Ground Chicken Meatballs in Sauce
These ground chicken meatballs simmer right in the sauce, so they stay ridiculously tender and deeply flavorful every single time (no dry, sad meatballs here). They’re easy, unfussy, and happen to be on the lighter side without advertising it. Obviously perfect with pasta, but just as good tucked into a meatball sub or eaten straight from the pan with a fork on a weeknight when cooking feels personal.
Servings: 12 meatballs
Ingredients
- 1 TBSP Olive oil
- 1 lb ground chicken
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1/4 tsp cracked black pepper
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 2 cloves of garlic, grated to a paste or minced
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning Try it with my homemade Italian seasoning
- 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
- 1 TBSP Worcestershire sauce
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 24 oz marinara; more if you wish. Homemade or jarred work.
Instructions
- If making a homemade marinara sauce, get that done first. When you're done, leave it on a low simmer and move on to the meatballs.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper; set it aside.
- Put all of the ingredients for the meatballs into a large mixing bowl and blend the mixture thoroughly. The meatball mixture will seem wet and tricky to work with, but that's normal.
- Lightly oil your hands with a bit of olive oil and start forming your meatballs into balls that's measure about 1 x 1 inch, then carefully place the meatballs onto the parchment paper.
- Put the tray of meatballs into the fridge to set for at least 30 minutes.
- When it's cook time, heat the olive oil in a cast iron skillet or non-stick pan. Gently place the meatballs into the pan one by one, and let them simmer for about 3-5 minutes or until golden brown.
- Carefully flip the meatballs with tongs and let them simmer for another 3-5 minutes or until the other side is golden in color.
- Add the sauce to the pan, covering the meatballs, and simmer on medium-low, covered with a lid, for about 30 minutes or until cooked through to an internal temperature of 165º F.
- When ready, garnish the meatballs with chopped fresh basil and serve them with pasta or on fresh hoagies with mozzarella or provolone cheese.
Notes
Don’t skip the fridge! Letting the meatballs chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes is really important. It helps them set and will keep them from falling apart when you’re cooking them.
Grated garlic is better. Grating garlic on a microplane yields better flavor distribution than simply mincing.
Nutrition
Serving: 1meatball with sauce | Calories: 141kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 5g
