Ranch Chicken Meatballs with Broccoli Couscous.
We love these ranch chicken meatballs! Juicy chicken meatballs drizzled with ranch dressing and served with broccoli couscous for a delicious weeknight meal.
Hello! Dinner is going to be delicious tonight!
Cue all the exclamation points because these chicken meatballs are juicy and flavorful! They’re served with couscous loaded with broccoli and everything is drizzled in a bit of my homemade ranch. I can’t get enough of this meal. Wish I was eating it right this moment!
This is how I love to eat meatballs. YES.
I’ve never been a huge spaghetti and meatballs person. But give me an interesting meatball and serve it on toast or with a grain and maybe drizzled in a pesto or sauce or dressing and I AM HERE!
It’s the best satisfying meal and one that always feels really special. It’s different than our usual meals and tends to be a welcomed change.
Let’s start with the ranch chicken meatballs!
To make these meatballs, I use a few things that bring out a “ranch” flavor. Dried dill and dried chives, some garlic and onion powder, just to name a few. I like to add in some finely grated cheddar cheese too, for extra oomph and flavor.
Along with an egg, a sprinkle of breadcrumbs and salt and pepper – these come together so easily. I brown them in a skillet and like to keep a meat thermometer nearby to make sure they are cooked to perfection. Since these don’t have a sauce and chicken meatballs can end up with a dry texture, this is ideal.
Now I do like to use a drizzle of my homemade ranch on the meatballs. Which isn’t technically a sauce, but more of a dressing drizzle. If you stop here with the meatballs, you can serve them on a sandwich or even chop them up and eat them over salad. I have a meatball salad in The Pretty Dish and it’s one of the best meals ever.
Time to talk about the side dish!
I love sharing meals that come with a main and a side for easy serving. It’s what I’m often looking for if I search out a new recipe too! Plus, you know I’m also always looking for the perfect side dish.
This broccoli couscous is so good. Yes, I’m still having my moment with couscous!! It’s my current favorite tiny grain/pasta for bowls as well as cold and warm salads.
For this broccoli couscous, we’re cooking it all in one pot. Oh yes. It’s that easy! I like to chop the broccoli into tiny florets. This ensures that it cooks quickly with the couscous. And let’s be honest – if it’s in smaller pieces, my kids are more likely to eat it. Broccoli is the #1 veg in our house at the moment, but when I serve it in a new way, I try to make it as easy to consume as possible.
This side dish is just super simple and delicious. Nothing fancy!
Now of course – since I like to do a drizzle of the ranch over everything… the couscous does have a bit of extra flavor. If you’re making the couscous for a separate side dish, you can always stir in some finely grated parmesan cheese and that will make it a hit instantly.
Just look at how fabulously complete that plate is!
This is a huge hit with everyone. Leftovers are great. You can prep it ahead of time. And it’s soooo delish all around.
Ranch Chicken Meatballs
Ranch Chicken Meatballs with Broccoli Couscous
Ingredients
ranch chicken meatballs
- 1 pound ground chicken, I like 93% lean
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- ⅓ cup finely grated cheddar cheese
- ¼ cup seasoned breadcrumbs
- 1 teaspoon dried chives
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon dried dill
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- kosher salt and pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, for cooking
- ranch dressing, for serving
broccoli couscous
- 3 cups chicken or vegetable stock
- 2 cups dry couscous
- 1 ½ cups broccoli florets, I like tiny florets for this!
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- kosher salt and pepper
Instructions
ranch chicken meatballs
- Combine the chicken, egg, cheddar, breadcrumbs, chives, garlic powder, dill, onion powder and a big pinch of salt and pepper. Mix until just combined.
- Form the mixture into meatballs that are roughly 1-inch in size.
- Heat the olive oil in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the meatballs in a single layer and cook until they are browned on all sides and reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees F, around 10 minutes or so. I highly suggest having the meat thermometer to test here so you don’t overcook the meatballs!
broccoli couscous
- Bring 3 cups of stock to a boil in saucepan. Once boiling, add in the couscous, broccoli and butter. Bring the mixture back to a boil then reduce it to a simmer.
- Cover and cook until the liquid is absorbed, about 12 to 15 minutes. Once absorbed, remove the pan from the heat and fluff with a fork. Let sit for 5 minutes before serving. Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed.
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38 Comments on “Ranch Chicken Meatballs with Broccoli Couscous.”
This looks so good, I can’t wait to try it! I made your chicken parm meatballs on Monday, so good, I love a meatball!! of course we love your homemade ranch which I’ve mentioned several times in other comments, ha!
I have to eat gluten free. Would Quinoa be a good substitute for the couscous and just follow those cooking instructions with your ingredients?
yes i’ve made this with quinoa before! i would more so make sure to follow the directions on your bag or box of quinoa. it usually has a 15 min cook time so is very similar! you may need a tiny bit more liquid too, like maybe 1/4 cup!
Yes, that’s what I meant. I worded that funny haha. Thank you so much! My kids are going to LOVE this!! I got your cookbook recently and have already made a couple recipes from it. Both have been winners with the hubby and kids!
thank you so much!
Could I bake the meatballs instead??
yes definitely. i would bake at 350. check internal temperature after 20 minutes or so – this will depend mostly on the size of your meatballs! also, just beware they will not get very brown if baking without searing first.
Made this for dinner tonight and it was awesome! Really easy and so flavorful. I want to eat those ranch meatballs on everything! Definitely will be making this again. Thank you for the great recipe!
Made this tonight and it was delicious!! Easy and so flavorful, and my kids even ate it up! Will definitely make it again.
Will definitely be a repeat!!!! Loved all the flavor melds….pearl couscous is one of my favorites….
This was easy and tasty. I baked the meatballs (350 for 20 min) and they were really good. Not dry at all, which sometimes happens when I make turkey meatballs. Maybe I should have gone with chicken instead! Will make again- thanks for a great recipe!
Made this dish last night. My chicken mixture was awfully wet so I added more breadcrumbs. I also ended up baking the meatballs (15 min at 400) and then broiling them for a couple of minutes to brown them a little. Overall great dish and flavor (and super easy). Loved cooking the broccoli with the couscous (there were only two of us so I halved the couscous but used two crowns of broccoli for plenty of green veg). Oh and I used bottled ranch because #easy and #weeknight. :-)
Thank you for posting this!!! I doubled the broccoli and used better than bouillon chicken for the couscous broth. A weeknight gem!!!
I always double meatball recipes. One for dinner tonight, and one for the freezer for later. These meatballs are tender and delicious. They would also be great in a soup! I used fresh herbs only, including chives, onion, garlic, etc. I baked the meatballs because I hate to fry food. It messes up my stove too much!
Couscous was delicious, and you could add any vegetables with a similar cooking time. We love eating whole barley, and this could easily be a substitute. Quick, easy, little mess.
Oh my gosh this is soooo good. Kids ate it up
This was a huge hit! My 3 y/o gobbled it down! 😊😊
Delicious!! My husband and I had this tonight and will definitely be adding it to our rotation. I added mushrooms and onions for some extra veggies, otherwise kept to the recipe.
If you were going to freeze these meatballs would you do it before or after cooking them?
i prefer to cook fully and then freeze!
This is delicious! I baked the meatballs and then broiled them. It worked perfectly! The family gobbled it up! Thanks for the great recipe!
Made this for dinner tonight…subbed quinoa for the pasta. It was delicious & super easy to make! Also as an added bonus kids can help shape meatballs.
This has become a weeknight dinner staple at our house! I also love the ranch dressing recipe. Your cookbook is also excellent! Thank you so much!
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Made this tonight and it was really good! My 5 year old rated it a “thumbs up” and said I can make it again! Stayed true to the recipe and made the homemade ranch which I think makes the dish extra yummy.
Hi! Dairy free here! What could I substitute for the cheddar cheese?
So good! I baked the meatballs just to make things a bit easier.
This was really good but unfortunately I overcooked the meatballs oops! Still a good recipe to save for another try!
One of my new favorite meals! Super flavorful and easy!
It was such a breath of fresh air to find this recipe – something unique and simple and so flavorful! Made exactly as is except I did bake the meatballs instead (air fry setting of my oven for 20 minutes and then a quick broil was perfect). Can’t wait to make this again. The homemade ranch is THE BOMB! Thank you!
I’ve made this twice and we really enjoy it. What is your suggestion on how to make them ahead of time..thank you
Absolutely amazing!! So easy to make as well. Used dried herbs for everything and followed everything exactly as written.
An awesome dinner recipe. Thank you!! Love how easy the couscous is and that it’s the vegetable for the meal too. Love your site!
What type of couscous did you use? Israeli? Mine is finer, Bob’s Red Mill Golden Couscous.
yes i love to use the pearl couscous. you can use whatever you have on hand though! just follow the instructions on your package.
Hi- could these be cooked in an air fryer?
This was an easy and tasty weeknight dinner. To make things easier and more hands off for me, I cooked the meatballs in the air fryer. They came out perfectly juicy.
These meatballs were delicious! Slightly crunchy on the outside, but juicy on the inside. My 8 year-old and husband loved them. Thank you for another great recipe!
My husband and I love this recipe for lunch meal prep! So good!