Marry Me Chicken Meatballs (45 min)

You’ll love these juicy and tasty marry me chicken meatballs! A homemade creamy pan sauce is flavored with sundried tomatoes, pesto, and parmesan cheese for an easy dish with A LOT of “wow factor”. Ready in under 45 minutes, this dish will quickly become a family favorite. Make-ahead/meal prep options are included!

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My husband is the least picky eater in the world, but I can always tell when he is REALLY excited about a new recipe. He does a little dance in his chair and nods his head up and down.

And when I tested these marry me chicken meatballs, you better believe the chair wiggle was in full effect. Because friends, this recipe has EVERYTHING. Juicy chicken meatballs and a creamy and flavorful pan sauce.

Even better, it all comes together in about 45 minutes. I have even included meal prep tips so you can make these chicken meatballs ahead of time.

You can buy sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil or “dry” in resealable bags. If your brand doesn’t have the oil, that’s fine. Just increase the pesto in the recipe by 1/2 tsp to pump up the flavor.

Storebought pesto is perfect here (Costco’s is my favorite!), but for homemade, I use our pesto without pine nuts recipe.

And if you don’t have all the individual dry herbs, you can sub in generic “Italian seasoning” available at any grocery store.

Serve these meatballs over Instant Pot Jasmine rice, creamy mashed potatoes, or your favorite pasta.

Want to use your air fryer instead of the oven? Get cooking times/temps in our air fryer chicken meatballs recipe.

5 from 2 ratings

Marry Me Chicken Meatballs (45 Min)

By: Sarah Cook

Servings: 6

Prep: 15 minutes mins

Cook: 30 minutes mins

Total: 45 minutes mins

You'll love these juicy and tasty marry me chicken meatballs! A homemade creamy pan sauce is flavored with sundried tomatoes, pesto, and parmesan cheese for an easy dish with A LOT of "wow factor". Ready in under 45 minutes, this dish will quickly become a family favorite. Make-ahead/meal prep options are included!

Equipment

• Saucepan
• Braiser pan
• Silicone spatula
• Cutting Board
• Knife
• Whisk
• Strainer

Ingredients 

1x2x3x

Meatballs

• ▢ 1 lb ground chicken
• ▢ 2 cloves garlic {finely minced}
• ▢ 1/4 cup onion {grated or finely minced}
• ▢ 1/2 tsp salt
• ▢ 1/2 tsp onion powder
• ▢ 2 tsp dried parsley
• ▢ 1 egg
• ▢ 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
• ▢ 1/2 cup breadcrumbs {plain or Italian}

Marry Me Sauce

• ▢ 1/4 cup salted butter
• ▢ 1 tbsp olive oil
• ▢ 3 cloves garlic, finely minced
• ▢ 1/3 cup sundried tomatoes, finely chopped
• ▢ 3/4 cup chicken stock
• ▢ 1 cup heavy cream
• ▢ 2 tbsp pesto
• ▢ 3/4 tsp kosher salt
• ▢ 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
• ▢ 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• ▢ 1/2 tsp dried basil
• ▢ 1/8 tsp smoked paprika
• ▢ 1/4 tsp dried red pepper flakes {optional}
• ▢ 3/4 cup shredded parmesan

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Instructions 

• Preheat oven to 375˚F.
• Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment or a silpat.
• Combine all meatball ingredients in a medium bowl and mix until just combined. Do not overmix.
  1 lb ground chicken, 2 cloves garlic, 1/4 cup onion, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp onion powder, 2 tsp dried parsley, 1 egg, 1/2 cup grated Parmesan, 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
• Form mixture into 16 1-inch meatballs.
• Place them on the baking sheet without allowing them to touch.
• Bake for 18-20 minutes or until the internal temperature is 165˚F.
• Make the sauce while the meatballs are in the oven.
• In a deep oven-safe skillet, melt butter over medium-low heat.
  1/4 cup salted butter
• Add the olive oil, garlic, and chopped sundried tomatoes, and cook until the garlic has started to soften (~2-3 minutes)
  1 tbsp olive oil, 3 cloves garlic, finely minced, 1/3 cup sundried tomatoes, finely chopped
• Slowly whisk in chicken stock, heavy cream, pesto, kosher salt, ground pepper, oregano, basil, smoked paprika, and red pepper flakes (if using). Stir to combine.
  3/4 cup chicken stock, 1 cup heavy cream, 2 tbsp pesto, 3/4 tsp kosher salt, 1/2 tsp ground black pepper, 1/2 tsp dried oregano, 1/2 tsp dried basil, 1/8 tsp smoked paprika, 1/4 tsp dried red pepper flakes
• Increase the temp to medium-high, and bring the sauce to a low boil for 3-5 minutes, whisking constantly until the sauce has thickened.
• Add the shredded parmesan and stir until it has been incorporated into the sauce.
  3/4 cup shredded parmesan
• Add the meatballs to the pan, and spoon the sauce over the top of the meatballs.
• Bake, uncovered, at 375˚F for 8 minutes.

Nutrition

Serving: 2cupsCalories: 516kcalCarbohydrates: 16gProtein: 26gFat: 40gSaturated Fat: 20gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 12gTrans Fat: 0.4gCholesterol: 175mgSodium: 1122mgPotassium: 762mgFiber: 2gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 1234IUVitamin C: 4mgCalcium: 304mgIron: 2mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

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