Chef notes
If dinner in 20 minutes sounds good to be true, try this recipe for feta and oregano chicken meatballs on for size. Easy to prepare and even easier to enjoy, it’s a refreshing-yet-filling dinner that’s ideal for a busy weeknight when you don’t have a ton of bandwidth for a laborious meal.
Inspired by the ingredients found in a Greek salad, these lean meatballs are made with ground chicken or turkey, crumbled feta cheese, oregano, garlic and Greek yogurt, then baked until browned. The tangy yogurt acts as a moistening agent, keeping the meatballs from drying out once cooked through. Pro tip: Don’t overwork the meat mixture; otherwise the meatballs will end up tough.
To round out the meal, serve it with a side of (what else?) Greek salad, of course. Serving the meatballs with salad adds a balanced freshness. Rest assured this meal doesn’t require a long list of ingredients and most of them serve multiple functions in both the meatballs and the salad. While the meatballs are cooking, multitask by preparing the salad dressing. The formula is simple: whisk together more dried oregano, garlic, lemon juice (or sherry vinegar) and salt. Use it to dress a salad of hearty romaine lettuce, red onion, tomatoes, cucumbers and feta. Feel free to add olives if that suits your fancy, too.
If meal prepping is up your alley, make the meatballs ahead and just reheat when you’re ready to eat them in lunches or dinners throughout the week. Or spare your future self some prep work by making a double batch and freezing half for an even quicker weeknight dinner.
Get Ingredients: If you don’t have everything you need on hand, you can easily purchase all of the ingredients (just click the orange button below that says ‘Get Ingredients’). You can pick and choose exactly what ingredients you need based on what’s in your pantry and they’ll be on your doorstep before you know it.
Ingredients
- 1 large egg
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano, divided
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 2 large cloves garlic, grated or minced, divided
- 2 lemons, 1 zested and juiced, 1 halved
- kosher salt, to taste
- 1/2 cup fresh mint leaves and tender stems, roughly chopped, divided
- 1 cup crumbled feta, divided
- 2 tablespoons full-fat yogurt, such as Greek, skyr or labneh
- 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1 pound ground chicken or turkey, preferably dark meat
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 red onion, cut into thin slices, divided
- 2 heads romaine or other crunchy lettuce, cut into 2-inch pieces
- 1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
- 1 medium cucumber, thinly sliced into half-moons (about 1½ cups)
- freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Preparation
1.Heat the oven to 400 F.
2.In a large mixing bowl, whisk the egg, then combine 1 teaspoon oregano, the red pepper flakes, half the garlic, lemon zest, 1 teaspoon salt, half the mint, 1/2 cup feta, yogurt and breadcrumbs with the meat until evenly distributed. Coat a sheet pan with 1 tablespoon oil. Add half the red onion and a pinch of salt, coating it with the oil.
3.Lightly oil or wet the palm of your hands so the meat doesn't stick to them, then shape the meat into 2-inch meatballs, about the size of a golf ball. You'll have approximately 20. Cut one of the lemon halves into thin slices, then add to the pan. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until the meatballs are browned on at least one side and cooked through, shaking the pan halfway to move them around. Squeeze the remaining lemon half over them.
4.While the meatballs are cooking, make the dressing: In a large mixing bowl, combine 1 teaspoon dried oregano, remaining garlic, juice of 1 lemon and whisk in olive oil until smooth. Season to taste with salt. Add the lettuce, remaining red onion, tomatoes and cucumbers, tossing to coat in the dressing. Mix in the remaining feta and season to taste with salt and pepper as needed. Serve with the meatballs, onions and lemon rounds.
