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This Chicken Meatballs recipe is juicy, tender, super tasty, and easy to make. It is cooked in one pan on the stovetop with a zesty sweet cranberry sauce. A quick and easy weeknight dinner recipe that is a great meal prepping throughout the week.
If you’re looking for new Thanksgiving recipe ideas, then look no further! This easy and healthy Chicken meatball recipe with cranberry sauce is pan-fried and cooked in one pan. They are a hit with the pickiest eaters and a family favorite recipe that’s packed with flavor. These meatballs are a perfect addition to any meal and they are great for meal prepping throughout the week.
Table of Contents
why you’ll love this chicken meatballs recipe
- An easy meatball recipe. You will love how easy it is to make these mouthwatering Chicken meatballs recipe! It goes from pantry to table in 25 mins.
- Meatballs packed with flavor. Succulent, moist, and loaded with seasonings, as well as a splash of Worcestershire sauce – they’re so flavorsome.
- A lip-smacking cranberry sauce. It’s a sauce, it’s a glaze, it’s utterly delicious! Sweet, tangy, salty, and savory – so good.
- Healthier meatballs. Made with lean chicken, these meatballs are healthier than beef meatballs and so much tastier!
ingredients you’ll need
for the meatballs
- Chicken Breast: you may use ground turkey if you prefer. But ground chicken meatballs will be more moist and juicy.
- Panko bread crumbs
- Egg: used as a binder
- Worcestershire Sauce
- Seasoning: Garlic powder, onion powder, salt & pepper.
- Fresh Rosemary or Garlic
- Whole Wheat Flour: or any other flour of your choice to roll the meatballs in
for the cranberry sauce
- Cranberry Sauce: make your own or you can get store-bought
- Honey: or agave will also work
- Seasoning: Chili powder, cayenne pepper, chili flakes, salt & pepper.
- Olive Oil: or any other oil of your choice
HOW TO MAKE this recipe
- Make your meatball mixture – In a food processor add the meat chunks and pulse to chop. Add all the remaining ingredients and pulse again until the meat is medium-fine. Then roll them into balls. Roll the meatballs gently over the flour.
- Cook – Heat a large non-stick pan over medium heat, with oil, and cook for about 2 minutes on each side, or until cooked through and golden brown.
- Make the sauce – In a small bowl, mix cranberry sauce with remaining ingredients until well combined.
- Combine – Pour cranberry sauce and stir well. Reduce the heat to low and simmer until bubbly, about 5 minute
recipe notes and tips
- You can use ground turkey instead of chicken, still tastes great! Keep in mind meatballs made with ground chicken would be more moist and juicy than ground turkey.
- Tip: Put a little bit of olive oil on your hands, to make rolling the chicken meatballs easier, plus you’ll get smoother balls!
- Mix the meatballs thoroughly so the eggs and panko crumbs are evenly distributed.
- You can cook these Chicken Meatballs on the stovetop, in the oven, or in the crockpot (details below).
- If baking the meatballs, don’t over bake them. Take them out of the oven when they are cooked through and the tops are browned.
- Store cooked and cooled Chicken Meatballs in an airtight storage container in the refrigerator for 3-5 days.
frequently asked questions
Absolutely! To make this chicken meatball recipe in your crockpot, pour the already mixed cranberry sauce ingredients into the crockpot. Then, add the browned meatballs and stir gently to combine. Cover and cook on high for 2 hours or on low for 4 hours.
There are a few reasons why chicken meatballs turn out tough. The first one being you probably over cooked the chicken meatballs. Overcooking the meatballs will definitely result in tough and chewy meatballs. Also, to prevent your meatballs from coming out tough, do not pack them too tightly when rolling them into a ball. One last thing to consider is to use a binder to make the meat balls. binders could be eggs, almond flour, panko, mash potato flakes.
It is recommended to allow the meatballs to chill in the fridge for about an hour so they can hold their shape together during the cooking process.
Flour is used as a binder when making meatballs. As the meatball cooks, flour or other binders like panko will absorb the juices from the meatball as it cooks to prevent the meatballs from becoming too dry or tough
different ways of cooking chicken meatballs
There are a few ways to cook chicken meatballs. We will be talking briefly about some of the ways you can cook your meatballs.
- Stovetop – Sautee or pan fry the meatballs over medium heat for about 3 minutes on each side
- Grilled/roasted – You can grill or roast the meatballs in the oven over medium heat for about 12-15 minutes
- Baked – Bake the chicken meatballs at 375-400 F in the oven for 15-20 minutes or until browned.
Cooking time varies depending on the size of the meatball and the method of cooking your chicken meatballs. They usually need about 15-20 minutes baked in the oven or 5-10 minutes on the stovetop. If cooking on your stovetop, they need about 2-4 minutes per side depending on size.
What to serve with chicken meatballs
This chicken meatball recipe will seriously taste so good with whatever you serve it with. Here are a few ideas for you:
- Cauliflower Mash
- Quinoa or Rice
- Roasted Veggies
- Roasted Sweet Potatoes
- Creamy Mushrooms
- Whole Roasted Cauliflower
- Hasselback Potatoes
- Keto Cauliflower Mac n Cheese
can i freeze these meatballs?
These meatballs can be frozen, either before or after cooking. Just place them on a baking sheet (cooled down if you have cooked them) and place them in the freezer for about an hour. Once frozen, remove from the baking sheet and transfer to a resealable plastic bag for longer-term storage. They will be good in the freezer for up to 3 months.
other easy meatball recipes to try
- Italian Turkey Meatballs
- Chicken Parmesan Meatballs
- Honey Sriracha Meatballs
- Vegetarian Meatballs
- Buffalo Chicken Meatballs
- Turkey Meatballs in Curry Sauce
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Chicken Meatballs in Cranberry Sauce
Ingredients
Meatballs:
- 2 lbs Chicken breast or turkey, cubed
- ¼ Cup Panko
- ¼ Cup Whole Wheat Flour, or Gluten-free, for rolling the meatballs
- 1 Large Egg
- 2 Tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
- 1 Tsp Garlic Powder
- 1 Tsp Onion Powder
- 1 Tsp Paprika
- 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
- ¼ Tsp Black Pepper
- ½ Tsp Kosher Salt, or to taste
- Optional: fresh rosemary, to garnish
Instructions
- In a food processor add the meat chunks and pulse to chop. Add all the remaining ingredients and pulse again until meat is medium-fine.
- Using wet hands form the meat mixture into about 1-inch balls. Gently roll them in flour, shaking any excess.
- Heat a large non-stick pan over medium heat. Drizzle with about 2 Tbsps oil and carefully add in the meatballs. Cook for about 2 minutes on each side, or until cooked through and golden-brown.
- Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix cranberry sauce with remaining ingredients until well combined.
- Pour cranberry sauce and stir well. Reduce the heat to low and simmer until bubbly, about 5 minute
Notes
- You can use turkey instead of chicken, still tastes great!
- You can put a little bit of olive oil on your hands, to make rolling the chicken meatballs easier, plus you’ll get smoother balls!
- Mix the meatballs thoroughly so the eggs and panko crumbs are evenly distributed.
- You can cook these Chicken Meatballs on the stovetop, in the oven, or in the crockpot (details below).
- If baking the meatballs, don’t overbake them. Take them out of the oven when they are cooked through and the tops are browned.
- Store cooked and cooled Chicken Meatballs in an airtight storage container in the refrigerator for 3-5 days.
- Pour the cranberry sauce into the crockpot. Add browned meatballs and stir gently to combine. Cover and cook on high for 2 hours or on low for 4 hours.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Did you really mean for the flour to be added to the cranberry sauce or was that for rolling the meatballs?
It is to roll the meatballs in. I will edit it to make it more clear
First time ever writing a review and I’m 58
It was that good
Hahaha. Thank you, Rose. Age is just a number! So glad you liked it.
This recipe is by far the easiest and best tasting meatballs! Made these for my sons lunch and ended up eating half of what I made as soon as they came out of the oven. This will definitely be a keeper in my house. Thanks for sharing your recipe
Thank you so much. So glad you guys loved them.