Marry Me Chicken Meatballs
This marry me chicken meatballs recipe has a luxurious creamy tomato sauce with fresh basil, and the meatballs are melt-in-your-mouth tender! It's a date night treat.
Servings: 4
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
- 2 tablespoons olive oil for frying
Sauce:
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 1 cup heavy/whipping cream
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1/3 cup sun-dried tomatoes see note
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1 small handful fresh basil chopped/torn
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 wax/parchment paper lined baking sheet for easy clean-up.
- 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. The meatballs 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.
- Take the pan off the burner for a minute or two so that it 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).
- Return the skillet to the burner over medium heat. Add in the garlic and wine, and let it bubble for about a minute or until the liquid is reduced by half.
- In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch with 2 teaspoons of cold water to make a cornstarch slurry.
- Stir in the cream and tomato paste, and once the tomato paste is incorporated, add in the sun-dried tomatoes, oregano, crushed red pepper flakes, and the cornstarch slurry. Scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
- Add the meatballs back to the skillet and cook for another 5 minutes or so until they're cooked through (165F), and the sauce has thickened to your liking. If the sauce thickens up too much, add in another splash of cream or some more wine or chicken broth.
- Sprinkle with the fresh basil, season with salt & pepper as needed (I am generous with cream sauces!), and serve immediately.
Notes
- If you buy sun-dried tomatoes that are packed in oil, drain them. If they're particularly large, slice them into small strips/pieces if desired.
Nutrition
Calories: 639kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 33g | Fat: 46g | Saturated Fat: 22g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 17g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 227mg | Sodium: 638mg | Potassium: 1130mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 1364IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 317mg | Iron: 3mg
