Description
Delicious and tender chicken meatballs baked to perfection and simmered in a savory homemade sauce featuring parmesan, herbs, and a rich roux base. Perfect served with mashed potatoes and roasted green beans for a comforting 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
- 1/3 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 (or ½ teaspoon Better Than Bouillon)
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon half and half
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon dried 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 prep: Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Make sure your yellow onions are very finely minced to avoid needing to soften them and to help the meatballs hold together better.
- Mix meatball ingredients: In a large bowl, combine panko breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, parsley, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Add half and half, whisked egg, finely minced onion, and garlic. Mix well until combined.
- Add meat and combine gently: Add ground chicken and ground pork to the mixture. Gently mix using your hands or a silicone spatula until just combined. Avoid overworking to keep meatballs tender. If mixture feels too wet, add 1-2 tablespoons of breadcrumbs.
- Shape meatballs: Roll the mixture into 24 meatballs, approximately 1 ½ inches wide. Place them evenly spaced on a lightly greased, light-colored baking sheet. Optionally refrigerate for 5 minutes, then roll again to smooth the meatballs.
- Bake meatballs: Bake the meatballs in the preheated oven for 15 minutes until cooked through but not browned heavily. Remove and set aside.
- Prepare sauce base: While meatballs bake, melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add flour and stir continuously for 2 minutes until lightly browned and raw flour smell is gone, forming a roux.
- Add sauce liquids and seasonings: In a measuring cup, combine chicken broth, crumbled beef bouillon cube, Worcestershire sauce, half and half, onion powder, garlic powder, parsley, mustard powder, dried rosemary, ground sage, and pepper. Slowly add this liquid to the roux in small splashes, stirring constantly to avoid lumps.
- Simmer sauce: Bring the sauce to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Optionally add 2-3 drops of gravy master for a darker color.
- Combine meatballs with sauce: Add baked meatballs back into the sauce. Spoon sauce over the meatballs and heat through for 5 minutes until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Serve: Serve the meatballs and sauce hot with mashed potatoes and roasted green beans for a complete meal.
Notes
- You can prepare meatballs ahead by refrigerating or freezing before or after baking. Refrigerate for 2-3 days or freeze up to 3 months.
- The sauce base (all ingredients except butter and flour) can be mixed up to 2 days ahead and stored covered in the fridge.
- Reheat leftovers by baking covered at 300 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 minutes; thaw frozen meatballs overnight before reheating.
- Grinding your own chicken saves money and allows control over texture.
- Feel free to substitute ground pork with chicken sausage, turkey sausage, or use all ground chicken if preferred.
- Beef bouillon adds depth of flavor; use ½ teaspoon Better Than Bouillon or a bouillon cube.
- Baking meatballs prevents them from falling apart, which can happen with lean ground chicken.
- Try related recipes like Turkey and Stuffing Meatballs or Ricotta Meatballs for variety.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 meatball with sauce
- Calories: 110 kcal
- Sugar: 0.5 g
- Sodium: 220 mg
- Fat: 6 g
- Saturated Fat: 2 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3.5 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 5 g
- Fiber: 0.3 g
- Protein: 8 g
- Cholesterol: 45 mg
