Herbed Chicken Meatballs in Spiced Broth

Herbed Chicken Meatballs in Spiced Broth

These herbed chicken meatballs in spiced broth make the perfect weeknight dinner, blending hearty comfort with light, brothy flavors.

The meatballs, loaded with fresh herbs, deliver huge flavor while the spiced broth creates a rich, warming base without weighing you down. While the ras el hanout may feel off-brand, it’s heavy in baking spice, which plays wonderfully with the herbs. The broth is prepared using a quick “cheater broth” that is practical and flavorful. It combines low-sodium chicken broth, mushroom soy sauce, and spices. This dish is accompanied by rice noodles, which cook rapidly and perfectly absorb the rich, aromatic flavors of the broth. I often refer to this recipe as “faux pho with meatballs”. 

This recipe works great for meal prep as well. The meatballs can be made ahead, stored in the fridge, and added to the broth whenever you’re ready to serve. Rice noodles are easy to keep prepped and chilled, so all you need to do is reheat in the broth with the meatballs. After a long day or late night, this is one of those quick dinners that come together with minimal fuss. With all the fresh herbs in the meatballs and plenty extra as a garnish, you get a simple dish full of flavor—a dinner that punches way above its weight for the amount of work that goes in.

Main Ingredients:

Ground Chicken: Using chicken keeps these meatballs light but still “meaty.” Ground chicken is usually coarser than ground turkey, absorbs the herbs well, and maintains moisture without adding too much fat.

Mushroom Soy Sauce – When it comes to building deep, savory flavor in stir-fries, braises, and marinades, mushroom soy sauce is one of those secret weapons that does a lot with just a splash. But not all mushroom soy sauces are created equal, and selecting the right one can make or break a dish—especially when it’s acting as one of your primary sources of umami. For our kitchen, Healthy Boy Mushroom Soy Sauce is the go-to, and there’s a good reason for that. Inconsistent brands can come across as flat, overly sweet, or overly salty. Some taste more like artificial mushroom seasoning than actual fermented soy sauce. If you’re going to invest in building pantry flavor with intention, then it makes sense to pick a brand like Healthy Boy, which delivers consistency and depth.

Ras el Hanout: This North African spice blend brings a unique, warming aroma to the meatballs. It contains heavy baking spices: cumin, cardamom, turmeric, and pepper.

Rice Noodles: Rice noodles soak up the broth’s flavors and cook fast, perfect for quick dinners or meal prep. I always have a pack in the pantry for dinner in a hurry.

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Herbed Chicken Meatballs in Spiced Broth

4.5 from 2 votes

Course: Dinner

These herbed chicken meatballs in spiced broth make the perfect weeknight dinner, blending hearty comfort with light, brothy flavors.

Servings: 4

1/2x 1x 2x

4

servings

Prep time

30

minutes

Cooking time

30

minutes

Total time

1

hour 

Cook Mode

Keep the screen on while I cook

Ingredients

• For the Meatballs

• 1 pound ground chicken

• 6 tbsp panko, finely crushed

• 1 tbsp salt

• 1 tsp ras el Hanout

• 2 green onion, minced (plus more for garnish)

• 2 cups basil, chiffonade (plus more for garnish)

• 2 tbsp cilantro, chopped (plus more for garnish)

• 1 tbsp sesame oil

• 2 cloves garlic, grated

• 1 tbsp mushroom soy sauce

• For the Broth

• 2 quarts low sodium chicken broth

• 1 cinnamon stick

• 1 clove

• 1 allspice berry

• 4 tbsp mushroom soy sauce

• 2 slices ginger, about ⅛” thick

• 14 ounce pack rice noodles,
  prepared as per package instructions

Method

• Prepare the Broth: In a large pot, combine chicken broth, cinnamon stick, clove, allspice berry, mushroom soy sauce, and ginger slices. Bring to a simmer for 5 minutes, then turn off the heat and let steep for 15 minutes. Remove the spices and keep covered.
• Prepare the Meatballs: In a large bowl, combine ground chicken, panko, salt, ras el hanout, green onions, basil, cilantro, sesame oil, garlic, and mushroom soy sauce. Mix well until combined.
• Form Meatballs: Roll into about 20 one-ounce meatballs. Place them on a lined sheet pan and refrigerate for at least 20 minutes to set. Re-roll each meatball slightly tighter before baking.
• Bake the Meatballs: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Drizzle a few drops of neutral oil on each meatball and bake for 15 minutes.
• Cook the Noodles: Bring the broth back to a simmer. Add rice noodles and cook until just tender, about 2-4 minutes.
• Serve: Divide the meatballs equally into 4 bowls, add rice noodles, and pour the hot broth over each serving. Garnish generously with additional cilantro, green onion, and basil.

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Field Notes

• Lending itself to meal prep, you can double this recipe and cook  the meatballs and refrigerate along with prepped, (but not cooked) rice noodles. Add both of them at the same time after your “cheater broth” is simmering.
• This recipe calls for a lot of herbs. Use about a bunch of green onion, for the meatballs and garnish. One bunch of cilantro is plenty for the meatballs and garnish. For the basil, I recommend getting a one pound if you can find it, especially if you’re doubling the recipe. It keeps well if you store it correctly. To store, keep in an airtight plastic bag at room temp. To store, fill the bag with CO2 (blow it up) until it’s fully inflated and seal it. 
• Store any extra cooked meatballs and noodles in airtight containers in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat gently in the broth to serve. The noodles will slowly continue to absorb the liquid, so there will be less broth when you reheat.