Chicken meatballs with rice in tomato sauce

Soft and juicy chicken meatballs with rice, soaked in delicious tomato gravy, are a must-try to delight your family with a hearty lunch. In a multi-cooker pressure cooker, the meatballs stew to a tender state. If you don't have a multi-cooker, you can prepare the meatballs using this recipe on the stove in a pot or a small saucepan. The multi-cooker pressure cooker significantly saves us time (20 minutes), while for making tender chicken meatballs with rice in tomato sauce on the stove, the time needs to be increased to 40 minutes (simmer the meatballs over low heat).

Preparation time: 40 minutes.

Ingredients

• chicken mince - 300 g;
• rice - 90 g;
• onion - 2 pcs. (150 g);
• carrot - 1 pc. (100 g);
• flour - 2 tbsp. (40 g);
• salt - 10 g;
• chicken egg - 1 pc. (60 g);
• vegetable oil - 3 tbsp. (48 g);
• ground pepper - a pinch;
• bay leaf - 1 pc;
• black peppercorns - 6 pcs;
• tomato paste - 2 tbsp. (60 g);
• water - 0.5 l;
• herbs (for serving).

Cooking

1. Lay out the ingredients that are necessary for making chicken meatballs with rice on the table.

2. Take 0.5 cup of round-grain rice. Rinse the rice, changing the water in the bowl until it becomes completely clear. Pour 1 cup of water over the washed rice and cook it over low heat for 7 minutes.

3. After cooling the rice, add it to the chicken mince.

4. Chop the onion and grate the carrot on a coarse grater. Sauté the vegetables in 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil until soft.

5. Transfer one portion of the sautéed onion with carrot to a bowl with the mince and rice.

6. Leave the second portion of the sautéed vegetables in the pan. Dilute 2 tablespoons of thick tomato paste in 0.5 liters of water. Taste it, as you may need to add a little sugar and salt. Pour the resulting tomato mixture into the pan with the vegetables and simmer for 1-2 minutes. Once the tomato gravy is ready, we proceed to prepare the meatballs.

7. In a bowl with the mince, rice, and sautéed vegetables, add 1/2 teaspoon of salt, a pinch of pepper, and a raw egg. Mix the mass thoroughly.

8. Form meatballs in the shape of patties. You will get 12 meatballs. Fry them on both sides in vegetable oil.

9. Place the meatballs in the bowl of the multi-cooker pressure cooker, arranging them so that they fit in a single layer at the bottom.

10. Pour the meatballs in the multi-cooker with tomato sauce, adding a bay leaf and peppercorns.

11. Close the valve on the multi-cooker pressure cooker, set the 'Stew' mode for 20 minutes.

12. After the signal, release the steam and open the lid of the multi-cooker.

13. Serve the chicken meatballs with rice hot, adding a spoonful of thick tomato sauce and sprinkling with fresh herbs.

Enjoy your meal.