Super moist and flavorful chicken meatballs, covered in rich marinara sauce. This is the only meatballs recipe you'll ever need. Guaranteed.
While some chicken meatballs are known for being dry, that is something you won’t have to worry about with this recipe. Below, I'll explain all the tricks and secrets for making The Best Chicken Meatballs Ever. Are you excited? Me too!
There are quite a few tricks that will take your chicken meatballs from "good" to "Oh my God, can I have some more?" Let's start with chicken meat.
It is not a secret that chicken breast is a lot drier than thigh. That's why I strongly suggest buying boneless chicken thighs and processing the meat in the food processor at home. It's really easy, and it does make a difference. Plus you'll use the same food processor to pulse the chicken with the rest of the ingredients, so you won't have to wash it twice; Win-win.
It is also important to saute the onion in butter and olive oil before you add it to the meatballs. Don't rush this process. Use low heat and allow the onion to soften nicely and develop a beautiful golden color. The reason we are cooking the onion like this is to add that special sweet and buttery taste to the meatballs. Another reason for cooking the onion is that if you use raw diced onion in the meatballs, you run the risk of having raw onions in them. Do you want that to happen?
And lastly, the kind of bread you use impacts the softness of the meatballs. Try to make your own breadcrumbs from slightly stale Italian bread for the best results. Other kinds of white bread should work as well, although I always prefer to use an Italian loaf. Mixing the breadcrumbs with milk adds a little extra moisture to the meatballs.
After following all these steps, you are on your way to making THE BEST CHICKEN MEATBALLS EVER.
Enjoy!
THE BEST CHICKEN MEATBALLS EVER
Ingredients
- 1 lb. ground chicken thighs or breast (thighs make juicier meatballs)
- 1 medium onion (chopped)
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 cup breadcrumbs
- ½ cup milk
- 1 egg
- ⅓ cup chopped parsley
- 2 garlic cloves (minced)
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp pepper
- vegetable oil for frying
- 1 24 oz jar of your favorite Marinara sauce
Instructions
- In a small mixing bowl, combine breadcrumbs and milk and set aside.
- Sauté the onion in butter and olive oil on low heat for about 10-15 minutes, until the onion is soft and starts browning slightly.
- Place the ground chicken in the food processor and add the breadcrumbs, sautéed onion, egg, parsley, garlic, salt and pepper. Pulse this mixture until all the ingredients are evenly combined.
- Put oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
- Scoop ⅛th of a cup of the meatball mixture and roll it into a ball. You may need to wet your hands, because the mixture is sticky. One by one, roll the meatballs and add them to the oil.
- Cook, turning as necessary, until nicely browned all over for about 10 minutes. You don't need the meatballs to cook through completely because you'll cook them in marinara sauce in a later step. (Depending on the size of your skillet, you may need to work in batches. I have a 10-inch skillet and I cooked these meatballs in 2 batches, 12 at a time).
- Once the meatballs are cooked, transfer them onto a plate lined with paper towels to absorb the oil.
- Clean the skillet and put the meatballs back in. Pour the marinara sauce on top. Cover the skillet with a tight lid and cook for an additional 10-15 minutes on low heat.
- Garnish with grated Parmesan cheese or chopped parsley.
Notes
Nutrition
Before you go...
Check out these recipes
CABBAGE SAUTEED WITH BEEF
LAMB CHOPS WITH PESTO
PASTA WITH PEAS AND KIELBASA
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Bella B (xoxoBella) says
These look so good! I just made meatball sandwiches tonight. I wish I had seen this earlier as I would have tried them in chicken.
Tania says
I hope you'll try these next time! And don't forget to let me know how you liked them!
Kate @ Babaganosh.org says
These really do look so good! I actually love chicken meatballs and prefer them over beef meatballs. My grandma also uses bread soaked in milk when making 'kotleti' so I know this recipe would come out really good! I will have to try this sometime.. 🙂
Tania says
Thanks,Kate! Bread really does make a difference in this recipe. The meatballs come out so soft and juicy!
Robyn @ Simply Fresh Dinners says
Oh my goodness, Tania, I just love meatballs and just made chicken meatballs for the first time a couple months ago. I love your tips for extra moistness and flavour. Great pics. Giant fork, please! Sharing 🙂
Tania says
That's what I used to eat these, Robyn! A giant fork! I almost didn't want to share with my husband. 🙂
Jenny B says
I've never pureed chicken in the food processor before - any tips? Do you use raw chicken?
Tania says
It's really easy, Jenny! Just place raw chicken pieces in the food processor and pulse until you reach the desired consistency.
Natasha @ Salt and Lavender says
These look delicious! Love the photos too!
Tania says
Thanks, Natasha! Have a great day!