This pot is the ultimate in cozy comfort. Tender, juicy meatballs smothered in one of the most decadently creamy and deliciously cheesy sauces. This happens pretty fast too. All you need is some warm noodles or zoodles and you are all set for an easy weeknight meal.
We love all kinds of meatballs. Fried, baked, doused in sauces or just stand alone bombs straight to your mouth. Only one rule applies to the meatball, it must be juicy, tender and packed with flavors.
We will tell you all the tips and tricks on how to make them tender and juicy, and of course there is never a shortage of flavors when it comes to GypsyPlate… 🙂
Today we are making these meatballs, not by the traditional frying, but baking them in the oven. This just helps in a lot of ways…
- No spluttering, so no mess in your kitchen.
- No hands-on cooking time and they don’t need your attention.
- It turns out to be a healthy alternative too. 🙂 All win win!
Tips to make the BEST juicy and delicious meatballs
- Now since we chose to make it with ground chicken, which is leaner than most meats, make sure that it has some fat content to it. Don’t go below 7% fat, as you need it to make the meatballs tender. No one likes dried out tough meatballs. Alternatively, you can add a tablespoon or two of butter to your ground chicken if it’s on the leaner side.
- To add more flavors to your ground meat, we are adding lots of fresh parsley, plenty of parmesan, fresh garlic and onion powder (you can use grated onion, but I avoid it in my meatballs for my onionphobic husband).
- You would need some kind of binder, so they don’t break or fall apart. Most people use breadcrumbs. Some used soaked bread or toast in water or milk. Low carbers can use almond meal or ground pork rinds.
- If you have time, keep the meatball mixture in the refrigerator for a few hours to marry all the flavors together.
- Baking them has less chance of breakage. In the case of frying, my tip is to roll the meatballs ahead of time and refrigerate them for an hour so they set into shape. This makes them less likely to break while cooking.
So once we figured that out, here is what you need for these creamy parmesan chicken meatballs
For the meatballs
- Ground chicken
- Parmesan cheese
- Parsley, chopped finely
- Eggs
- Garlic, chopped finely
- Onion powder
- Salt and pepper
- Binder – Breadcrumbs or bread slices soaked in milk. For low carb options use almond meal or ground pork rinds.
For the sauce
- Mushrooms
- Garlic
- Chicken stock
- Worcestershire sauce
- Cream cheese
- Parmesan cheese
- Parsley
From here, it’s an extremely easy affair, cooking these cheesy chicken meatballs.
Mix all meatball ingredients in a bowl and roll them into the desired size meatballs.
Place them on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and bake them at 400°F 15-18 minutes. You can broil them for the last couple of minutes if you want some color.
Always use a meat thermometer to check that they have reached an internal temperature of 165°F at the center of the balls.
While meatballs are baking, make a quick cheese sauce
Heat up butter in a pan and sauté mushrooms till soft and brown. Add in garlic and sauté for a couple of minutes. Stir in chicken stock and Worcestershire sauce.
Make small pieces of cream cheese and stir those in and whisk till the cream cheese gets dissolved. Time to add parmesan and cook till it turns into a creamy homogenous sauce.
Stir in chopped parsley. If the sauce is too thick, you can add a dash more chicken stock. If it’s too thin, simmer it longer.
Add in cooked meatballs and cook for 4-5 minutes.
Serve it with some more fresh parsley.
Everybody will love this flavor jammed meal packed with fresh flavors coming from parsley and garlic, and ultimately marrying with the creamiest delicious cheese sauce. Ground chicken doesn’t have to be boring and bland.
Crockpot method
Combine all the ingredients for the meatballs and roll them into balls.
Add chicken stock along with Worcestershire sauce to the crockpot. Spread the cut mushrooms and garlic in crock. Arrange cream cheese cut into cubes and sprinkle parmesan cheese and parsley all over.
Layer the meatballs on top. Cook 3-4 hours on High or 6-7 hours on Low till meatballs are cooked and reach internal temp. 165°F. Remove meatballs to a plate and mix the sauce well with a spoon. Return the meatballs back in and garnish with parsley.
Instant pot method
Combine all meatballs ingredients and roll them in balls. Start instant pot and select SAUTE mode Add in butter and sauté mushrooms till soft. Add in garlic and sauté for a minute.
Add in chicken stalk along, Worcestershire sauce, cubed cream cheese, parmesan cheese and parsley. Place the meatballs on top and secure the lid.
Select MANUAL and cook on high pressure for 6-7 minutes. Select CANCEL to turn off device. Allow pressure to natural release. Once pressure pin drops, open the lid.
Remove the meatballs and whisk the sauce till smooth. Return the meatballs back in and garnish with parsley.
What to serve these chicken meatballs with
- My first choice for this meal is over a bed of spaghetti, fettuccine or penne.
- I might like it with a side of some nice crusty bread like my no knead bread.
- These meatballs would go great as a meatball sub sandwich the next day.
- They would be great over zoodles or spaghetti squash noodles.
Some storing and meal prep ideas
These chicken meatballs are a great meal prep option. You can prep the meatballs two ways.
The first is to freeze them uncooked. Make the meatballs and place them on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and freeze them. Once frozen, freeze in freezer rated ziploc bags up to 2-3 months. To cook, simply defrost and bake for 15-18 minutes at 400°F.
You can also cook the meatballs completely, then freeze them in freezer bags. You can divide them into smaller portions and individually store them in smaller bags for future meals if making a huge batch. When reheating, place them on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes at 350°F.
We would advise to make a fresh sauce every time, as the cheeses and creamy sauce might not freeze well.
As a ready made meal in sauce, they can be refrigerated for up to 3-4 days in an airtight container.
When life is demanding and busy, make your evenings a little easy with this simple yet delicious chicken meatball meal. Pin or bookmark this recipe so it’s always there to rescue you from that dilemma of what to cook tonight. While you’re here, check out my collections of the best ground chicken recipes and best meatball recipes!
See ya very soon with one more cracking recipe…
Creamy Parmesan Chicken Meatballs, on my Gypsy Plate… enjoy!
Try these other quick and easy weeknight dinners!
Salmon with Mango Salsa
Flank Steak Fajitas
Creamy Chicken Skillet
Cajun Shrimp and Grits
Thai Basil Chicken
Black Bean Chili
Hawaiian Fried Rice
Köttbullar (Swedish Meatballs)
Creamy Parmesan Chicken Meatballs
These creamy parmesan chicken meatballs are an easy weeknight dinner the whole family will love. They're a great keto friendly option as well!
Ingredients
For Meatballs
- 2lbs ground chicken
- 1.5 cup parsley, chopped
- 1.5 cup parmesan cheese
- 2 eggs
- 3-4 garlics cloves, finely chopped
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1.5 cup binder (see note 1)
- 1.5 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
For Sauce
- 3 Tbsp butter
- 5-6 garlic cloves, chopped
- 16oz mushrooms, sliced
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 8oz cream cheese
- 1.5 cup parmesan cheese
- 1/2 cup parsley, chopped
Instructions
Stovetop Method
- Combine all the ingredients for meatballs and mix well. Roll the mixture into balls and place them on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. (see note 2)
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- Bake the meatballs in preheated oven for 17-18 minutes, till the internal temperature reaches 165°F. You can broil them for the last couple of minutes to get a little color.
- White meatballs are baking, melt the butter in a skillet or pan and sauté mushrooms till soft. Add in garlic and sauté for a couple of minutes.
- Add in chicken stock along with Worcestershire sauce, cook for a minute. Add in cubed cream cheese and whisk it till the cream cheese gets dissolved in the sauce. You can use two spoons to break them smooth, then whisk. Add in parmesan cheese and stir into a smooth sauce. Stir in parsley and cook till the sauce thickens up. (see note 3)
- Once meatballs are baked, add them into the sauce and simmer for 5-6 minutes.
Crockpot Method
1. Combine all the ingredients for the meatballs and roll them into balls.
2. Add chicken stock along with Worcestershire sauce to the crockpot, spread the cut mushrooms and garlic in crock. Arrange cream cheese cut into cubes and sprinkle parmesan cheese and parsley all over. Layer the meatballs on top.
3. Cook 3-4 hours on High or 6-7 hours on Low till meatballs are cooked and reach internal temperature 165°F. Remove meatballs to a plate and mix the sauce well with spoon. Return the meatballs back in. Garnish with parsley.
Instant Pot Method
1. Combine all meatballs ingredients and roll them into balls.
2. Start instant pot and select SAUTE mode. Add in butter and sauté mushrooms till soft. Add in garlic and sauté for a minute. Add in chicken stock along with Worcestershire sauce, cubed cream cheese, parmesan cheese, and parsley. Place in the meatballs. Secure the lid. Select MANUAL and cook on high pressure for 6-7 minutes.
3. Select CANCEL to turn off device. Allow pressure to natural release. Once pressure pin drops, open lid. Remove the meatballs and whisk the sauce till smooth. Return the meatballs back in and garnish with parsley.
Notes
1. You can use binders like breadcrumbs or bread slices soaked in milk. For low carb options, use almond meal or ground pork rinds.
2. Keep the meatballs in the refrigerator for 30 minutes or so before baking if you have time so they set well.
3. If the sauce becomes too thick, you can always add little more chicken stock. If it's too thin, you can simmer it a little longer.
Nutrition Information
Yield 8 Serving Size 1Amount Per Serving Calories 575Total Fat 39gSaturated Fat 18gTrans Fat 1gUnsaturated Fat 17gCholesterol 242mgSodium 1476mgCarbohydrates 14gFiber 2gSugar 4gProtein 44g
Nutrition information calculated by Nutritionix.
Be sure to check out my roundup of the 30+ BEST Ground Chicken Recipes!
Welcome to GypsyPlate! I'm Alpana, former wordwide tour manager and professional caterer, now full time blogger. I love exploring cuisines from around the world, and my recipes have been featured on sites such as MSN, Parade, Brit + Co, CNET and AOL. You can explore my entire collection of sortable recipes in my Recipe Index or learn more about me here.
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This recipe made me so happy. I made it the first time exactly as written and it was so good! The next time I wanted to make it I had to adjust things. I used lean ground beef, substituted a half cup of wine for a half cup of the chicken broth, and served it over rice. To me, a great recipe is one that can be adjusted to suit personal taste. Thank you for a great recipe.