Sesame and Ginger Chicken Meatballs with Spinach and Rice

There is a cupboard at Casa Adora where rice and pasta go to be forgotten. Basmati at the front, integral behind it, SOS paella rice, a large white grain variety — and at the back, a small bag of Camargue red wild rice. Expensive enough to buy in a small bag, easy enough to forget about entirely. It was time. The sesame and ginger meatballs came together around it – Asian flavours, nutty red rice, wilted spinach, and a sharp ginger and lemon dressing. Not a planned dish. One of the better ones.

A NOTE ON CAMARGUE RED WILD RICE

Camargue red rice is grown in the wetlands of southern France and has a distinctive nutty flavour and slightly chewy texture. It takes longer to cook than white rice — allow 45–50 minutes — and holds its shape well when mixed with other ingredients. It is worth seeking out and worth using before it disappears to the back of the cupboard again.

INGREDIENTS

For the meatballs:

• 500g chicken mince
• 1 red onion, finely sliced
• 1 red chilli, finely sliced
• 1 tbsp fresh ginger, grated
• 1 garlic clove, grated
• 1 tbsp sesame seeds
• ½ tsp ground celery seeds
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Oil for cooking

For the rice and spinach:

• 200g Camargue red wild rice
• A large handful of fresh spinach leaves

For the dressing:

• 1 tbsp fresh ginger, grated
• 1 garlic clove, grated
• 2 tbsp oil
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 red onion, thinly sliced
• 1 red chilli, thinly sliced
• ½ tsp celery seeds
• Freshly ground black pepper

How to Make Sesame and Ginger Chicken Meatballs

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C.
2. Boil the wild rice in a pan of salted water for 45–50 minutes until tender but still with a little bite. Drain and allow to steam dry.
3. Combine the chicken mince, ginger, garlic, red onion, chilli, sesame seeds, celery seeds and black pepper in a mixing bowl. Shape into walnut-sized balls – approximately 24.
4. Arrange in a roasting tin, drizzle with oil, and bake for 25 minutes until golden.
5. Mix all the dressing ingredients together in a small bowl and set aside.
6. After 25 minutes, stir the spinach leaves and cooked rice into the roasting tin. Mix gently and return to the oven for a further 5 minutes.
7. Drizzle the dressing over the meatballs and rice before serving.

This makes four generous portions — ideal for meal prep. The meatballs freeze well and reheat easily with freshly cooked rice and spinach. The dressing is the key: sharp, gingery, a little heat from the chilli. If you enjoy Asian-inspired chicken dishes, try the Taiwanese Three Cup Chicken — bold flavours, one pan, equally satisfying. For a sweeter, stickier take on chicken meatballs, my teriyaki chicken meatballs are pan-fried and glazed in a quick orange sauce, made for one. For more ideas, browse all my chicken meatballs recipes, organised by sauce.

If these sesame and ginger chicken meatballs found their way into your kitchen, you can buy me a coffee ☕ — it helps keep the site going.

Footnote

This sesame and ginger chicken meatballs recipe is part of the Chicken Recipes hub — a complete collection of chicken and poultry recipes from Casa Adora and the road.
It also features in my Rice Recipes collection — a global collection of rice dishes from paella to pilau.
Find more recipes and food adventures here.
Wonky photos, proper chicken, genuine adventures — The Flexible Chef