Who knew an easy to make, baked chicken meatball could be so stinking delicious?!
I've been making these baked chicken meatballs a lot lately. I was trying to make a gluten-free, pork-free meatball that still had great flavor and texture (i.e. not dry). I'm just gonna say it... I nailed it. My family has been gobbling these things up every time I make them. Here's why they're so awesome:
- Really easy to throw together.
- Use pantry staples.
- Freezable.
- Packed with a lot of flavor!
- Did I say easy?
Ingredients in Baked Chicken Meatballs
Not only are these so, so easy to make, the ingredients are mostly pantry items! Which I think we can all agree is awesome. All I had to pick up from the store to make these was ground chicken! (You can also use ground turkey). Ground chicken is the star of this meatball show for a two reasons... my husband is cutting out pork and I just like chicken! I obviously make them gluten-free, but you could substitute regular breadcrumbs without a problem.
Other than the ground chicken, you'll need:
- Dried spices: fennel adds that 'Italian sausage' flavor, Italian seasoning, parsley, onion powder, salt & pepper.
- Garlic: I used fresh garlic because I love it, you could use garlic powder if you wanted to.
- Worchestershire sauce: make sure yours is gluten-free. I used Lea & Perrin's brand.
- Egg: which helps hold it all together.
- Almond Flour: is also a binder. Gluten-free panko or gluten-free breadcrumbs work as well.
- Parmesan cheese: because why not parmesan cheese? Freshly grated is my preference.
Putting the Baked Chicken Meatballs Together
Are you even ready for this? This could not get any easier.
- Stir the wet ingredients together.
- Add in the dry ingredients and mix to combine.
- Mix in the ground chicken with your hands. Be sure to wash your hands and remove your rings first!
To form the meatballs, I use a small cookie scoop! It's about 1 Tablespoon in size. Just scoop out the little meatballs onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake!
The smell coming from the oven will tell you all you need to know, but just wait until they come out! Oh man, they will be browned to perfection...
And so, so hard to resist. I mean seriously. I ate one... or two... or like, ten actually. There should be a warning.
Warning: It may be hard to resist eating 'Baked Chicken Meatballs' straight from the oven. Eating just one will require much restraint. In the event that the meatballs need to actually make it to the dinner table, baking a double-batch is highly advisable.
These little meatballs are the perfect easy weeknight meal. When I make them I just toss them in our favorite sauce:
- like this homemade sauce, just omit the sausage
- or this jarred sauce.
I then warm the two up together. If the meatballs are frozen you don't need to thaw them first. Then I serve it all over our favorite pasta!
Speaking of freezing, you can absolutely make a big batch of these and freeze them for future use. I actually highly recommend this! Just store them in an airtight container.
Gluten-Free Baked Chicken Meatballs
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground chicken, or turkey
- 1 egg
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- ¼ cup almond flour, gluten-free panko, or gluten-free breadcrumbs
- ½ cup parmesan cheese
- 3 cloves garlic , minced
- 2 teaspoons dried Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon dried fennel
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ¼ cup Ricotta Cheese,, optional *see notes
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F. (Use convection setting if you have it.). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Whisk the egg, olive oil, and Worcestershire sauce together. (And optional Ricotta cheese.)
- Whisk in the dry ingredients: almond flour, parmesan cheese, and spices.
- Add in the ground chicken. Mix well with hands until mixture is combined.
- Using a small cookie scoop, scoop out 1 Tablespoon-sized balls of the mixture and place the meatballs on the parchment lined baking pan.
- Bake at 425° for 20-25 min or until meatballs are golden brown and cooked to 165° internal temperature.
Notes
- Use immediately, refrigerate for up to 3 days, or freeze for several months.
- When warming them up in pasta sauce, frozen meatballs don't need to be thawed first.
Nutrition
I sincerely hope you enjoy this baked chicken meatball recipe! If you do, please share this recipe on your favorite social media channels! Also, leave me a comment and star-rating! All these things help my recipes to be recognized by Google! Thanks for your support!
Since you made it this far, why not check out some more of my pasta recipes?!
- Baked Chicken Pesto Pasta is another family fave!
- Check out these super green noodles in Easy BLT Pasta!
- This is my family's favorite Lasagna! It makes a lot. Perfect for freezing or a big family get-together!
Nichole
Came out perfect with gf pinko breadcrumbs ??
Katie Olesen
Glad to hear! Thanks for sharing!
Audrey
I made these tonight. I loved how quick and easy they were to make and the flavour was fantastic, I ate three straight from the oven!! I did notice that my chicken was high in fat and that affected their finished size as it melted and ran out of the balls leaving me with “mounds” ?.
Katie Olesen
Lol! That’s ok! The taste is all that matters. I’m so glad you enjoyed them!!
JT
I made this low fodmap by using garlic infused oil and left out the garlic and the onion powder. I used gf breadcrumbs. It was so good and easy! Thanks so much for sharing.
Katie Olesen
So glad you liked the recipe! Great substitutions!
Julie Ann
How many meatballs does this make?
Susan McCoy
These are the BOMB!!
I made mine without the parmesan cheese because I can’t have dairy. I wasn’t even done with dinner before I sent the recipe to my bang and both my sisters. Froze what was leftover for another night.
Katie | Wheat by the Wayside
So happy you enjoyed the recipe! Thanks for sharing, too!