Chicken Shawarma Meatballs

This recipe combines two of my favorite things: meatballs and chicken shawarma. And let me tell you, these meatballs were absolutely off-the-hook delicious!

I was a little concerned when I saw there were no breadcrumbs in the recipe, but it turns out they weren’t needed at all. The egg yolk was plenty of binder, and the meatballs held together beautifully.

The flavor was spot-on shawarma—warm, savory, and packed with all those delicious Middle Eastern spices I love. And while I absolutely love a good shawarma pita sandwich, these meatballs are a whole lot easier to eat!

I served them with a side of Yellow Rice and a scoop of hummus, and it was such a delicious combination.

This is definitely one I’ll be making again! The one change I'd make (for my taste) is maybe less mint. Mint is one of those herbs that a little bit goes a long way for me.

Chicken Shawarma Meatballs

Recipe from Our Salty Kitchen

Serves 4

Meatballs

½ small red onion, coarsely chopped (about ¼ cup)

¼ c fresh parsley

¼ c fresh mint

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon paprika

½ teaspoon garlic powder

¼ teaspoon turmeric

¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 lb ground chicken

1 large egg yolk

1-2 tablespoon olive oil

eat the oven to 350°F.

Add the onion, mint, and parsley to the well of a food processor. Pulse 8-10 times until the herbs and onions are minced. Add the salt, pepper, cumin, paprika, garlic powder, turmeric, and red pepper flakes to the onion and herb mixture and pulse a few times to incorporate the spices.

Break up the ground chicken into chunks and add to the spiced onion and herb mixture, then add the egg yolk. Pulse the mixture until the ingredients are completely incorporated into the ground chicken.

Form the mixture into 18 1.5” (1 heaping tablespoon) meatballs.

Heat a cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add the oil and heat until it shimmers. Add half the meatballs to the pan and brown on all sides, turning with tongs and gently shaking the pan to preserve their round shape. Remove the meatballs once evenly browned, then repeat with the remaining batch.

Once all the meatballs have been browned, return them all to the cast iron skillet in a single layer, leaving a bit of room between each. Transfer to the oven and bake for 15-18 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 165°F using an instant read thermometer.

Remove the meatballs from the oven and serve immediately with tahini sauce on the size.