These are the most delicious baked chicken meatballs I’ve ever had! Packed with flavor, baked, and then brushed with a lemony garlic herb butter for even more flavor, they’re lighter-tasting than many meatball recipes. Enjoy them with your favorite pasta, zucchini noodles, in a soup, or all on their own! You won’t regret making a double batch and freezing half for a future meal.
One reader, Sarah, commented: “I can’t believe I waited so long to try this! I have been using Sally’s sweet recipes for years and only today tried out these meatballs. SO GOOD! Soft, perfect flavor, and a crowd pleaser. โ โ โ โ โ ”
Another reader, Shannon, commented: “I almost couldn’t believe how tasty these were… Loved the garlic and herbs. Tons of flavor. The garlic butter was delicious. I also made the zucchini noodles for the first time and loved them! All four kids and my husband loved them, too… โ โ โ โ โ “
While I’ve become an expert at blocking out the temptation that comes along with the constant presence of sweet baked goods in my kitchen (hazard of the job!), a new temptation has been calling my name from the refrigerator, in the form of these savory baked chicken meatballs.
Lunch, dinnerโI’ve been all about this chicken meatball recipe. I’ve been making some variation of them for years, but this recipe you see below is my favorite, and my family (kids included!) enjoy them too. Pair with spiralized zucchini noodles tossed in a zingy lemon-herb butter, and you have a super springy, fresh-tasting main dish that’s a far cry from the heavier meals we typically crave in the winter months.
Why This Will Be Your New Favorite Chicken Meatball Recipe
- No cooking apart from 20 minutes in the ovenโjust mix, shape, and bake.
- Lemony, garlicky, herby butter “sauce” is a fresh, flavorful finishing touch.
- Delicious on their own, or smothered in a marinara or pesto sauce.
- You can swap ground turkey for the chicken, if preferred.
- Make them gluten free by using GF bread crumbs.
- You can also shape them as patties, and grill them to make chicken burgers.
Best Ingredients to Use & Why
The ingredients for the meatballs are similar to the burger patties in my caprese pesto chicken burgers recipe.
- Ground Chicken: Or use ground turkey, if you can’t find ground chicken.
- Egg: 1 egg works to bind the ingredients together.
- Olive Oil: For flavor and moisture.
- Worcestershire Sauce: Just a small amount provides big flavor, just as it does in crab cakes, black bean burgers, and beer cheese dip. Versatile!
- Breadcrumbs: Another binding agent. You can use panko, regular, whole wheat, Italian seasoned, homemade using croutons, or even gluten free.
- Grated Parmesan Cheese: More delicious flavor! Feel free to omit.
- Garlic: Mince 4โ5 cloves; you’ll use some in the meatballs and some in the garlicky herb butter sauce.
- Seasonings: Salt, pepper, onion powder, dried oregano, and fresh parsley flavor these chicken meatballs from the inside out.
And, optional… a red pepper flake garnish for some kick!
How to Make Baked Chicken Meatballs
The first step is to simply mix all the ingredients together. Yep, all together all at once, in 1 bowl! You can use a big spoon or silicone spatula for this.
Scoop a portion of the mixture (about 2 Tablespoons’ worth, or 30โ35g) and roll/shape into a ball with your hands. This part can get a little messy, so have some paper towels nearby to wipe your hands as needed. Or do what I do and have someone spray your hands with nonstick cooking spray before you begin!
Do I Need to Pre-Cook These Chicken Meatballs?
No. Unlike with many homemade meatball recipes, like these crockpot turkey meatballs or slow cooker BBQ meatballs, there’s no searing/stovetop step in this baked chicken meatball recipe. You can place the shaped meatballs right on a lined baking sheet and they’ll be ready to eat in less than half an hour.
Fresh Lemon Garlic Herb Butter Sauce
While they bake, make the simple sauce on the stove. This “sauce” gives these flavorful chicken meatballs even more moisture and flavorโI don’t recommend skipping it! It’s not so much a sauce as it is simply melted butter flavored with fresh lemon, garlic, and herbs.
In a small saucepan, melt the butter with some fresh-squeezed lemon juice, then add the minced garlic and cook briefly, until nice and fragrant. Remove from heat and stir in the chopped herbs.
Brush or spoon it on the warm meatballs when they’re done baking, and spoon any extra over the pasta or zucchini noodles you’re serving the meatballs with. The texture is light enough that it can be layered with another, thicker sauce, like marinara or homemade pesto, but that’s totally up to you!
My favorite way to enjoy them is with some zucchini noodles (aka “zoodles” or “courgetti”)โwhich I also love in this bruschetta chicken recipeโtossed in the herb butter sauce. See recipe Notes for how to cook zucchini noodles.
The meatballs could be over-baked, but it’s also likely that they were packed too tightly when shaping. Meatballs can taste rubbery and tough if they’re formed too tight. Roll the mixture gently, just until it comes together to form a ball.
The meatballs only take about 20 minutes in the oven. Bake them just until an instant-read thermometer reads the internal temperature as 165ยฐF (74ยฐC).
What to Serve With Chicken Meatballs
- Your favorite variety of pasta; or zucchini noodles (pictured) or spaghetti squash
- Your favorite pasta sauce, like marinara or homemade basil pesto
- On their own, on a platter with toothpicks, as a party appetizer
- Alongside zucchini casserole, zucchini fritters, or baked sweet potato fries
- In a hoagie roll, as a meatball sandwich
- Alongside olive bread, asiago-crusted skillet bread, homemade breadsticks, homemade garlic bread, savory quick bread, or these garlic knots
- Or try shaping the mixture into patties and making chicken burgers with it. Top with fresh mozzarella, a slice of tomato, and a swipe of pesto on a bun for a caprese-style chicken burger.
Looking for even more family friendly recipes? Be sure to check out this list of 30+ back to school recipes and 30 delicious fall dinner recipes. And here are two of my family’s favorite weeknight dinnersโcrispy coconut chicken and baked pineapple teriyaki chicken!
How to Freeze Chicken Meatballs
I have these instructions below, but can briefly explain here as well. You have 2 choices here: (1) you can bake and then freeze them or (2) freeze them raw. To freeze after baking, let the meatballs cool completely, then place in a freezer-friendly container and freeze up to 2 months. To freeze before baking, form meatballs, then space apart on a lined plate or baking tray and freeze for 1โ2 hours or until they’ve “set” and will no longer stick together. Then you can place them in a freezer-friendly container and freeze up to 2 months.
Reheat: Heat oven to 400ยฐF (204ยฐC). Bake frozen fully cooked meatballs for 15โ18 minutes. Bake frozen raw meatballs for 25 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 165ยฐF (74ยฐC).
Easy Baked Chicken Meatballs
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: about 35 meatballs
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Cooking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Packed with flavor, baked, and then brushed with a lemony garlic herb butter for even more flavor, these chicken meatballs are lighter-tasting than many meatball recipes. No need to pre-cook, and you can easily freeze them before or after baking. Enjoy them with your favorite pasta, zucchini noodles, or all on their own!
Ingredients
Meatballs
- 2 pounds (907g) ground chicken (I usually use 94% lean)
- 1 large egg
- 2 Tablespoons (30ml) olive oil
- 1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
- 3/4 cup (84g) breadcrumbs*
- 1/2 cup (50g) grated parmesan cheese*
- 2โ3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 Tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
Lemon Garlic Herb Butter Sauce
- 1/4 cup (56g; 4 Tbsp) unsalted butter
- 2 Tablespoons (30ml) fresh lemon juice
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 Tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley leaves
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
- 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh oregano leaves
- pinch of salt
- optional for serving: crushed red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400ยฐF (204ยฐC) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper, or spray with nonstick spray. Set aside.
- With a large spoon or spatula, mix together all the meatball ingredients in a large bowl.
- Scoop a portion of the mixture, about 2 Tablespoons (30โ35g) in size, roll into a ball with your hands, and place on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with remaining mixture. You should have around 35 meatballs.
- Bake for 20 minutes, or until cooked through. Insert an instant-read thermometer to check for doneness; the meatballs are fully cooked when an instant-read thermometer reads the internal temperature as 165ยฐF (74ยฐC).
- Make the sauce: Place the butter and lemon juice in a small saucepan over medium heat and cook until the butter is fully melted. Add the minced garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until fragrant (about 1 minuteโdon’t let the garlic brown). Remove from heat and stir in the chopped fresh herbs. Brush or spoon the buttery sauce onto the meatballs when they come out of the oven. You will have some extra for serving. If desired, sprinkle meatballs with crushed red pepper flakes.
- Serve warm meatballs with remaining herb butter sauce, over your choice of pasta or zucchini noodles.
- Store leftovers covered tightly in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Notes
- Make Ahead Instructions: To make ahead, you can complete steps 2 & 3, then cover the unbaked chicken meatballs tightly and refrigerate for up to 1 day before baking.
- Freezing & Reheating Instructions: You have 2 choices here: (1) you can bake the meatballs and then freeze them or (2) freeze the meatballs raw. To freeze after baking, let the meatballs cool completely, then place in a freezer-friendly container and freeze up to 2 months. To freeze before baking, form meatballs, then space apart on a lined plate or baking tray and freeze for 1โ2 hours or until they’ve “set” and will no longer stick together. Place in a freezer-friendly container and freeze up to 2 months. To reheat either, preheat oven to 400ยฐF (204ยฐC). Bake frozen fully cooked meatballs for 15โ18 minutes. Bake frozen raw meatballs for 25 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 165ยฐF (74ยฐC).
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Baking Sheet | Parchment Paper | Glass Mixing Bowl | Silicone Spatula | Instant-Read Thermometer | Basting Brush | Spiralizer (to make zucchini noodles)
- Ground Turkey or Beef: You can substitute ground turkey or beef for the chicken.
- Breadcrumbs: You can use panko, regular, whole wheat, Italian seasoned, or gluten free.
- Parmesan Cheese: Feel free to skip the cheese (it does give a lot of flavor, though!), or replace with another shredded or crumbled cheese of your choice. Give the shredded or crumbled cheese a quick chop before using.
- Herbs: You can replace any of the fresh herbs with dried, if desired. General rule of thumb is to cut the amount in half; so 1 teaspoon of fresh oregano = 1/2 teaspoon dried.
- Zucchini Noodles: If you’d like to make the zucchini noodles as pictured, here is how I cook them: Add a splash of olive oil to a skillet, followed by the zucchini noodles. Cook over medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and carefully drain off most of the liquid, if any has accumulated. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Serve with the meatballs and a little of the sauce.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 5 meatballs with sauce
- Calories: 333
- Sugar: 1 g
- Sodium: 584.9 mg
- Fat: 16.9 g
- Carbohydrates: 9.8 g
- Fiber: 0.8 g
- Protein: 34 g
- Cholesterol: 142.7 mg
Reader Comments and Reviews
I made these tonight and they were delicious. I doubled the sauce and after brushing the meatballs I added some pasta water to it and coated the noodles I made to go with it. It was a big hit with my family and I will definitely be making this again!
I only had 1 lb of c chopped chicken so I halved the amount reciepe. So delicious, moist and yummy. Will be making them again SOON. TY Lynda C
Can these be premade and frozen?
Hi Tami, sure can! See the recipe notes for freezing instructions.
Good could a good quality, extra-virgin olive oil be used instead of butter for the sauce?
Hi Fran, the flavor will be different, but you could.
If I serve the meatballs with a marinara sauce, would I still make the butter sauce
Hi Kathy! You could skip the butter sauce if serving with marinara.
So good! I made just the chicken meatball portion of the recipe with half thigh and half breast ground in my food processor. I look forward to trying the sauce in the future, but I think these would go well in just about anything! We just poured a little sweet chili ginger sauce over them this time and served with roasted broccoli and mac and cheese.
This recipe is amazing! The best homemade chicken meatballs I have ever eaten and I canโt believe they are so easy to make!
Thank you, Sally!
I have discovered your recipes last year and have become a fan instantly!
I tried this recipe last night. I was multitasking and realized too late that I omitted the olive oil and the garlic before putting the meatballs in to cook. They were prepped…right there on the counter and I still missed them. (Admit it…you’ve been there!) So, I sauteed the garlic and a small container of chopped mushrooms in a butter substitute. I threw in a couple of handfuls of baby spinach and cooked until wilted. I combined it all with cooked fettuccine. It was great. The meatballs were moist and the flavor makes this great for pasta. As you might have guessed, I am not a good cook. I love it when I find a recipe this simple, this good, and this foolproof.
Thank you Sally for a perfect recipe! As usual your perfect directions and coaching have made this a keeper for us. I love your site and have used many of your recipes. I am looking forward to your book. Iโm sure it was a labor of love for you, CONGRATULATIONS!
i know I will be making this for the family, often!
Thank you for the recipe. My family loves it and itโs become a requested meal in my house!
I made these meatballs last night. Absolutely delicious. Iโve previously used a chicken meatball recipe that includes bacon but this recipe is far nicer! Itโs definitely a keeper. My daughter is gluten and lactose intolerant so it was easy to use gluten free breadcrumbs and swap out the parmesan for nutritional yeast. A big hit, thank you. I make your no knead seeded bread weekly, also delicious!
Made this tonight for dinner for the hub and me. I cut the recipe in half, using a whole egg and increasing the (panko) bread crumbs to 50 grams. (I tend to weigh as many ingredients as possible. Fewer measuring implements!)
The recipe was super easy and my very fussy hub loved it as much as I did.
I’ll take this recipe with us on vacation this year and make it when “the kids” come to stay.
Excellent yummy chicken meeatballs. We have stayed away from beef due to hubby’s diet, always looking for chicken recipes and this is a winner!
I have one question for you Sally; how do you manage to produce these meatballs perfectly round? My meatballs always seem to get a “flat bottom” look!
Hi Susan, that can be normal when making meatballs. We roll them into compact balls before baking, but you can see that some of ours have flatter bottoms than others. We’re glad you enjoyed them!
Oh yes these were great. I added in a tsp of sambal oelek to the chicken mix and cooked them in the oven at a lower temp of 175ยฐC for 50 mins. They had a really nice tan and were not overcooked. Last 5 mins ramped it up to 200ยฐC.
Good recipe
Made them as directed only added a tablespoon of pesto to mix
Definitely will make again
These look amazing – how long would they keep in the fridge after cooking?
Hi Blue, you can keep them, tightly covered, in the fridge for up to 1 week. Enjoy!
Easy and relatively quick to make. My boys scarfed them down and will be fighting over the small leftovers. Everyone loved these.
This is wonderful recipe . I had to add extra breadcrumbs due to my meat being too wet from the egg but instead of adding extra breadcrumbs I added some sweet ox cereal. It came out phenomenal! I will definitely be using this recipe in the future !
the best most versatile recipe. I do a “bar” with all different toppings. Has become a go to when feeding a crowd.
These are super tasty. Made them with white sticky rice and sautรฉed zucchini.
Also, I forgot to put the Worcestershire sauce in the meatballs so I added it into the butter sauce, and it was delicious. One of my favourite recipes.
I rarely leave reviews, but these were amazing!! My 9 year old helped with the meatballs and my 11 year old made the zoodles! Everything came together in 30 minutes. We served the meatballs over zoodles and poured a little sauce on top. Delish! Thank you so much!!