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This ranch chicken meatballs recipe has tender, flavorful homemade meatballs that are smothered in a rich, creamy, and luscious ranch sauce! It’s comfort food done right.
You may also enjoy my Crockpot Ranch Chicken Tacos or Easy Ranch Chicken next.
Why you’ll love it
These cool ranch meatballs are just so good. The sauce has that signature tang from ranch seasoning, and cream cheese gives it a luscious quality. Pair it with perfectly seasoned, juicy pan-seared chicken meatballs, and it’s an irresistibly comforting meal!
When I can, I prefer cooking meatballs from scratch. The texture and flavor is unmatched, and these creamy meatballs are straightforward to make. We’ve got everyday ingredients like inexpensive ground chicken and a simple technique for this cozy family dinner.
What you’ll need
For the meatballs
- Ground chicken – it’s affordable and delicious
- Egg, panko breadcrumbs, parmesan – for binding everything together and moisture and cheesy flavor
- Seasoning – we’ve got a tasty mixture of Italian seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, and pepper
- Olive oil – for frying
For the sauce
- Low-sodium chicken broth – the savory base
- Ranch seasoning – it’s a shortcut to make sauces taste amazing. I like Hidden Valley.
- Garlic – for extra garlicky flavor
- Cream cheese – I like Philadelphia brand
- Parsley – a burst of freshness to tie it all together
Helpful tips
- This recipe is fairly salty due to the ranch seasoning, and that is why I suggest using low sodium chicken broth. If you’re very sensitive to salt, you may want to try a homemade ranch seasoning.
- Ensure that your pan is nice and HOT so the meatballs don’t stick when you’re searing them. They will also stick if you try to turn them too early, so be patient. Let them nicely brown on each side. The second batch tends to go a bit faster than the first.
How to make ranch chicken meatballs
This is an overview with step-by-step photos. Full ingredients & instructions are in the recipe card below.
Add the meatball ingredients (minus the oil) to a prep bowl, and gently mix with your hands. Form into 1″ meatballs. Meanwhile, microwave the cream cheese and cut it into cubes.
Heat up the oil, then sear the meatballs in two batches until browned. Transfer to a plate when done. Drain any excess oil from the pan, but leave the browned bits in for flavor. Add the broth, ranch seasoning, garlic, and cream cheese.
Whisk constantly to make a smooth sauce. Return the meatballs to the skillet, and simmer until they’re fully cooked through. Sprinkle with fresh parsley.
Tools for this recipe
Check out Natasha’s favorite kitchen essentials, gadgets, and cookware!
- A Microplane zester is a tool to easily grate parmesan.
- I use this Le Creuset skillet that comes in lots of fun colors.
- An instant read thermometer will help to know when they’re done. Chicken is cooked through at 165F.
Substitutions and variations
- You can make Homemade Ranch Seasoning if you prefer it to the store-bought kind.
- If you prefer, you can make these meatballs with ground turkey instead of ground chicken.
What to serve with ranch meatballs
- There’s plenty of sauce to spoon over Mashed Potatoes, these Quick Buttered Noodles, or rice. Try my Stick of Butter Rice to change it up!
- For veggie sides, try my Easy Roasted Cauliflower or Easy Roasted Green Beans.
- Balance out this meal with a light salad. This Super Simple Parmesan Arugula Salad is a great pairing.
Leftovers and storage
- Leftovers can be kept in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. Reheat slowly over a low heat.
- Cream cheese sauces tend to thicken up quite quickly, so you may need to add a splash of water or chicken broth when reheating.
- I don’t recommend freezing this recipe due to the dairy.
More easy meatball recipes
If you made this easy chicken meatballs recipe, leave a star rating and review below! Tag my #saltandlavender on Instagram if you made any of my recipes.
Ranch Chicken Meatballs
Ingredients
Meatballs:
- 1 pound ground chicken
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
- 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- Pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons olive oil for frying
Sauce:
- 1 cup low sodium chicken broth see note
- 1 tablespoon ranch seasoning I prefer Hidden Valley
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 8 ounces cream cheese (a block of Philly) softened
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- Add all the meatball ingredients except for the olive oil to a fairly large prep bowl. Using your hands, mix everything together well, but don't overwork the mixture. The mixture will be quite wet. Form 1" meatballs (it'll make around 30 or so). Place them on a parchment paper lined baking sheet for easy clean-up.
- Microwave the cream cheese in 20-30 second intervals until very soft. Cut it into smaller pieces.
- Add the olive oil to a skillet and let it heat up for a few minutes over medium-high heat. Fry the meatballs in two batches until they're browned all over (about 5 min/batch). I use tongs to turn them quickly and easily. They will brown quite fast, so turn them often. If needed, add another splash of olive oil to the skillet for the second batch. Transfer meatballs to a plate once they're browned.
- Turn the burner off for a couple of minutes so that the pan gets a chance to cool a bit. If there's a lot of excess oil in the skillet, drain it, but leave the browned pieces (don't wipe out the pan).
- Add the chicken broth, ranch seasoning, garlic, and cream cheese to the skillet and cook, over medium heat, stirring often (you may want to use a whisk), until it's melted into a smooth sauce. This will take a few minutes. If the sauce is getting too thick, add a splash more water or chicken broth.
- Add the meatballs back to the skillet and cook for another 5 minutes or so until they're cooked through (165F), giving them the occasional stir. You may need to turn the heat down if it's bubbling a lot. Stir in the parsley and enjoy immediately.
Notes
- This recipe is fairly salty. I like to make it with regular chicken broth and it’s almost too salty for me (I love salt), so I definitely recommend using low sodium chicken broth if you’re at all sensitive to salt as pre-made ranch seasoning is rather salty. There are recipes for homemade ranch seasoning available where you can control the salt content if you would prefer to make it yourself.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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O.M.G these meatballs were absolutely incredible!! Thank you for always having such creative and tasty meals. This will definitely be on rotation in my house 🙂
You’re very welcome!! 😀 I’m so pleased you liked these, Jenna!
HI! Do you think you could cook the meatballs in the oven? If so, what temp would you suggest? Thanks!!
Hi Libby! I usually do meatballs at 400F. I’d check after maybe 15-20 minutes to see if they’re 165F in the middle with an instant read thermometer. Ground chicken can overcook fairly easily so you may want to check earlier… especially if they’re on the small side.
Thank you so much for replying! Going to make these tonight! Made your pork chops last night and they were so yummy! Have your sausage tortellini soup on the menu for tomorrow…..so happy I found your recipes, lol! ☺️
You’re welcome!! 😀 I’m so happy you liked them!! Glad you found me!
Hi Natasha,
Can I make these using ground beef and beef broth instead of ground chicken?
Hi Karan! Sure! I think that should work fine. Let me know how it goes. 🙂
I try your chicken ranch meatballs, but I use ground turkey. I serve it with butter noodles and green beans almondine. My family love it. I will making this again and often.
Thank you
You are very welcome, Ruth!!
I didn’t have a full block of cream cheese when I went to make these because I had used some for another dish, but this still turned out great! Ground chicken is so underused and I enjoy it so much more than ground turkey, so thank you for this delicious recipe!
That’s awesome!! So happy you enjoyed it. Thank you!
Hi Natasha. Love the Meatballs very comforting all your recipes. All the best to you and your family over the holiday’s.
Gloria
Hi Gloria!! 😀 Thank you so much. Happy holidays to you as well. XO
This looks so good but I think I will substitute goat cheese. I have some in my freezer I was looking for a recipe to use it Thanks
Let me know how it goes!