Tarragon and Chicken Meatballs with Creamy Leek Orzo

I love the combination of tarragon and chicken, made even better with tender leeks and a creamy orzo. Bought chicken mince is usually made from chicken breast and can be quite dry. I prefer to blitz thighs in the food processor to ensure a juicy and flavoursome meatball.

MEATBALLS

500 grams boneless skin-off chicken thighs

3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped

1 teaspoon dried tarragon

1 large egg

⅓ cup fresh breadcrumbs

sea salt and ground pepper

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

ORZO PASTA

30 grams butter

1 large or 2 small leeks, trimmed and diced

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 teaspoon dried tarragon or a handful of fresh tarragon, chopped

½ cup orzo pasta

350mls chicken stock

190mls cream

½ cup finely grated parmesan

sea salt and ground pepper

Preheat the oven to 180°C regular bake.

MEATBALLS: In a food processor, blitz the chicken thighs and garlic until minced. Put in a large bowl with the tarragon, egg and breadcrumbs. Season with salt and pepper and mix together. Roll into roughly 20 meatballs and place on a tray.

Heat a dutch oven or frying pan with oil. Fry the meatballs, in batches, over a medium heat until lightly golden on all sides, they don’t need to be cooked all the way through. Remove from the pan and set aside. Don’t wash the pan.

ORZO PASTA: Reduce the heat to low and melt the butter in the same pan. Fry the leeks for 15 minutes until softened, stirring regularly. Add the garlic and tarragon and fry briefly until aromatic. Add the orzo, stock, cream and parmesan and season generously with salt and pepper. Stirring frequently, bring to a simmer, then remove from the heat. Nestle the meatballs into the orzo then cover and cook in the oven for 20 minutes. Remove the lid then cook for a further 10 minutes. SERVES 4