs with Creamy Parmesan Rice

March 2, 2016 by Morgan 10 Comments

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Sun-Dried Tomato Basil Chicken Meatballs with Creamy Parmesan Rice. Tender chicken meatballs, studded with sun dried tomatoes, fresh basil, and plenty of garlic over creamy, parmesan and garlic rice will become a new family favorite dinner. | hostthetoast.com

These Sun-Dried Tomato Basil Chicken Meatballs with Creamy Parmesan Rice are a result of what can only be explained as a freak accident on mother nature’s behalf: I’ve managed to keep a basil plant alive in my kitchen for months now. Not only is it alive, it’s flourishing. New leaves are coming in. Nothing is wilting. It’s survived the chill of the snow storms, days upon days of me forgetting to water it, and the issue that I have never, ever had a basil plant that didn’t shrivel up and die at the mere thought of me bringing it home. Oh, and the fact that it’s only the beginning of March. What is going on here?!

Honestly, I’m really attached to this dang plant now… I’m even thinking about naming it. Currently taking suggestions, if you have any.

Sun-Dried Tomato Basil Chicken Meatballs with Creamy Parmesan Rice. Tender chicken meatballs, studded with sun dried tomatoes, fresh basil, and plenty of garlic over creamy, parmesan and garlic rice will become a new family favorite dinner. | hostthetoast.com

 

I was originally going to say that I love this basil plant as if it was my own little pet, but then I considered that I did, in the end, decide to pluck off its leaves and use them to make dinner. And with that tidbit in mind, I feel that I probably shouldn’t draw those types of comparisons, right? I mean, it seems kind of weird.

So I don’t love the basil plant that much. But it’s supplied me with some killer herbage, and for that, I am very grateful.

 

Sun-Dried Tomato Basil Chicken Meatballs with Creamy Parmesan Rice. Tender chicken meatballs, studded with sun dried tomatoes, fresh basil, and plenty of garlic over creamy, parmesan and garlic rice will become a new family favorite dinner. | hostthetoast.com

I’ll eat basil in just about anything. I love it in a fresh caprese salad, or processed into a homemade pesto, or layered with watermelon and feta, or in a pizza sauce, or in a box, or with a fox, or in a house, or with a mouse*, but my favorite combination is basil with sun-dried tomatoes and near-excessive amounts of garlic. Sprinkle some parmesan cheese on top and ohhhh yea. You’re golden.

*It’s Dr. Seuss Day, I couldn’t resist.

And that’s exactly what I did– I mixed all of those ingredients into tender chicken meatballs, and served them over a bed of creamy rice, which of course was also loaded with garlic and parmesan. (I never miss an opportunity to crank up the flavor, guys.)

Sun-Dried Tomato Basil Chicken Meatballs with Creamy Parmesan Rice. Tender chicken meatballs, studded with sun dried tomatoes, fresh basil, and plenty of garlic over creamy, parmesan and garlic rice will become a new family favorite dinner. | hostthetoast.com

Oh man oh man oh man, it was all so good. James, Mike, and I ate until we couldn’t take another bite, and even still I found myself sneaking to the fridge to pop some leftover meatballs as the night went on. I’m pretty sure one of them did as well, because when I went to heat a few up for lunch the next day, there was only one lonely meatball waiting for me. I swear, I didn’t eat that many.

There’s no questioning the fact that Sun-Dried Tomato Basil Chicken Meatballs with Creamy Parmesan Rice was a hit in my house. The big question, actually, is how long my basil plant will survive after I add these babies to the regular rotation. Place your bets, people.

Oh, and don’t forget to take a photo when you make this, and tag #hostthetoast on Instagram or Twitter, as always. Go on, you know you wanna show it off!

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Sun Dried Tomato Basil Chicken Meatballs with Creamy Parmesan Rice


  • Author: Morgan
  • Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
  • Yield: 5-6 servings 1x
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Ingredients

Units Scale

For the Creamy Parmesan Rice:

  • 5 tablespoons butter
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 1/2 cups uncooked rice
  • 1 1/2 cups water
  • 1 1/2 cups milk, plus more, if necessary
  • 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, shredded or grated, plus more to top

For the Sun Dried Tomato Basil Chicken Meatballs:

  • 1 pound ground chicken
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped, plus more to top
  • 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped, plus more to top
  • 1/4 cup seasoned breadcrumbs
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil

Instructions

  1. Start by preparing the rice. Melt 5 tablespoons of butter in a medium-sized pot over medium heat. Add the garlic and saute until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in the rice, making sure all of the rice gets coated in the butter. Slowly pour in the water and milk, and then bring the pot to a boil. Let boil for 1 minute, then reduce to a low simmer. Cover and cook until the rice is tender, about 20 minutes. Stir in the parmesan cheese, as well as salt and pepper to taste. If the rice is too dry, add milk, a bit at a time, until it reaches the correct consistency. Recover and set aside until the meatballs are ready.
  2. As the rice cooks, make the meatballs. In a large bowl, mix together the ground chicken, egg, 3 cloves of garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, basil, seasoned breadcrumbs, onion powder, 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, and 1/8 teaspoon black pepper. Once well-combined, form into about 30 small meatballs.
  3. Melt the butter with the oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add the meatballs to the pan and let cook until well-browned on the bottom, about 3 minutes, without turning. Then, turn the meatballs and repeat until all sides are browned and the meatballs are cooked through.
  4. Serve the rice and meatballs warm, with extra sun-dried tomatoes, basil, and parmesan on top.
  • Prep Time: 45 mins
  • Cook Time: 30 mins

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Filed Under: Food, Main Course, Poultry Tagged With: Basil, Chicken, Creamy, Dinner, Garlic, Meatballs, Parmesan, Recipe, Rice, sun dried, Tomato

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Comments

  1. Brian says

    March 2, 2016 at 12:18 pm

    Call the plant Sherlock. (Basil Rathbone) Or hell, call it Rathbone.

    Reply
  2. Matt says

    March 2, 2016 at 6:40 pm

    So I basically got off work, went to the grocery store and came home and made this. End result super tasty. If I had any complaints around it would be with the rice.

    The rice came out tasty but was a little oily. I think when I do this again I’d use a little less butter. I may have done something wrong so I recommend following the recipe first then decide if you need to tweak.

    the other thing that got me was the timing. I follow the recipe, got the rice simmering then switch to putting the meatballs together. by the time I finished rolling the balls the rice was done. so I took the rice off the heat and cooked the the balls. so by the time the meatballs were done the rice had cooled off a lot. So when I do this again I’ll probably cool the meatballs first and keep them warm in the oven then cook the rice.

    Over all I’ll keep this in my list of recipes and totally make it again. I might also roast up some veggies to go alone.

    Reply
  3. Lexi says

    March 2, 2016 at 11:03 pm

    I love basil! These sound fabulous! 🙂

    Reply
  4. Joana says

    March 8, 2016 at 6:08 am

    Hi there!
    Totally making these next Saturday 😀
    I was just wondering if I can cook the meatballs in the oven? And if so, what would be (aproximately) the time to get them done?
    Thanks!
    Regards

    Reply
    • Lauren says

      September 23, 2018 at 1:59 pm

      I was wondering that too. Any idea of the timing if we cook (or finish) the meatballs in the oven? Thanks!

      Reply
  5. Lauren says

    September 23, 2018 at 2:01 pm

    I have a similar question to Joana. If I bake the meatballs in the oven instead, any idea of how long that would take?

    Reply
  6. Shari Burtenshaw says

    July 15, 2020 at 11:26 pm

    We made the meatballs this week and my pickiest eater loved them!

    Reply

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MEET MORGAN

Morgan is a full-time food blogger, pizza-related sleep talker, and self-described hobby hoarder.
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