Description
Delicious and tender chicken meatballs baked to perfection and served with a rich, flavorful homemade gravy sauce. This recipe combines ground chicken and pork with fragrant herbs and spices for a comforting main dish, perfect 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
- ⅓ 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
- Prepare Meatball Mixture: In a large bowl, combine the panko breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, parsley, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Add the half and half, whisked egg, finely minced onion, and minced garlic, mixing well to combine.
- Add Meat: Gently mix in the ground chicken and ground pork using your hands or a silicone spatula until just combined. Do not overwork to avoid tough meatballs. If mixture feels too wet, add 1 to 2 tablespoons more breadcrumbs.
- Form Meatballs: Roll the mixture into 24 meatballs, each about 1½ inches in diameter. Place them on a lightly greased, light-colored baking sheet. Optionally, refrigerate for 5 minutes and then roll them again to smooth out.
- Bake Meatballs: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Bake the meatballs for 15 minutes until just cooked through. Remove from oven and set aside.
- Prepare Sauce Mixture: While 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: Melt butter over medium heat in a saucepan. Add flour and stir continuously for 2 minutes until the mixture turns light brown and the raw flour smell disappears.
- Cook Sauce: Gradually add the prepared sauce mixture in small splashes to the roux, stirring constantly to prevent lumps. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally. Optionally, add 2 to 3 drops of gravy master for a darker color.
- Combine and Heat: Add the baked meatballs back into the sauce, spooning sauce over them. Heat through for 5 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Serve: Serve the meatballs hot with mashed potatoes and roasted green beans for a complete meal.
Notes
- You can prepare the meatballs ahead of time and refrigerate or freeze them. If baking ahead, cool completely and store in an airtight container; refrigerate for 2-3 days or freeze up to 3 months.
- The sauce mixture (excluding butter and flour) can be made up to 2 days in advance and stored in an airtight container in the fridge.
- When ready to serve after storing, cook the sauce as usual, add baked meatballs, simmer until hot, and serve.
- For best texture, ensure onions are very finely minced so they do not need to be pre-cooked and meatballs hold together well.
- Using a combination of ground chicken and pork enhances flavor, but all ground chicken or poultry sausage can be used alternatively to total 1.5 lbs of meat.
- Beef bouillon adds depth of flavor and darker color; Better Than Bouillon or equivalent works well.
- Baking meatballs instead of pan-frying helps them hold their shape better, especially when using lean chicken.
- Leftovers reheat well in a 300 degrees Fahrenheit oven for about 15 minutes; thaw frozen meatballs overnight in fridge before reheating.
- Try variations such as Turkey and Stuffing Meatballs or Ricotta Meatballs for variety.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 meatball with sauce
- Calories: 120 kcal
- Sugar: 0.5 g
- Sodium: 280 mg
- Fat: 7 g
- Saturated Fat: 2 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 6 g
- Fiber: 0.5 g
- Protein: 9 g
- Cholesterol: 45 mg
