Marry Me Chicken Meatballs

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.

Prep Time25

Cook Time20

Total Time45

Course: Dinner, Main Course

Cuisine: Universal

Servings:

Author: Chris Collins

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

a) Ground/Minced Chicken - most stores sell it these days, and if you have the choice, get the higher fat % so the meatballs stay juicy. If you can't find it, just add 1lb/500g boneless skinless thighs to a food processor and blend into a ground meat texture.

b) Consistency - if you find the sauce is still thin after 5 minutes, just continue simmering to reduce and thicken. If you over-thicken, just stir through a splash of stock (or even water) to loosen it up again.

c) Basil - I like to pluck all the small leaves from the bunch, then just roughly dice/tear some larger ones, using around half the bunch. 1 bunch of fresh basil is typically 1oz/30g in total.

d) Calories - Whole recipe divided by 4.

Nutrition