Sundried Tomato Chicken Meatballs w. Pesto & Couscous

these chicken meatballs are packed with sundried tomatoes, parmesan, and breadcrumbs for the juiciest texture🍃🧆 served over a buttery garlic cumin couscous and drizzled with a vibrant basil cashew pesto — it's the kind of dinner that looks way more impressive than the effort it actually takes. 🫶

recipe inspired by @thehungryhobbit, made adjustments with what i had✨

Ingredients

Chicken meatballs

• 1 lb ground chicken

• 6 sundried tomatoes, finely chopped

• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

• 1 tsp oregano

• 1 egg, beaten

• ¼ cup parmesan, finely grated

• ½ cup breadcrumbs

• 1 tsp chili flakes

• 1 tsp salt

• 1tsp pepper

• 1-2 tbsp avocado oil (or any neutral oil)

Pesto

• 1 large bunch fresh basil

• ¼ cup cashews

• 1 clove garlic

• ¼ cup parmesan, grated

• ½ cup extra virgin olive oil

• 1 tsp salt

• Optional: 2tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

Couscous

• 1 cup couscous

• 1 cup water

• 2 tbsp salted butter

• ½ tsp garlic powder

• ½ tsp oregano

• ½ tsp cumin

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Serves 2-3

Prep time ~20 mins

Cook time ~25 mins

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Cooking Instructions

WASH YOUR VEGGIES

• Wash and prep your basil before getting started.

Make the pesto

• Add basil, cashews, garlic, salt, and parmesan to a food processor. Pulse until roughly broken down.

• With the motor running, stream in olive oil until smooth. Season with additional salt and pepper if needed and set aside.

Make the couscous

• In a small saucepan, combine water, butter, garlic powder, oregano, and cumin. Bring to a boil.

• Turn off the heat, add the couscous, and stir to combine. Cover with a lid and let sit for 5 min.

• Fluff with a fork and set aside.

Make & cook the meatballs

• In a large bowl, combine ground chicken, sundried tomatoes, garlic, oregano, egg, parmesan, breadcrumbs, chili flakes, salt, and pepper. Mix until just combined — don't overwork.

• Roll the meatballs - mine were about 1tbsp each meatball

• Heat avocado oil in a skillet over medium heat. Cook meatballs for about 5-7 min, turning, until golden on all sides and cooked through (internal temp 165°F).

Plate and serve

• Spoon a generous portion of couscous into a shallow bowl. Add some pesto and nestle meatballs on top.

• Finish with a drizzle of lemon juice, olive oil and freshly grated parmesan. Serve immediately.

Tips & Notes

• Sundried tomatoes in oil keep the meatballs juicy and add concentrated savory flavor — don't substitute with dry-packed.

• Breadcrumbs are key here — they keep the meatballs tender and help them hold together.

• The couscous comes together in 5 minutes — time it to finish just as the meatballs are done so everything is hot when you plate.

• Cashews are a great swap for pine nuts — more affordable and add a buttery richness to the pesto.

• Ground chicken is sticky — wet your hands slightly before rolling for cleaner meatballs.

• Pesto keeps in the fridge for up to 3 days — store with a thin layer of olive oil on top to keep it green.