Chicken Meatballs with Tomato-Balsamic Glaze
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These balsamic-glazed chicken meatballs are what weeknight dinner dreams are made of: minimal effort, maximum flavor. Bonus–they’re also great served cocktail-party style with toothpicks.
If you’re looking for an alternative to traditional spaghetti and meatballs or turkey meatballs in marinara sauce, this light and elegant chicken meatball recipe fits the bill. I love them with mashed potatoes, puréed cauliflower, polenta, or buttered pasta for a quick and easy weeknight meal.
You can also make these chicken meatballs as an appetizer—just make them smaller and spear them with toothpicks.
“I have MANY meatball recipes – this one ranks high! Sometimes I make a double batch and use leftovers for meatball subs and meal-prep.”
What You’ll Need To Make Chicken Meatballs With Tomato-Balsamic Glaze
- Egg: Helps bind the meatball mixture together for a cohesive, tender texture.
- Fresh Parsley: Adds freshness and a pop of color to the meatballs.
- Tomato Paste: Adds rich, concentrated tomato flavor to both the meatball mixture and glaze. I recommend buying the tomato paste that comes in a tube, which is nice because you can use just what you need and store it in the fridge until you need it again.
- Garlic: Brings bold, savory flavor to the meatballs—just one clove goes a long way.
- Milk: Adds moisture to the meatballs and helps keep them tender.
- Ground Chicken: The base of the meatballs. Choose a variety with a bit of fat for moist, flavorful results—skip the extra-lean breast meat. You can substitute ground turkey, just make sure it’s not too lean.
- Grated Pecorino Romano Cheese: Adds salty, tangy richness to the meatballs. Similar to Parmesan cheese/Parmigianno Reggiano, but sharper and more robust in flavor.
- Italian Bread Crumbs: Help hold the meatballs together while adding texture and herby flavor. If you’re cooking gluten-free, a number of brands make gluten-free versions that work well.
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil: Used in the glaze to bring everything together and add richness.
- Balsamic Vinegar: Adds a tangy-sweet note to the glaze that balances the tomato and sugar.
- Sugar: Rounds out the glaze with a hint of sweetness.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Mix the base. In a large bowl, whisk together the egg, parsley, tomato paste, garlic, milk, salt, and pepper until the tomato paste is fully dissolved.
Step 2: Add the meat and fillers. Add the ground chicken, grated cheese, and breadcrumbs.
Step 3: Combine. Use your hands to gently mix everything together—the mixture will be a bit wet.
Step 4: Form the meatballs. With damp hands, shape the mixture into medium-sized balls and place them in an ungreased 9×13-inch baking dish.
Step 5: Make the glaze. In a small bowl, whisk together the tomato paste, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and sugar.
Step 6: Glaze the meatballs. Brush the glaze evenly over the meatballs. It may seem like it’s not enough, but a little glaze goes a long way (it’s boldly flavored) and too much will overpower the flavor of the meatballs.
Step 7: Bake and serve. Bake in a 325°F oven for about 30 minutes, or until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the center of a meatball reads 160°F. Serve the meatballs hot and enjoy!
More Meatball Recipes You May Like
Chicken Meatballs with Tomato-Balsamic Glaze
Ingredients
For the Meatballs
- 1 large egg
- 3 tablespoons freshly chopped parsley
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- ¼ cup milk
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 lb ground chicken (preferably Purdue, not extra lean all breast meat)
- ½ cup grated pecorino Romano cheese
- ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons Italian seasoned bread crumbs
For the Glaze
- 1½ tablespoons tomato paste
- 1½ tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
- ¾ teaspoon sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325°F (165°C) and set a rack in the middle position.
- In a large bowl, combine the egg, parsley, tomato paste, garlic, milk, salt and pepper. Mix well with a wire whisk, making sure the tomato paste is completely dissolved.
- Add the ground chicken, grated cheese and breadcrumbs. Use your hand to mix the ingredients together; it will be somewhat wet. Form medium-sized balls and place into an ungreased 9 x 13-in (23 x 33-cm) baking dish.
- Make the glaze by combining all of the ingredients in a small bowl. Brush evenly over the meatballs. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of a meatball registers 160°F (71°C). Remove from the oven and serve.
Notes
Nutrition Information
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Comments
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Really enjoyed these; easy to make and flavorful. Cooked in two batches, and for the second I drizzled balsamic reduction (or balsamic glaze) over the recipe glaze. It gave it an extra balsamic “kick” that I liked.
Made these for my beef loving spouse this evening and he pronounced them to be “the best meatballs he has ever had.” Keep in mind that he is the only son of a FABULOUS first generation cook from Italy who rolls her own gnocchi. Took the advice from other reviewers and doubled the glaze. Delicious, and absolutely the way to go. Thank you, Jenn, for another winner.
Great recipe. I like better than traditional beef. Also the reviews advising double the glaze are spot on
I have been to 3 top grocery stores
and cannot find the required chicken.
Feels like I am in the Twilight zone as
everyone else can get it.
Can I ground the Chicken thighs in my own Processor?
Sorry you’ve had a hard time finding it! Yes, you can ground the thighs in your food processor. Hope you enjoy!
Walmart in a small rural community carries ground chicken in the organic chcken section.
Or, if you have a Kitchen Aide stand mixer, there is a grinder attachment! I have used that when I lived in places I could not find ground chicken. Happy cooking!
Just made these last night with all ground turkey…. They were absolutely amazing! Not even remotely dry. My kids loved them as well.
Hi there,
All I can find at my local grocery store is the lean ground chicken. What can I add to make sure it doesn’t turn out dry?
Hi Katie, If you’re not able to find anything but lean ground chicken, I would add a little more cheese to keep the meatballs moist. Hope you enjoy!
Hi,
I see you say ground chicken is more flavorful than ground turkey but could this be substituted with ground turkey? Or would the flavor just be ruined? Thank you.
Hi Christina, Ground turkey can be used, but I do think they are more flavorful with ground chicken. Other readers have used turkey though and have been happy with the results. Hope you enjoy!
This was disappointing. I think it would have been better with ground beef or veal.
I made these earlier this week during the big blizzard, and they were fantastic! They were so moist and flavorful even when reheating the leftovers. The only change I made was when serving the leftovers — I made a bit more glaze but substituted apricot jam for the sugar and added a pinch of salt. Another wonderful recipe from your site. Thank you!
Can the chicken meatballs be made as a meatloaf instead? If yes, how long would I bake it for?
Alice, You could make this into a meatloaf. I would increase the baking time to about 45 minutes, but before removing it from the oven, make sure that an instant read thermometer inserted into the center of the meatloaf registers 160 degrees. I’ve also got a BBQ Turkey Meatloaf and an Italian Meatloaf on the site if you want to try one of those.