Baked Chicken Meatballs are a perfect and healthy weeknight dinner. The meatballs are flavored with tons of herbs, a little bit of garlic and some parmesan cheese, then baked in the oven until golden on the outside, but still soft and juicy on the inside. Serve these meatballs over a simple creamy orzo for a phenomenally delicious, yet easy-to-prepare dinner.

Baked Chicken Meatballs With Orzo

I love a good meatball, however you usually need to twist my arm to make a chicken meatball, yet here we are! Let me tell you, this chicken meatball recipe was a nice departure from my usual go-to heavy-on-the-stomach meatball recipe (made with beef, pork and veal), but extraordinarily delicious.

This Chicken Meatball Recipe was actually a happy accident - What I thought was chicken-breast that I had pulled from the freezer was actually ground-chicken. Luckily, the recipe I had in mind for what I had anticipated being a baked chicken turned out far better than I expected, and it’s now in our weekly dinner-rotation.

How To Keep Your Baked Chicken Meatballs From Turning Out Tough

Nobody wants a tough meatball! There are things you can do to keep your meatballs from turning out tough.

First, make sure that you do not over-mix your meat! I like to mix all the ingredients together, then add the meat last, and combine with my hands until everything just comes together. Also, you want to make sure that when you are forming your meatballs, you do not want to pack them tightly. You will want to loosely roll the meatballs with your hands, but not pack them too tightly! When using leaner meats like chicken or turkey, I also recommend soaking bread in water, then adding that bread to the meatball mixture. This will help keep your meatballs moist.

What To Serve With Baked Chicken Meatballs?

These healthy chicken meatballs go really well with creamy orzo, however, you could also make these Baked Chicken Meatballs and serve them on a sandwich, over rice, or on a salad. Any of these options are fantastic!

Is It Better To Bake Or Sear Your Meatballs?

I am certainly a fan of searing meatballs, however it does take some extra time and it can get quite messy! Since this is a quick weeknight recipe, I like to bake these meatballs in the oven. The healthy chicken meatballs are baked at a high temperature which allows them to get the same crispy effect on the outside that you would normally get by searing them in a pan, but without the mess!

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Ingredients

For The Baked Chicken Meatballs

Sourdough Bread: Or any gluten free bread

Onion

Garlic

Fresh Sage

Thyme: Fresh if you have it. If not dried will work just fine!

Oregano: Fresh if you have it. If not dried will work just fine, you will just want to add a little bit more!

Crushed Red Pepper Flakes

Sea Salt

Pepper

Parmesan Cheese

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Ground Chicken

Lemon Juice: Please use fresh lemon juice, the stuff in the bottle is just NOT the same!

For the Creamy Orzo

Orzo: To keep this recipe gluten free, I use Jovial Grain-Free Cassava Orzo. This stuff is legit!

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Onion

Garlic

Oregano: dried

Gluten Free Flour: You can use any gluten-free flour here, however I prefer 1:1 baking flour like Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Gluten Free Flour.

Chicken Broth: Store-bought or Homemade Chicken Stock will work great.

Coconut Milk: You will want to use full-fat Coconut Milk, as this is what adds richness to the soup. If you are looking for a Coconut Milk without any fillers, check out Native Forrest’s Coconut Milk. You can find this brand at most grocery stores or you can purchase it online. You can also substitute heavy cream for the coconut milk, if you enjoy dairy.

Sea Salt

Spinach

Parmesan Cheese

Instructions

For The Baked Chicken Meatballs

Tear the bread into 1-2 inch pieces and soak in warm water for 5 minutes while you prepare the other ingredients.
Add the grated onion, garlic, sage, thyme, oregano, red pepper flakes, salt, pepper, parmesan cheese and olive oil to a large bowl and mix to combine.
Gently squeeze any excess liquid from the bread, then add the bread to the bowl with the other ingredients and combine.
Add the ground chicken to the mixture and use your hands to gently combine. Do not overmix or your meatballs might turn out tough!
Preheat your oven to 450 degrees.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, then using an ice cream or cookie scoop, form 10-12 meatballs.
Roll each meatball gently with your hands and place on the baking sheet. Lightly spray the meatballs with extra virgin or avocado oil.
Bake the meatballs for 20 minutes then turn them over and place them back for another 5-10 minutes or until cooked through.
Serve on top of the creamy orzo with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice and additional parmesan cheese.

While the chicken meatballs are baking make the creamy orzo.

For The Creamy Orzo

Cook the orzo according to package directions, then drain and set-aside.
In a large skillet or saucepan over medium low heat, add the olive oil, onion and a pinch of salt. Saute for 5-7 minutes or until the onions have softened.
Reduce the heat to low and add the garlic and oregano and cook for 30 seconds.
Sprinkle the gluten-free flour over the onion mixture and cook for 1-2 minutes.
Add the chicken broth, coconut milk and salt then bring to a gentle simmer.
When the sauce starts to thicken slightly, add in the cooked orzo and spinach, and stir to combine.
Remove from the heat and add some freshly grated parmesan cheese.

How to Serve

Scoop the orzo onto your plate and top with the Baked Chicken Meatballs, along with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice and some extra grated parmesan cheese.

How to Store Healthy Chicken Meatballs

Allow the Baked Chicken Meatballs and the creamy orzo to cool ,then store separately or in individual food storage containers.

Baked Chicken Meatballs With Orzo