Of the thousands (and I mean thousands) of meatballs I have rolled, baked, fried and cooked over the years, I have always used a blend 80% fat ground chuck and ground pork for rich flavor. So —when my daughter challenged me to come up with a chicken version just as good as my popular beef and pork Italian meatballs, I must admit I was a little nervous.
While I had already scored a big thumb-up from family and readers with my flavor-packed chicken parmesan meatballs, could a simple Italian chicken meatball all on its own pack the same punch?
And then I remembered: sometimes a classic needs to be turned on its head. Or rolled that is.
Keys to a juicy chicken meatball
A flavorful and moist chicken meatball centers all a blend of the right ingredients and techniques. And a really, really good tomato sauce.
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What you’ll need…ingredient spotlight
Here are the standout ingredients you might not have on hand for your grocery list. That way, you’ll be ready when the request for chicken meatballs comes.
And it will!
- Ground chicken thighs. I touched on this above. Most of the time, the ground chicken packages you’ll find in the grocery store are made of chicken breasts.
- Chicken breasts are especially lean and when ground, they cook into small pieces that can dry out quickly. Being dark meat, chicken thighs are the perfect choice to create a really juicy meatball.
- Seasoning blend. Ground chicken needs a lot of flavor and that comes from a seasoning mix of both fresh and dried garlic, and chicken-friendly herbs like:
- Sage, oregano, thyme and nutmeg
- Panko. Panko is runs solo to keep things light and crispy.
Italian chicken meatballs: step-by-step
Here’s what you’ll do:
- Add ground chicken to a large bowl. Lightly beat eggs on the side with a fork.
- Mix in seasonings and herbs followed by panko and parmesan. Use your hands.
Mixing tip
For the a juicy chicken meatball, don’t use a food processor to mixer to mix your meatballs.
-Josie + Nina
- Mix in warm water. This is the secret to a tender chicken meatball.
- Using a medium scoop or clean hands, lightly roll the balls, taking care not pressing too tightly or compacting them too much. Place on a prepared sheet pan.
- Bake the chicken meatballs for 10 minutes to get nice brown edges.
- Simmer on low for up to 2 hours covered by a batch of homemade tomato sauce until tender.
Pro tip
Don’t use a non stick pan to par bake the meatballs on. Use a stainless pan lightly sprayed with cooking spray. You want a nice brown exterior if possible.
Chicken meatball sauce options
In addition to the tomato sauce I have included below in the recipe, you can also use a jarred tomato sauce instead. I recommend Rao’s Marinara Sauce as a flavorful, premade spaghetti sauce.
Storage, reheating and freezing tips
Storage. Refrigerate any leftovers in an airtight, resealable container for up to 4 days.
Reheating. Heat leftovers in a saucepan over low heat with a lid, stirring occasionally, until warmed through. Or use a microwave and cover to heat in 1 minute increments until desired temperature is achieved.
Freeze. You can freeze chicken meatballs in an airtight container or freezer safe bag for up to 3 months. Defrost completely before reheating on the stove or microwave until warmed through.
All the best meatball recipes
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Italian Chicken Meatballs in Tomato Sauce
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Ingredients
For the meatballs
- 3 lb ground chicken thighs, see below
- 2 large eggs, beaten; I beat right in the bowl with a fork.
- 2 cloves garlic , minced; equivalent to 2 T
- 1 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon garlic salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon sage
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 ½ cup Italian panko
- ½ cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese, no green can please!
- ¾ cup warm tap water
One Batch Grandma's Tomato Sauce
- ½ cup chopped onion
- 3 cloves garlic
- 2 T olive oil
- 6 oz can of tomato paste
- 28 oz can of whole tomatoes or tomato purée
- 30 oz tomato sauce equals 2-15 oz cans
- 15 oz can water , I fill one of the empty tomato sauce cans
- 1 tsp oregano
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 T sugar
- bunch fresh basil leaves
Instructions
For the meatballs
- Preheat the oven to 400˚.
- Spray a half sheet pan with cooking spray and set aside.
- To a large mixing bowl and using clean hands, add the ground chicken.Break the eggs into the side of the bowl and use a fork to lightly beat them. Add in all the seasoning and using your hands, lightly work the eggs into meat until incorporated.Sprinkle in the panko followed by the parmesan and mix again until blended. Be gentle and take your time.
- Pour in the warm water and while it'll look like it'll never mix into the meat, trust me, it will! Gently mix. The meat will seem loose but as it sits a bit, it will set up.
- Use your hands or a medium scoop to make meatballs. Gently roll them but don't pack super tight. Repeat filling the sheet pan.TIP: Keep a bowl of water to dip your scoop or hands to keep the meat from sticking.
- Bake the meatballs for 10 minutes. While they're baking, prepare the sauce.
For the sauce (can use premade sauce too)
- Sauté onion in oil. After 5 minutes, add in garlic and tomato paste.
- Add 1/2 tsp salt, a little pepper and caramelize paste in herbs for about 2 minutes stirring the whole time. Add in tomatoes and water. Add fresh basil and follow recipe for meatballs.
Simmer meatballs
- Drop meatballs in sauce and simmer on low for 2 hours
Notes
- Ask your butcher to fresh grind chicken thighs for you. The packages at the store are typically ground white meat unless marked otherwise.
- Don’t use a non stick pan to par bake the meatballs on. Use a stainless pan lightly sprayed with cooking spray. You want a nice brown exterior if possible.
Great! They were out of ground turkey at Earth Fare so I got ground chicken. I was worried about dry meatballs, but you were correct! It worked out GREAT! Thanks so much! Love your site!
Marie, this is so lovely! Thank you so much and I’m so happy you enjoyed the chicken meatballs (they’re my family’s fav too). Please reach out anytime with any questions or ideas – I love hearing from readers!😊