These baked chicken meatballs are the best anytime meatballs. Packed with layers of flavor, baked at a high temperature, and brushed with a lemon garlic herb butter sauce to finish them off. Pair them with spaghetti, add them to salad, or enjoy all on their own! Bonus: these chicken meatballs are a perfect make-ahead recipe and can be easily frozen before or after baking.
In This Post
Meet your new favorite way to enjoy chicken, after juicy air fryer chicken breast and crispy baked chicken wings, of course. You're going to love these savory baked chicken meatballs, a lighter, fresh-tasting and flavorful main dish that you can pull together in under 20 minutes.
Believe me when I say; lunch, dinner, or a random after dinner snack (if you have kids, you know)– these chicken meatballs will be calling your name.
These Will Be Your Favorite Chicken Meatballs Recipe
- Incredible without the lemon garlic herb butter sauce.
- The lemon garlic herb butter sauce adds additional flavor.
- Quick & easy recipe– mix ingredients in a bowl, shape, and bake.
- Just 15 minutes in the oven!
- Pair them with literally anything– spaghetti, salad, or enjoy all on their own!
- Delicious with homemade marinara sauce.
- Make them gluten free with certified gluten free breadcrumbs.
- The perfect make-ahead recipe and can be easily frozen.
Grab These Ingredients
- Ground Chicken: Look for ground chicken in the meat section, it can be ground chicken breast, thighs or a combination.
- Egg: 1 egg is just enough to bind the ingredients together without making the chicken meatballs tough.
- Olive Oil: Adds flavor and a bit of moisture.
- Worcestershire Sauce: You don't need much, a small amount adds a ton of flavor, just like it does in smash burgers, sloppy joes, salmon cakes, black bean burgers, turkey burgers, and meatloaf.
- Breadcrumbs: Just like in meatballs, breadcrumbs bind ingredients together. You can use panko, regular, seasoned, homemade or gluten free.
- Grated Parmesan: Adds flavor!
- Garlic: Grate 1-2 cloves; this adds more flavor.
- Spices: Grab those pantry staple spices; salt, pepper, onion powder, dried oregano, and dried parsley. This is completely optional, but I also like to toss in some red pepper flakes for a little kick.
How To Make Chicken Meatballs
There's nothing complicated about this this easy chicken meatballs recipe; it's really a mix, roll and bake recipe.
- Combine & Mix Ingredients: Add the ingredients into a mixing bowl, mixing together until just combined.
- Roll into Balls: Scoop 2 Tablespoons of the mixture and roll gently into a ball without packing it too tightly.
- Bake: Bake the meatballs for 15 minutes at 425°F or until they reach an internal temperature of 165°F.
Success Tips
- Avoid Over-Mixing: Mix the meatball ingredients together until just combined. When you over-mix it will produce tough, dense meatballs.
- Don't Over Bake: Baking the meatballs too long will cause them to dry out. Bake the meatballs until they reach an internal temperature of 165°F.
- Pack the Meatballs Gently: When rolling the mixture into balls, pack it gently. Forming the meatballs into too tightly packed balls will cause them to be rubbery and tough– this applies to any type of meatball.
What to Serve With Chicken Meatballs
- On their own, straight out of the container, warm or cold
- Pair with your favorite pasta or lighten it up with zucchini noodles
- Pair them with roasted asparagus, quinoa patties, brown butter garlic mushrooms or roasted potatoes
- Serve alongside this kale and quinoa salad or quinoa
- Smothered in homemade marinara sauce
FAQ About Crispy Chicken Wings
Why are my chicken meatballs falling apart?
The chicken meatballs could be falling apart due to 1) not rolling them in a tight enough ball, however be careful to not pack it too tightly as you don't want a dense meatball or 2) not the right ratio of binding ingredients to hold the meatballs together.
Why are my chicken meatballs tough?
There are 2 reasons why chicken meatballs can be tough; 1) the mixture was over-mixed or 2) baked too long. Stir the mixture together until just combined and bake until the meatballs reach an internal temperature of 165°F.
How do I know when the baked chicken meatballs are done?
The chicken meatballs are finished when they reach an internal temperature of 165°F.
Easy Baked Chicken Meatballs
Description
These baked chicken meatballs are the best anytime meatballs. Packed with layers of flavor, baked at a high temperature, and brushed with a lemon garlic herb butter sauce to finish them off. Pair them with spaghetti, add them to salad, or enjoy all on their own! Bonus: these chicken meatballs are a perfect make-ahead recipe and can be easily frozen before or after baking.
Ingredients
Meatballs
- 2 pounds ground chicken
- 1 large egg, whisked
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
- ⅔ cup breadcrumbs
- ½ cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1-2 cloves garlic, grated
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 ¼ teaspoons onion powder
- 1 ¼ teaspoons dried oregano
- 2 Tablespoons dried parsley
Lemon Garlic Herb Butter Sauce
- 6 Tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1-2 cloves garlic, grated
- 3 Tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
- 1 Tablespoon finely chopped fresh thyme
- ½ teaspoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- optional: ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, mix together the meatball ingredients until just combined.
- Scoop 2 Tablespoons of the mixture, gently roll into a ball with your hands, and place on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat until all meatballs are formed– there will be about 30-35 meatballs.
- Bake for 15 minutes or until the internal temperature is 165°F.
- Make the sauce: Add the butter, lemon juice and grated garlic in a sauté pan over medium heat, stirring until the butter is melted and the garlic becomes fragrant. This will take about 3-4 minutes, keep an eye on it to not let the butter or garlic burn. Reduce the heat to low and stir in the fresh herbs and red pepper flakes, if using. Remove from the burner.
- Add the meatballs to the sauté pan, gently stirring and spooning the sauce over the meatballs or brush the meatballs with the sauce on the baking sheet.
- Serve meatballs warm with a side dish of your choosing. Store leftovers in the refrigerator covered for up to 5 days.
Notes
- Make Ahead Instructions: To make ahead, follow through step 3, then cover the unbaked meatballs tightly and refrigerate for up to 1 day. The day of, continue with step 4.
- Freezing Instructions & Reheating Instructions: To freeze, you have 2 options: 1) freeze baked meatballs or 2) freeze raw meatballs. To freeze baked meatballs, allow the meatballs to cool completely, then place in a freezer-friendly container or airtight bag and freeze for up to 3 months. To freeze raw meatballs, place the meatballs on a baking sheet, plate or tray lined with parchment paper and freeze for an hour to prevent them from sticking. Then, place in a freezer-friendly container or airtight bag for up to 3 months.
- Reheating Instructions: For frozen, you have 2 options: 1) thaw overnight in the refrigerator or 2) bake frozen (pre-cooked or raw.) For both, preheat the oven to 425°F. Place the meatballs on a prepared baking sheet. Bake thawed meatballs for 10 minutes. Bake frozen meatballs for 15 minutes, if raw, making sure the the internal temperature reaches 165°F. Then, continue with step 5.
- Meat Options: You can substitute ground turkey or beef for the chicken, if desired.
- Breadcrumbs: You can use panko, regular, seasoned, homemade or gluten free.
- Herbs: You can replace any of the fresh herbs with dried, if desired, or replace any of the dried herbs with fresh herbs. Keep in mind that dried herbs are more potent. The rule of thumb: for dried herbs to fresh herbs is double (2 Tablespoons dried parsley → 4 Tablespoons fresh parsley) and for fresh herbs to dried herbs cut in half (2 Tablespoons fresh thyme → 1 Tablespoon dried thyme.)
- What to serve with chicken meatballs? There's tons of options: 1) pair with your favorite pasta or lighten it up with zucchini noodles, 2) serve alongside asparagus, quinoa patties, brown butter garlic mushrooms, roasted potatoes, kale and quinoa salad or quinoa.
Nutrition
Calories: 89kcal | Carbohydrates: 2g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 40mg | Sodium: 168mg | Potassium: 182mg | Fiber: 0.3g | Sugar: 0.2g | Vitamin A: 143IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 28mg | Iron: 1mg
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Erin says
Wow, made this last night for dinner and they were delish. I served them over a rice and quinoa mix. Really good thank you!
Christina says
Oh, I need to try these over a rice/quinoa mix. Sounds delicous!