Chicken Meatballs – little golden balls that are juicy on the inside, bursting with savoury flavour, these are BAKED so they hold their nice round shape and frankly, it’s just way easier than pan frying! Spaghetti and meatballs was never so tasty!
And PS – just wait until you see how soft these are in the video!
Chicken Meatballs
Monday Meatball Mania* is back – and fellow meatball lovers, I have a ripper for you today! Beautiful, juicy, super tasty chicken meatballs that are baked, not fried. No more rolling meatballs around in the skillet, tediously ensuring they brown as evenly as possible all over and praying to a higher power that they stay nice and round.
Forget that. Just spray ’em and bake ’em!
* Monday Meatball Mania is a “thing” that my friend Jo from Jo Cooks and I started at the beginning of 2017. Because we both agree that all ball shaped food is delicious, and there should be more of it in the world, so we’re making our contribution by each sharing a meatball recipe on the last Monday of every month.
Chicken Meatballs MUST be soft and juicy!
Look how soft they are! ↑↑↑ Can’t squeeze dry, hard meatballs like that. You’ll see the squeezing action in the video too. 😉
And here’s a little peek inside. Juicy!
You’ll find that these meatballs are have plenty of flavour so you’ll need to resist the temptation to pop them straight into your mouth from the tray. I say “resist”, but I do insist that the cook does a taste test before plating these up. You know, to check for seasoning… 😉
From a practical perspective, what I was leading to is that these would be great to pass around at a gathering. I’d probably have some kind of sauce on the side – ketchup, or even some of the tomato basil pasta sauce in this recipe.
But I must say that they are absolutely fantastic tossed through spaghetti with a simple homemade pasta sauce. It’s the same one I use in the Spinach Ricotta Cannelloni I shared last week.
What a sight. Hurry up dinner time! I’m in the mood for meatballs tonight! – Nagi x
Love Chicken meatballs? Try these!
Vietnamese Meatballs – base recipe is pork but it’s so good with chicken too!
Thai Meatballs – make these with chicken!
Mexican Meatballs – beef and pork meatballs supercharged with fiesty Mexican spices
Browse all meatball recipes
Chicken Meatballs
WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT
Chicken Meatballs recipe video!
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BAKED Chicken Meatballs with Spaghetti
Ingredients
Meatballs:
- 500 g/1lb chicken mince (ground chicken), or turkey or pork (Note 1)
- 1/4 small white onion , grated into the bowl
- 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1/3 cup grated parmesan
- 1 large garlic clove , minced
- 1/4 cup finely chopped parsley (or 2 tsp dried parsley or basil)
- 1 egg
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- Olive oil spray (or olive oil)
Pasta Sauce:
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 garlic clove , finely chopped
- 3/4 small onion , finely chopped
- 800 g / 28 oz crushed tomato
- 1 cup / 250 ml water (swirl in tomato can to clean out)
- Handful basil leaves , torn, or 1 tsp dried herbs (e.g. Italian mix, oregano, thyme, basil)
Serving:
- 250 g/ 1/2 lb spaghetti or other long strand pasta of choice , cooked per packet
- Fresh basil , optional
- Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 200C/390F (standard) or 180C/350F (fan/convection).
- Place a rack on a tray, and spray the rack with oil.
- Place Meatball ingredients in a bowl, mix well. Scoop up a heaped tablespoon, roll into a ball and place on the rack. Repeat with remaining mixture – should make 25 – 30. Tip: spray hands with oil or wet lightly with water.
- Spray each ball well with oil, then bake for 25 minutes until golden brown. Give ’em a squeeze and you’ll see how soft they are!
Sauce:
- Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add garlic and onion, cook for 2 – 3 minutes until translucent. Add tomato and water, stir then turn heat down to medium. Simmer for 5 – 10 minutes, then season to taste with salt and pepper and stir through basil (or use dried herbs).
Serving:
- Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling water. Drain then return pasta to the same pot.
- Add Sauce and meatballs, toss.
- Serve, garnished with fresh basil and parmesan.
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
LIFE OF DOZER
So exhausted after a big beach session, he slept through meatballs….. though you’ll see in the video that I did wake him up for a treat! 😂
So I have made quite a few of your recipes, and they are all really good, but these are AMAZING! I have made dozens of different ‘chicken meatballs’ but nothing comes close to these moist and tasty ones, will never need to try another chicken meatball recipe. Thank you!
I’m so happy to hear that Andrea!!!
Made these last week. Best meatballs ever. So light and soft . Will make again. Thanks Nagi another great recipe.
I’m so glad you loved them Jackie!
I made just the meatballs to go with lemon & garlic linguine for a big birthday celebration dinner and they were excellent! I used Pecorino Romano instead of parm and added 2 tablespoons of olive oil because the ground chicken was all white meat,. I used a #30 scoop and got 26 meatballs, then refrierated them for a couple of hours so all I had to do was slide them into the oven while the pasta cooked.
They were juicy and flavorful and everybody LOVED them!’ Thanks, Nagi!
That’s great MaryJo! I’m so happy they were loved!
These are amazing! I don’t think I will ever use beef again! I don’t love grating onion so a little tip is to put the onion into the food processor with the garlic, blitz, add the egg and blitz again. Add this plus all other ingredients to the meat. Amazing!!
Ah great idea Danielle!!
Hi Nagi, I made these chicken meatballs with pasta last night, all I can say is, yum, yum, yum
Thanks for such a wonderful blog. ❤️❤️
You’re so welcome Gerhard, thanks for taking the time to leave a comment ❤️
I followed the recipe exactly. When I tasted the sauce, it tasted like water with tomatoes in it. I let it simmer for a while longer but that didn’t work so I added tomato paste, part of a jar of tomato sauce and a half tsp. of sugar and it came out not good, not delicious but just edible. For the meatballs I used ground turkey. Although it came out perfectly after baking and the flavor was good, I thought that the meatballs tasted a tad mushy. It could have been the brand of panko that I used, I don’t know, but all was not lost. I put my ok sauce in the freezer and for the next two days ate the meatballs smothered in the sauce from the jar and the meatballs tasted better.
As always, thanks for your lovely recipes and I will continue my cooking journey thru your website.
Meatballs have a terrific taste! I baked them on parchment paper and they turned out perfect!
Sauce is plain but I really like it. Will stir in fresh basil when serve for dinner tomorrow night! Having baked spaghetti squash with oregano and sautéed asparagus and garlic on the side. No noodles. I’m excited about this recipe! Think our guests will enjoy those lucious meatballs and sauce as well!
That’s so great to hear Donna! I’m so pleased you enjoyed this, thank you for letting me know! N x
Our guests really enjoyed the meatballs and sauce for dinner tonight! We literally scraped the pan clean! Not one bite was left! Even my husband remarked that dinner was delicious. Thanks so much for a scrumptious recipe! I look forward to making it again!
That’s wonderful to hear Donna! Thank you for letting me know you enjoyed this! N x
Hi! Do you think they would come out right if I don’t use a wire rack? Looking forward to making these tonight. Thanks!
Yes they will be fine! 🙂 N x
Great taste. I was getting tired of the “ground turkey” taste in our meatballs. The one thing that did not work was the wire rack. It was very well oiled, but still had a pretty bad sticking problem. Next time I might try directly on pan, or foil or parchment.
Sorry to hear it stuck 🙁 Glad you enjoyed the flavour though! N x
This is my new favourite meatball recipe! My picky husband says they’re the best he’s had. Thanks!
LOVE hearing that Laurel!!! So glad you enjoyed it! N x
I made your baked chicken meatballs tonight and they were so delicious! Everyone loved them. Thank you!
LOVE hearing that Tracey!!! So glad you enjoyed it! N x
After baking the meatballs can I put them in a freezer bag without sauce and freeze for later? I like to make extra for another meal.
Yes!! 🙌🏻
I made these tonighy with spaghetti squash instead of noodles…the were a big hit! I am new to your website, but already have a list of recipes I can’t wait to try!
That’s terrific to hear Jay! Thanks for taking the time to let me know – N x
Hey Nagi. So if i used beef meatballs, would they take the same amount of time to bake?
HI Joanie! Yep they will 🙂 YUM!
Thankyou Nagi 🙂 will definitely try that
I made these tonight omitting the Parmesan cheese due to my son’s milk allergy. They were very good and moist. My particular 18 year old devoured them. Many thanks for the recipe!
This was delicious! Im not a big meatballs fan but really loved these. Thank you!
Thank you so much for sharing your feedback Carrie, I’m so pleased to hear you enjoyed this! N x ❤️
I started out to make the recipe but after looking at the meatballs, I changed course and made meatball subs instead. A layer of sauce, ham, meatballs and then provolone melted under the broiler. I made a salad to have something green on the table. It was a good thing too because the subs disappeared in no time and I ate mostly salad. Thank you for a hit recipe. In my house that can be a rare find. Between your recipes and your mother’s I am hitting some high notes these days. Bless you both! P.S. I do plan on following the recipe next and serving it as pasta.
I love that you made subs using this!!!
These meatballs are DELICIOUS! They are so easy and I love the texture. I ate the three remaining right out of the fridge the next day without even heating them up – before my husband found them!! Thanks for another keeper for my repertoire.
That’s terrific Amanda! Thanks for letting me know! N xx ❤️
Hi ,
I have been trying your recipes , they were so good . Can I use the chicken ball recipe but make them into patties ?
Thanks
YES you sure can!!
Thanks Nagi ,
I didn’t know why the meatballs/ patties were hard , the texture was like chicken nuggets 🙁 yummy though
Ratna
I’m sorry to hear that 🙁 Do you think they may have overcooked??
I haven’t tried the baked chicken meatballs till yet but will be surely giving it a try soon.
Hope you do, they are SO GOOD! N x
Hi Nagi, This recipe looks so good that I might not wait till dinner time to cook it. Right now it’s 3:42 am EST in Florida
and I’m as hungry as a bear…..What do I need to do to the sauce to cook 1lb of pasta…..I need left overs Nagi, as you
know pasta and sauce also tastes so much better the next day….Can’t wait for dinner….Haha..Loved the picture of
Dozer chillin out…..That’s what I do after cooking one of your fantastical recipes…..LOL…..
Best always from me and my furry ones,
Bobby
You make me LAUGH Robert!! Hover your mouse over the Servings and slide it until it moves from 4 (original recipe) to 8. That will change the pasta to 1 lb! N x