Description
These flavorful Chicken Meatballs baked to perfection and served with a rich, savory sauce make a delightful main course. Combining ground chicken and pork with herbs, cheese, and spices, then baked and simmered in a creamy roux-based sauce, these meatballs are perfect alongside mashed potatoes and roasted green beans for a comforting classic meal.
Ingredients
Scale
Meatballs
- ½ cup panko breadcrumbs
- ¼ cup Parmesan cheese
- ¼ cup parsley, roughly chopped
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- ¼ cup half and half
- 1 large egg, whisked
- ⅓ cup yellow onion, very finely minced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 lb. ground chicken
- ½ lb. ground pork
Sauce
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 2 cups chicken broth
- ½ beef bouillon cube
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon half and half
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon parsley
- ½ teaspoon mustard powder
- ¼ teaspoon dried rosemary
- ¼ teaspoon ground sage
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 2-3 drops gravy master (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat and Prepare Ingredients: Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Make sure your yellow onion is very finely minced to help the meatballs hold together without pre-cooking the onions.
- Mix Meatball Ingredients: In a large bowl, combine panko breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, parsley, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Add half and half, whisked egg, minced onion, and garlic. Mix until well incorporated.
- Add Meat and Combine: Add the ground chicken and ground pork to the bowl. Gently mix with your hands or a silicone spatula until just combined. Do not overwork the mixture to keep the meatballs tender. If the mixture is too wet, add 1-2 tablespoons more of breadcrumbs.
- Form Meatballs: Roll the mixture into 24 meatballs, each about 1 ½ inches wide. Place them on a lightly greased, light-colored baking sheet. Refrigerate the meatballs for up to 5 minutes, then re-roll them gently to smooth their shape.
- Bake Meatballs: Bake the meatballs in the preheated oven for 15 minutes until lightly cooked. Remove and set aside temporarily.
- Prepare Sauce Mixture: While meatballs bake, combine chicken broth, crumbled beef bouillon, Worcestershire sauce, half and half, onion powder, garlic powder, parsley, mustard powder, dried rosemary, ground sage, and pepper in a medium measuring cup with a spout for easy pouring.
- Make Roux: Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add flour and stir continuously for 2 minutes until the mixture turns light brown and the raw flour smell dissipates.
- Add Sauce Liquids to Roux: Gradually add the broth mixture in small splashes, stirring constantly to prevent lumps. This slow addition ensures a thick, smooth sauce. Bring the sauce to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer.
- Optional Color Enhancement: Add 2-3 drops of gravy master if desired for a richer color and deeper flavor.
- Finish Cooking Meatballs in Sauce: Return the baked meatballs to the saucepan, spoon sauce over them, and heat through on simmer for about 5 minutes, or until the meatballs reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Serve: Serve the meatballs hot with a generous amount of sauce, ideally paired with mashed potatoes and roasted green beans for a complete meal.
Notes
- Make Ahead: Prepare meatballs and refrigerate or freeze before baking. Bake now or later. Baked meatballs can be refrigerated for 2-3 days or frozen for up to 3 months.
- Sauce can be pre-mixed up to 2 days in advance, excluding butter and flour. Store in an airtight container in the fridge; cook when ready to serve.
- Grinding your own chicken can save money and improve texture.
- Using a mixture of meats (chicken and pork) enhances flavor; you may substitute with all ground chicken, chicken sausage, or turkey sausage as preferred.
- Beef bouillon adds depth and color; ½ beef bouillon cube or ½ tsp Better Than Bouillon is recommended.
- Baking meatballs ensures they hold together better than pan-frying since lean chicken can be fragile.
- Leftovers freeze and reheat well; to reheat, cover with foil and bake at 300 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 minutes. Thaw frozen meatballs overnight in fridge before reheating.
- If mixture feels wet when forming meatballs, add extra breadcrumbs 1 tablespoon at a time until manageable.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 meatball with sauce
- Calories: 120 kcal
- Sugar: 1 g
- Sodium: 250 mg
- Fat: 7 g
- Saturated Fat: 3 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 6 g
- Fiber: 0.5 g
- Protein: 8 g
- Cholesterol: 50 mg
