Description
Delicious and tender chicken meatballs baked to perfection and served in a creamy savory sauce. Made with a blend of ground chicken and pork, Parmesan, herbs, and a rich homemade gravy, this dish is perfect for a comforting dinner served alongside mashed potatoes and roasted green beans.
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
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon half and half
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon parsley
- ½ teaspoon mustard powder
- ¼ teaspoon dried rosemary
- ¼ teaspoon ground sage
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 2–3 drops gravy master (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven: Preheat your oven to 400° F to prepare for baking the meatballs.
- Prepare the meatball mixture: In a large bowl, combine panko breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, parsley, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Add half and half, whisked egg, finely minced yellow onion, and minced garlic. Mix well until combined.
- Add meat and mix: Gently add ground chicken and ground pork to the bowl and mix with hands or a silicone spatula until just combined. Avoid overworking to keep meatballs tender. If mixture feels too wet, add 1-2 tablespoons more breadcrumbs.
- Form meatballs: Roll the mixture into 24 meatballs, about 1½ inches wide. Place them on a lightly greased, light-colored baking sheet. Refrigerate for up to 5 minutes, then re-roll to smooth out the meatballs.
- Bake meatballs: Bake the meatballs in the preheated oven for 15 minutes until cooked initially.
- Prepare the sauce mix: While the meatballs bake, combine chicken broth, beef bouillon cube, Worcestershire sauce, half and half, onion powder, garlic powder, parsley, mustard powder, dried rosemary, ground sage, and pepper in a medium measuring cup with a spout.
- Make roux: In a pan over medium heat, melt butter and add flour. Stir continuously for 2 minutes until the flour turns light brown and the raw flour smell dissipates.
- Add sauce mixture: Gradually add the sauce mixture in small splashes to the roux, stirring constantly to thicken the sauce and prevent breaking.
- Simmer sauce: Bring the sauce to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Optionally add 2-3 drops of gravy master for a darker color.
- Finish cooking meatballs: Add baked meatballs back into the sauce, spoon sauce over them, and heat through for 5 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 165° F.
- Serve: Serve the meatballs hot with mashed potatoes and roasted green beans or your preferred sides.
Notes
- You can prepare meatballs ahead of time and refrigerate or freeze them. Bake fresh or bake ahead and reheat in sauce.
- The sauce ingredients (except butter and flour) can be mixed and stored in the fridge up to 2 days before cooking.
- If making meatballs ahead and baking early, store them cooled in an airtight container for up to 3 days or freeze for 3 months.
- Reheat frozen meatballs covered with foil at 300° F for 15 minutes after thawing overnight in the fridge.
- Grinding your own chicken can save money and ensure freshness.
- Using a mix of ground chicken and pork provides better flavor and texture; substitutions like chicken or turkey sausage can be used instead.
- Using beef bouillon or Better Than Bouillon intensifies flavor and darkens sauce color.
- Baking meatballs helps them hold together better than pan frying for lean ground chicken.
- Add 1–2 tablespoons extra breadcrumbs if mixture feels too wet to ensure firm meatballs.
- Try related recipes like Turkey and Stuffing Meatballs or Ricotta Meatballs for variety.
