Baked Chicken Meatballs make an easy fall meal or would be nice for holiday entertaining. They are full of warm, fall flavors and pair nicely with the creamy Parmesan Orzo. These could be served as an appetizer with toothpicks and a delicious dipping sauce or could be served as an entree with the creamy orzo and Italian Bread.
Baked Chicken Meatballs are paired with a delicious creamy Parmesan Orzo to make an easy fall meal or would be nice for holiday entertaining.
What I love about these meatballs is that they could be served as an appetizer with toothpicks and a delicious dipping sauce or could be served as an entree with the creamy orzo. The meatballs are always a hit with adults and kids and freeze nicely if you want to double the recipe and save some for later.
My kids love meatballs and I often rotate between these Mediterranean Baked Turkey Meatballs, Greek Meatballs, Mediterranean Beet Meatballs, Beef Kafta Meatballs or these Pork Meatballs.
These would be a nice addition to your weekend meal-prepping which could then be used throughout the week for a quick meal.
The chicken meatballs mixes ground chicken that is mixed with an egg, butter, breadcrumbs, fresh sage, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, Grated 24-Month Aged Parmigiano Reggiano that form perfectly into a flavorful chicken meatballs.
The Parmesan orzo combines butter, Grated 24-Month Aged Parmigiano Reggiano, chicken stock, heavy cream and orzo that is mixed with fresh spinach and sage. You will love this healthy, fall meal that is perfect for the upcoming holidays!
Recipe Ingredient for the Chicken Meatballs:
- GROUND CHICKEN
- BREAD CRUMBS
- EGG
- BUTTER
- SHALLOT
- GARLIC
- SPICES: ITALIAN SEASONING, GARLIC POWDER, CRUSHED RED PEPPER
- CHEESE
- FRESH HERBS: SAGE, PARSLEY
For the Parmesan Orzo:
- ORZO
- CHICKEN BROTH
- BUTTER
- SHALLOT
- SAGE
- PARMIGIANO REGGIANO
- HEAVY CREAMY
- SPINACH
How to Make the Chicken Meatballs:
Step 1: Mix the Meatball Mixture: Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Spray a cookie sheet with non-stick cooking spray and set aside. In a large mixing bowl mix together the breadcrumbs, egg, butter, shallot, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, crushed red pepper, Parmesan cheese, sage, parsley, salt and pepper.
Add the ground chicken and use your hands to gently mix everything together. Don’t over-mix the chicken mixture.
Step 2: Form the Meatballs: Form the chicken mixture into 1-inch turkey meatballs and put on the cookie sheet.
Step 3: Bake the Meatballs: Bake in the oven for about 20 minutes, until the meatballs reach an internal temperature of 165ºF and are cooked through.
Serve the chicken meatballs over the orzo with fresh sage and extra Parmesan cheese.
To Make the Orzo:
Step 1: Boil the Orzo: In a large pot boil the chicken broth, add the orzo, cover and reduce heat to simmer for about 10 minutes {or until the pasta is tender and liquid is absorbed}, stirring occasionally. Drain and set aside.
Step 2: Create the Sauce: In a large skillet heat the butter over medium heat. Add the shallot and sage and saute for 2 minutes. Turn the heat to low and add the orzo. Stir in the parmesan cheese, heavy cream, butter, spinach, parsley and and stir until mixed well and the spinach is wilted.
Ways to Modify these Meatballs
- Meat: I used ground chicken in this meatball recipe but you could use ground turkey, ground beef, pork or lamb. The base of the ingredients go perfectly with any of those proteins.
- Spices: The spices in these meatballs is Italian seasoning, garlic powder and crushed red pepper. You could swap those out and try Greek seasoning, paprika, cumin, chili powder or dill.
- Herbs: I like to add fresh herbs to meatballs. Some other options that are a great addition are basil, dill, oregano and thyme.
- Breadcrumbs: I used regular breadcrumbs but you could do panko bread crumbs or even try crushed crackers.
- Heat: I love adding spice to meatballs like diced jalapeños, chopped chili peppers or a drizzle of hot sauce.
Other Chicken Recipes to Try:
- BAKED RANCH CHICKEN THIGHS
- CHICKEN ENCHILADA SLIDERS
- COQ AU VIN
- YOGURT MARINATED CHICKEN
- AIR FRYER MEDITERRANEAN CHICKEN THIGHS
- BAKED CHICKEN TENDERS
Baked Chicken Meatballs
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup dried bread crumbs
- 1 egg
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 shallot,, minced
- 4 garlic cloves,, minced
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon Heinen’s crushed red pepper {optional}
- 1/4 cup Heinen’s Grated 24-Month Aged Parmigiano Reggiano
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh sage
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 pound ground chicken
FOR THE PARMESAN ORZO
- 1 cup orzo pasta {you can use gluten-free or whole wheat orzo}
- 16 ounces of Heinen’s chicken broth {or vegetable broth}
- 2 tablespoons Heinen’s butter
- 2 tablespoons shallot, minced
- 2 tablespoons sage leaves, minced
- 1/2 cup Heinen’s Grated 24-Month Aged Parmigiano Reggiano
- 1/4 cup Heinen’s Heavy Cream
- 4 ounces of Heinen’s spinach
- 2 tablespoons minced parsley
Instructions
FOR THE MEATBALLS:
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Spray a cookie sheet with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl mix together the breadcrumbs, egg, butter, shallot, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, crushed red pepper, Parmesan cheese, sage, parsley, salt and pepper.
- Add the ground chicken and use your hands to gently mix everything together. Don't over-mix the chicken mixture.
- Form the chicken mixture into 1-inch turkey meatballs and put on the cookie sheet.
- Bake in the oven for about 20 minutes, until the meatballs reach an internal temperature of 165ºF and are cooked through.
- Serve the chicken meatballs over the orzo with fresh sage and extra Parmesan cheese.
FOR THE PARMESAN ORZO:
- In a large pot boil the chicken broth, add the orzo, cover and reduce heat to simmer for about 10 minutes {or until the pasta is tender and liquid is absorbed}, stirring occasionally. Drain and set aside.
- In a large skillet heat the butter over medium heat. Add the shallot and sage and saute for 2 minutes.
- Turn the heat to low and add the orzo.
- Stir in the parmesan cheese, heavy cream, butter, spinach, parsley and and stir until mixed well and the spinach is wilted.
Notes
- You can add a variety of spices to the chicken meatballs. Some I like are paprika, cumin, oregano, thyme or Greek seasoning.
- If you don’t have sage you can use other fresh herbs like mint, basil, oregano, thyme or dill.
I am interested in making the chicken baked meatball with the creamy orzo, there is no mention on the measure of the cream, could you let me know how much cream to use? Thanks
Hi there- it is in the recipe card and it is 1/4 cup heavy cream. 🙂 I hope you enjoy it!