• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Hungry Girl Por Vida

Cilantro-Chicken Meatball Soup

January 25, 2013 by Leave a Comment

Albondigas!

That’s what I think/say when I make anything with meatballs. It’s just a reflex and since it means “meatballs” in spanish, it works. Don’t test me on my knowledge of foreign languages, though…okay? Cause, I will surely fail. Food SO is much easier to understand.

Anyway, this soup begins with searing little, spoonable chicken meatballs flavored with lots of fresh cilantro, some sauteed onion and garlic, and a bit of minced jalapeno for heat and excitement. Once the meatballs are brown and crispy-golden we sauté some more onion and garlic, another jalapeno, plus some carrots. There’s some corn (frozen is totally acceptable) and zucchini in there for health and science. Dried New Mexico chiles ground into a powder and cumin flavor and color the broth. More cilantro is added to brighten the party and bring the soup together. This soup is hearty, but not heavy. The clear broth is light but packed with subtly spiced chile flavor and the meatballs are tender and so flavorful with the cilantro and aromatics. This soup is so warming and with a super cheesy quesadilla on the side, it’s perfection on a cold day.

 

 

Cilantro-Chicken Meatball Soup
 
Tender, spoon sized chicken meatballs in a light and spicy soup.
Author: Cindy

Ingredients
  • Meatballs:
  • 1-2 teaspoons olive oil
  • ½ cup minced onion
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 jalapeno (seeds and ribs removed if desired), minced
  • 1 lb. ground chicken
  • 1 egg, lightly beaten
  • 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
  • ½ cup cilantro leaves, chopped
  • salt/pepper
  • Soup:
  • meatballs
  • 2 Tablespoons oil (I used grape seed, light olive or vegetable oil work too)
  • ½ large onion, diced fine
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 jalapeno (seeds and ribs removed if desired), sliced
  • 4 dried New Mexico chiles
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • ½ teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 carrot, sliced
  • 1 zucchini, sliced
  • 1 cup frozen corn kernels
  • 6 cups low-sodium chicken stock
  • cilantro to garnish
  • salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
  1. In a sauté pan heat olive oil and sauté onions, garlic, and jalapeno. Sprinkle lightly with salt and cook over medium until onions are tender and translucent Scrape into a bowl and set aside to cool.
  2. In a mixing bowl mix together the cooled onion/jalapeno mixture with the ground chicken, cilantro, egg, and breadcrumbs. Add salt (I used about ¾ teaspoon) and pepper. Mix gently to combine well. Refrigerate the mixture until ready to shape and sear meatballs.
  3. Shape meatballs, I shoot for something that fits nicely in the spoon and can be eaten in one bite–think larger than a marble, but smaller than a cherry tomato. Heat 2 Tablespoons oil over medium high heat in the bottom of a dutch oven or soup pot. Sear the meatballs in batches until deep golden brown all around. Place seared meatballs in a dish and set aside.
  4. Over a gas burner (you could also do this in a hot oven, it may take a few more minutes), lightly char the chiles–the idea is to make them extra dry for easier grinding and to add a touch of smokey flavor. Cool chiles and grind in a spice grinder to a medium-coarse powder. Mix chile powder with cumin and oregano in a small bowl. Set aside.
  5. Add the onion to the remaining oil and whatever brown bits are left in the pan. Sprinkle lightly with salt and sauté, being sure to scrape up any bits from the bottom of the pan, add the carrots. Cook until onions are just translucent and carrots begin to soften, add the garlic and jalapeno, cook an additional minute. Stir in the ground chile and other spices. Add the corn, zucchini, meatballs, and chicken stock. Bring the soup to a boil, taste for salt and season as needed. Reduce the soup to a simmer and cook an additional 15 minutes, until the zucchini is tender and meatballs are heated through. Serve hot with additional cilantro for garnish.
Notes
I find whole, dried New Mexico chiles in the international aisle of my regular supermarket. They are always affordable and pack a lot of flavor.
3.4.3177

More from my site

  • Tortilla Soup with Chiles + Charred CornTortilla Soup with Chiles + Charred Corn
  • Black BeansBlack Beans
  • Spaghetti Squash PancakesSpaghetti Squash Pancakes
  • Creamy Squash Soup with Chorizo & ManchegoCreamy Squash Soup with Chorizo & Manchego
  • Easy, Vietnamese-Style PicklesEasy, Vietnamese-Style Pickles
  • Recently at Betty’s: Cheesy Southwest Grains & Chorizo Zucchini BoatsRecently at Betty’s: Cheesy Southwest Grains & Chorizo Zucchini Boats

Filed Under: savory, soups, stews Tagged With: albondigas, broth, carrot, chicken, chile powder, cilantro, coriander, corn, garlic, jalapeno, meatball, onion, soups, stews, zucchini

Previous Post: « Orange Cake with Chocolate Sour Cream Frosting
Next Post: Game Day Eats »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Stephanie @ Girl Versus Dough

    January 25, 2013 at 8:08 am

    This sounds so ridiculously delicious, and so perfect for these chilly winter days. Pinning and planning to make ASAP!

    Reply
    • cindy

      January 25, 2013 at 8:10 am

      yes! let me know if you do!

      Reply
  2. cindy k

    January 25, 2013 at 12:45 pm

    we’ve only made meatball with turkey, but the chicken sounds good and i definitely will try the panko breadcrumbs next time.

    Reply
    • cindy

      January 25, 2013 at 5:02 pm

      I make them with turkey sometimes too. I like the panko with poultry since it seems to be more moist. Thanks Cindy!!

      Reply
  3. Amanda @ Once Upon a Recipe

    January 25, 2013 at 2:19 pm

    If I could put cilantro on everything, I totally would. Well you know, maybe not on cookies, but on any savory things, yes. I just love it. I am totally getting into soup-making with all of the cold weather we’ve been having, so this soup will likely be made soon! Have a fantastic weekend, Cindy!

    Reply
    • cindy

      January 25, 2013 at 5:01 pm

      mmm, yes! I love it too! Thanks Amanda!

      Reply
  4. Amanda

    January 25, 2013 at 3:19 pm

    How much chile powder would we substitute if we can’t find the whole dried chiles? About a palmful? A tbs?

    Reply
    • cindy

      January 25, 2013 at 5:01 pm

      I would do 3-4 Tablespoons. 🙂

      Reply
  5. Whitney @ The Newlywed Chefs

    January 27, 2013 at 4:48 pm

    This soup sounds so delicious and comforting! We loooove cilantro and we love this blog! 🙂

    Reply
    • cindy

      January 28, 2013 at 5:02 am

      thank you, Whitney!! 🙂

      Reply
  6. Billy

    January 27, 2013 at 10:13 pm

    You had me at meatballs.

    And then again at quesadilla.

    Reply
    • cindy

      January 28, 2013 at 5:02 am

      you’re my kinda guy 😉

      Reply
  7. Annie Lindsay

    January 28, 2013 at 8:34 am

    Yuummmm!! I feel so bad for those people who think cilantro tastes soapy. They’re missing out because it’s totally my favorite herb. This looks so delicious.

    Reply
    • cindy

      January 28, 2013 at 1:04 pm

      me too! as a kid, I hated it, but now there really is no such thing as too-much-cilantro.

      Reply
  8. Holly

    January 28, 2013 at 12:26 pm

    made this, absolutely DELISH!! (applause all around to you)

    Reply
    • cindy

      January 28, 2013 at 1:03 pm

      yay! I’m so glad it was a hit! Thanks for letting me know, Holly. Cheers!

      Reply
  9. Megan Robison

    January 29, 2013 at 11:17 am

    I made this soup on Sunday night and it was delicious! Leftovers today are good too. I used 1/2 teaspoon chile powder and 1/2 teaspoon ancho chile powder to replace the dried chiles and it seemed to work out well. Thanks for the recipe!

    Reply
    • cindy

      January 29, 2013 at 11:25 am

      great! I’m glad you enjoyed it!

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Recent Posts

  • How Many Eggs Per Day Can Someone Eat On Keto Diet?
  • Paleo Diet vs. Keto: What Are the Differences?
  • Keto Vegetarian: Is It Possible to Lose Weight without Meat, Cheese, and Eggs?
  • Cranberry Ricotta Tart
  • Pumpkin Ganache Cupcakes

Recent Comments

  • Ariana on Pumpkin Ganache Cupcakes
  • Sara @ Cake Over Steak on Pumpkin Ganache Cupcakes
  • Fatimah on Pumpkin Ganache Cupcakes
  • Kelsey @ Appeasing a Food Geek on Pumpkin Ganache Cupcakes
  • Em on Pumpkin Ganache Cupcakes

Copyright © 2023 Hungry Girl Por Vida on the Foodie Pro Theme