Marry Me Chicken Meatballs
My Marry Me chicken meatballs are super juicy, flavorful, and simmered in a lick your plate clean good sun dried tomato cream sauce. This easy one pan dinner is ready in just about 30 minutes too.
My always keep ground chicken in my freezer to make dishes like my Copycat PF Chang's lettuce wraps and my chicken piccata meatballs. Our new favorite are these marry me chicken meatballs. It's got all those classic Marry Me Chicken flavors like garlic, cheese, and sun dried tomatoes, but is easy enough for even your busiest weeknight. We like to serve ours over pasta, rice, mashed potatoes, or gnocchi! Don't forget a thick slice of crusty bread to mop up all that delicious sauce too.
Why Our Recipe Is the Best: A Sprinkle of Food Science
- We Don't Use 99% Fat Free Chicken: This lacks the fat chicken meatballs need to stay moist. We like using 90% lean for moist and tender meatballs.
- We Sear Our Meatballs First: This creates so flavor you can't get any other way. Bonus: It also gives us fond to build our sauce.
- We Shred Our Own Cheese: It tastes better and melts more smoothly.
Ingredient Notes and Shopping Tips
- Ground Chicken: Grab ground chicken that is around 90% lean. Fat free ground chicken breast is too lean for this recipe.
- Parmesan Cheese: Freshly grated parm has so much more flavor than anything you can buy at the store. It also won't have extra starch like pre-shredded varieties that can interfere with melting. Bonus: Keep the rind and throw in the next time you make soup.
- Sun Dried Tomatoes: Be sure to buy ones packed in oil, not the dry shelf stable kind which need to be rehydrated and have a chewier texture. I like Mezzetta. Trader Joe's is also very good.
- Chicken Broth: This dish has a lot of salty ingredients, so grab low sodium broth if you can find it.
- Salt: This recipe was developed using kosher salt. If using table salt, cut the amount in half.
Krystle's Tips: Steal My Culinary School Secrets
- Prevent Sticking: Lightly wet your hands with water to prevent the meat from sticking to you.
- Don't Overmix: Overmixing the ground meat will make them tough and rubbery. Mix until just combined.
- Use a Cookie Scoop: This gives you evenly sized meatballs that will cook through at the same rate. This prevents some meatballs from being overcooked while others are still raw in the center.
- Work In Batches If Needed: Overcrowding the pan can cause the temperature of the pan to drop. We want a good sear on the meatballs. If there's too many in the pan at once they can steam instead.
- Don't Overcook: Overcooked meatballs will be dry. Pull them as soon as they reach 165 degrees.
More Winner Winner Chicken Dinners
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Ingredients
For the Meatballs
- 1 Pound Ground Chicken
- 1 Egg Beaten
- 1 Cup Panko Breadcrumbs
- 2 Teaspoons Italian Seasoning
- ½ Teaspoon Garlic Powder
- 1 Teaspoon Kosher Salt (or ½ Teaspoon Table Salt) Or To Taste,
- ¼ Teaspoon Freshly Ground Black Pepper Or To Taste
- ¾ cup Parmesan Cheese Freshly Grated
- 1 Tablespoon Sun Dried Tomato Oil From a Jar of Sun Dried Tomatoes
For the Sauce
- 1 Tablespoon Butter
- 3 Cloves Garlic Minced
- 1 Teaspoon Italian Seasoning
- ¼ Teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes
- 1 Cup Sundried Tomatoes Packed In Oil Drained and Julienned
- 1 Cup Chicken Broth Low Sodium
- 1 Tablespoon White Wine Vinegar
- 1 Cup Heavy Cream
- ½ Cup Parmesan Cheese Freshly Grated
- Basil, Parsley, and more Parmesan If Desired, For Garnish
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Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, combine ground chicken, egg, panko, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and parmesan. Mix until just combined.
- Use a 1 or 2-inch cookie scoop to form into meatballs.
- Heat sun-dried tomato oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add meatballs and cook for 5 minutes, or until they are golden brown on all sides. Remove the meatballs and set aside. It's okay if they're not fully cooked through yet.
- Add 1 tablespoon of butter to the skillet. Once melted, add garlic, Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, and drained sun-dried tomatoes. Cook for around 1 minute.
- Add broth scrapping the bottom of the pan as you go. white wine vinegar, heavy cream, and parmesan. Reduce heat to medium-low.
- Add the meatballs back to the pan and simmer for 10-15 minutes, or until the meatballs are cooked through to 165°F.
- Spoon the sauce over the meatballs and garnish with basil, parsley, and more parmesan, if desired. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Calories: 667kcal | Carbohydrates: 23g | Protein: 38g | Fat: 48g | Saturated Fat: 24g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 16g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 236mg | Sodium: 1618mg | Potassium: 1258mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 1731IU | Vitamin C: 33mg | Calcium: 497mg | Iron: 4mg
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