# French Onion Chicken Meatballs & Cheesy Orzo

This recipe is for French onion chicken meatballs and cheesy orzo, perfect for a special date night or weekend entertaining.

- Cuisine: American
- Category: Dinner
- Language: en

## Ingredients

- 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 4 medium sweet Vidalia onions
- 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 4 cloves garlic
- 3 tbsp fresh chopped fresh parsley
- 1.33 cups freshly grated gruyere cheese
- 1 large egg
- 0.5 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 2 tsp dijon mustard
- 1 pound ground chicken
- 1.5 cups dried orzo
- 3.25 cups chicken stock
- 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Nonstick cooking spray

## Instructions

1. Chop the onions.
2. Grate the garlic.
3. Grate the Gruyere cheese.
4. Sauté the chopped onions until caramelized.
5. Add balsamic vinegar to the caramelized onions.
6. Transfer the caramelized onions and balsamic vinegar to a bowl.
7. Add some grated Gruyere cheese to the bowl with the onions.
8. Whisk a large egg in a separate bowl and then add it to the mixture.
9. Add panko breadcrumbs, fresh parsley, and Dijon mustard to the bowl.
10. Add ground chicken to the mixture.
11. Mix all ingredients together.
12. Form the mixture into meatballs.
13. Place the meatballs on a baking sheet.
14. Bake the meatballs in the oven.
15. Add orzo to the pan with the remaining caramelized onion bits and stir.
16. Add chicken stock and thyme to the orzo and cook until absorbed.
17. Add remaining Gruyere cheese to the orzo and stir until cheesy.
18. Add the cooked meatballs to the cheesy orzo.

## Equipment

- pan
- grater
- bowl
- baking sheet
- oven
- tongs

## Source

- Original video: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DVujVWkEcU2/?igsh=bjg4cDNqNXZuMnJl
- Recipe page: https://www.cliprecipe.com/recipe/b636bfdc-0003-410a-8311-e3cb07b2a37f
- Extracted: 2026-03-31

Extracted from the video by Clip Recipe (https://www.cliprecipe.com). Quantities and steps are as stated or shown in the video. Site guide for agents: https://www.cliprecipe.com/llms.txt