Chicken Meatballs

These Chicken Meatballs are oven baked and smothered in delicious brown gravy! They're also freezer friendly and easy to make ahead of time.

Prep Time25

Cook Time25

Total Time50

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Servings: meatballs

Calories: 88kcal

Preheat oven to 400° F.
Pro Tip: Make sure the onions are very finely minced. This way you don’t have to soften/cook them first and it’ll ensure the meatballs stay together.
Combine the breadcrumbs, Parmesan, parsley, Italian seasoning, and salt/pepper in a large bowl. Add the half and half, egg, onions, and garlic and mix until well combined.
Add the meat and gently mix with your hands or a silicone spatula until well-combined. Be careful not to overwork the meat or the meatballs will become tough. If the mixture feels too wet, add 1-2 tablespoons breadcrumbs.
Roll into 24 meatballs, each about 1 ½ inches wide. Place on a light colored, lightly greased baking sheet.
Pro Tip: Refrigerate the meatballs for up to 5 minutes and then give them one more roll to smooth them out a little more.
Bake for 15 minutes, then remove and set aside.

While the meatballs bake, set the butter/flour aside and combine all remaining sauce ingredients in a medium measuring cup with a spout.
Melt the butter over medium heat and add the flour. Stir continuously for 2 minutes, until the flour turns a light brown and the raw flour smell is cooked off.
Add the sauce mixture in small splashes, stirring continuously. Adding it slowly will ensure the sauce is thick and that the roux doesn’t break.
Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Pro Tip: A few drops of gravy master will add a darker color to the sauce, this is optional and won’t impact the flavor.
Add the meatballs back and spoon the sauce on top. Heat through for 5 minutes, or until the internal temperature of the meat is 165 degrees.
Serve with mashed potatoes and roasted green beans.

Make Ahead Method:

Prepare the meatballs as outlined and refrigerate or freeze. You may choose to bake now or later.
- If you bake them ahead of time, let cool completely and store in an airtight container until ready to serve.
- Refrigerate for 2-3 days or freeze for 3 months.
The sauce mixture can also be combined up to 2 days ahead of time and stored in an airtight container in the fridge. This includes every sauce ingredient other than the butter/flour.
When ready to serve: Cook the sauce as outlined, add the baked meatballs, simmer, and serve!

Pro Tips:

Grind your own chicken: I find that the price of ground chicken is more than twice as much per pound than boneless chicken breasts, so I grind the chicken myself in my mini food processor. Super quick and easy!
Meat: I like using a combination of meat instead of all ground chicken. Ground pork rounds out the flavor nicely without being overpowering. You can also use chicken sausage, turkey sausage, or simply all ground chicken if preferred. Either way, you want 1.5 lbs. of meat.
Beef Bouillon Cube: This recipe calls for beef bouillon which adds a nice depth of flavor and a darker color. I use 1/2 tsp. Better Than Bouillon.
Baking the Meatballs: I choose to bake the meatballs in this recipe instead of browning them in the skillet or cooking them in this sauce as this ensures they stay together well. Chicken is on the leaner side and can be more prone to falling apart. They're only baked for 15 minutes and can finish cooking in the sauce.
Try these next: If you're a meatball fan, definitely try out my Ricotta Meatballs! They are super popular and so good!

Storage:

Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months. Leftovers freeze/reheat very well!
To Reheat: Place on a baking sheet or dish and cover with foil. Bake at 300° F for 15 minutes. (If frozen, thaw in the fridge overnight.)

Nutritional information is an estimate and is per meatball (including sauce). This recipe makes approximately 24 meatballs.