These Marry Me Chicken Meatballs are juicy, tender and simmered in an irresistible creamy sun dried tomato sauce. A restaurant-worthy dinner that’s surprisingly easy to make.
And that’s what makes this recipe so awesome – it’s simple to make, it uses regular, store-bought ingredients, but the final dish is so delicious that it’ll most certainly become an instant family favourite. Follow me…
Ingredients Notes
As mentioned, this recipe only uses ingredients you’ll find at the supermarket. The full quantities are down in the recipe card, but just to quickly go over what you’ll need:
Meatballs
- Chicken – ground/minced chicken is the backbone of the meatballs. You’ll find this in most stores these days, but you can easily make your own by blending up some chicken in a food processor.
- Texture – egg is used to bind everything and prevent the meatballs from going crumbly. Grated onion is not only there for flavour, but it also adds moisture to keep the meatballs juicy, whilst Panko breadcrumbs help soak up any moisture to help lock in the juiciness.
- Flavour – A simple smoked paprika-based seasoning mix injects a lovely smoky flavour to the meatballs. I also love mixing in some garlic and Parmesan for even more flavour.
Sauce
- Key components – The backbone of a marry me sauce is chicken stock (broth), cream, parmesan and sun dried tomatoes.
- Extra goodies – I love frying a good helping of garlic in some butter, for an extra boost of flavour. I also go in with some chilli flakes to bring the whole thing to life, and finish with a good helping of fresh basil, which pairs delightfully with the creamy, sun dried tomato sauce.
Chicken Meatballs
You’ll want to start by making the meatballs, just so you can finish cooking them in the sauce. I like to fry the meatballs in a little oil from the jar of sun dried tomatoes because it’s free flavour! In terms of making the meatballs, here are some tips to keep in mind:
- Over-mixing – whilst it’s important to make sure all the ingredients are evenly distributed, don’t squeeze the mixture into oblivion. This will cause the meatballs to turn out tough.
- Scoop then roll – the quickest, most efficient way to roll meatballs is to scoop even chunks out one by one, then roll them. I like to use a 1 tbsp measuring spoon, but a small ice cream scoop will do the trick.
- Wet your hands – if you find the mixture is sticky, wet your hands before rolling.
- Keep it moving – when frying the meatballs, make sure you keep turning them so they stay spherical and brown evenly.
Process shots: add ingredients to bowl (photo 1), mix (photo 2), scoop out chunks of meat (photo 3), roll into balls (photo 4), add to pan (photo 5), fry (photo 6).
Marry Me Chicken Sauce
The sauce comes together in a matter of minutes once the meatballs are done, so you’re already close to the finish line. There should be some leftover fat in the pan, so leave that there for an extra boost of flavour. From there, here are a few things to consider:
- Cream – I recommend keeping the cream at room temp. Sometimes adding fridge-cold cream to hot stock can cause it to curdle.
- Simmer to reduce – the sauce will be watery at the start, but just keep simmering and stirring away, and it’ll soon thicken up.
- Finish in the sauce – make sure you add the meatballs in at the end for a few minutes, just to properly coat them in the sauce and warm them back through. If there’s any resting juices from the meatballs too, add that in for bonus flavour.
Process shots: fry garlic and chilli flakes in butter (photo 1), add stock, cream, parmesan and sun dried tomatoes (photo 2), stir and simmer (photo 3), stir in meatballs (photo 4).
Serving Suggestions
Once the sauce has thickened and clings to the meatballs, go in with a large helping of fresh basil for a final pop of flavour and colour. To go alongside, you’re mainly looking for something to mop up that delicious sauce.
Here I’ve served with Orzo & Garlic Bread. I like to cook the orzo (75-100g/2.5-3.5oz per person), then toss it in a glug of extra virgin olive oil and a good squeeze of lemon juice, then thin it out with excess pasta water as needed.
- Orzo Alternatives: you just sub with regular pasta, or even rice. For full comfort, go for Mash!
- Garlic Bread Alternatives: crusty bread is a simple alternative. For something lighter, just add a Simple Salad.
For another ‘marry me’ recipe, check out my Marry Me Chicken Tacos!
Alrighty, let’s tuck into the full recipe for these marry me meatballs shall we?!
How to make Marry Me Chicken Meatballs (Full Recipe & Video)
Marry Me Chicken Meatballs
Equipment
- Sharp Knife & Chopping Board
- Box Grater (for onion)
- Large Mixing Bowl
- 1 tbsp Measuring Spoon (to scoop meatballs)
- Large Tray or Plate (to place meatballs)
- Large Pan & Tongs
- Wooden Spoon
Ingredients
Meatballs
- 1lb / 500g Ground/Minced Chicken (see notes)
- 2/3 cup / 40g Panko Breadcrumbs
- 1/3 cup / 1oz / 30g freshly grated Parmesan
- 1 small White Onion, grated on a box grater (1 whole small onion is typically 2oz/60g)
- 1 Egg
- 1 clove of Garlic, very finely diced/minced
- 3/4 tsp EACH: Smoked Paprika, Salt
- 1/4 tsp EACH: Dried Thyme, Dried Oregano, Black Pepper
- 1 tbsp Oil from a jar of sun dried tomatoes (sub olive oil)
Sauce
- 1 tbsp Butter
- 3 cloves of Garlic, finely diced
- 1/4 – 1/2 tsp Chilli Flakes, or to spice preference
- 3/4 cup / 180ml Chicken Stock
- 3/4 cup / 180ml Heavy/Double Cream, leave at room temp
- 1/3 cup / 1oz / 30g freshly grated Parmesan
- 3.5oz / 100g Sun Dried Tomatoes, finely diced
- 1/2 bunch of Fresh Basil, (0.5oz/15g)
Instructions
- Add all of the meatball ingredients (besides the oil) to a large bowl and mix until everything is evenly distributed. I typically use my hand to do this.
- Use a 1 tbsp measuring spoon to scoop out 20 even-sized chunks of meat and place them on a large plate or tray. One by one, roll the chunks of meat into balls. If the mixture is sticky, wet your hands before rolling.
- Add 1 tbsp oil to a large pan over medium/medium-high heat. Once hot, add the meatballs and fry until golden all over and cooked through the centre, frequently turning to make sure they brown evenly. This can take around 10-15 minutes, so just be vigilant (for reference, safe internal temp of chicken is 165F/74C).
- Remove the cooked meatballs and place to one side, then turn the heat to medium if it isn't already. Melt the butter, then fry the chilli flakes and garlic for 20 seconds or so (be careful they don't burn). Pour in the stock and cream, then stir in the parmesan and sun dried tomatoes until the parmesan melts.
- Simmer the sauce for around 4-5 minutes, stirring frequently, or until it begins to thicken (it will thicken; just keep simmering and stirring away). Check for seasoning and adjust with salt and pepper, then stir through the meatballs until coated in the sauce. The sauce shouldn't be watery, instead, it should be thick enough to coat the meatballs.
- Scatter over a handful of tiny basil leaves or roughly torn larger ones, then serve up and enjoy!
Video
Notes
Your Private Notes:
Nutrition
Looking for more?
You’ll find plenty more delicious comfort food like this in my Debut Cookbook ‘Comfy’
For more similar recipes check out these beauties:
Meatballs Recipes
- Baked Chicken Meatballs and Orzo
- Meatballs and Rice
- Spaghetti and Meatballs
- Swedish Meatballs
- Meatball Pasta Bake
