Baked ground chicken meatballs are a delicious twist on the classic recipe. They are perfect for people who don't eat red meat, or if you just want a change of pace. Chicken makes a more tender and more mildly flavored meatball. Use these meatballs in place of beef or pork meatballs in any recipe. Do be aware that you should handle them more gently than ground beef meatballs.
You can use either white meat ground chicken, or choose chicken made with white and dark meat. Ground turkey is also an acceptable substitute for ground chicken in these recipes. For food safety, make sure to bake them until the internal temperature reaches 165 F. Check the temperature with an accuratefood thermometer.
Ingredients
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1 tablespoon unsalted butter
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1/2 cup finely chopped onion
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1 clove garlic, minced
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1/3 cup fine dry breadcrumbs
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1 large egg
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1/4 cup milk
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1/4 teaspoon salt
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1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
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1/2 teaspoon dried tarragon
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1 pound ground chicken
Steps to Make It
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Gather the ingredients.
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Preheat the oven to 350 F.
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In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic; cook and stir until the vegetables are tender—about 5 to 7 minutes. Don't let them brown; you want them to be soft and not at all crisp.
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Remove the saucepan from the heat and place the onion mixture in a medium bowl. Add the breadcrumbs, egg, milk, salt, pepper, and tarragon to the onion mixture in the bowl and mix well. Add the ground chicken; mix everything gently with your hands just until combined. At this point, the mixture needs to chill so the meatballs are easier to shape. Cover and chill in the refrigerator for 1 to 3 hours.
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Then form the mixture into 1-inch meatballs.
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Place them on a Silpat or parchment paper lined cookie sheet.
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Bake the meatballs for 15 to 20 minutes or until the meatballs are thoroughly cooked to 165 F.
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Remove the meatballs from the oven and use them in your recipes.
Tips
- To freeze the meatballs to use later, let them cool for 20 minutes, then chill the meatballs in the refrigerator. Place the chilled meatballs in a single layer on a cookie sheet and freeze them until they are solid. Pack the frozen meatballs into hard-sided freezer containers, label the container with the recipe name and the date it was prepared. After freezing, you should aim to use them within three months for the best quality.
- To thaw the chicken meatballs, let the package stand in the refrigerator overnight. For many recipes, they can be added frozen straight from the freezer. For example, if you are going to put them into spaghetti sauce, barbecue sauce, or sweet and sour sauce you can add them frozen and they will heat up with the sauce.
Nutrition Facts (per serving) | |
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210 | Calories |
12g | Fat |
7g | Carbs |
20g | Protein |
Nutrition Facts | |
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Servings: 6 | |
Amount per serving | |
Calories | 210 |
% Daily Value* | |
Total Fat 12g | 15% |
Saturated Fat 4g | 20% |
Cholesterol 118mg | 39% |
Sodium 206mg | 9% |
Total Carbohydrate 7g | 3% |
Dietary Fiber 1g | 2% |
Total Sugars 2g | |
Protein 20g | |
Vitamin C 1mg | 6% |
Calcium 41mg | 3% |
Iron 1mg | 7% |
Potassium 586mg | 12% |
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice. |
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