Chicken Meatballs
Updated 10/20/25
In my attempts to make a good meatball, here are some thoughts that come to mind.
1. Does the meatball have good flavors? Can the flavor or the meatball stand-up with or without sauce?
2. Does the meatball hold shape well as it is cooking?
3. Is the meatball moist on the inside with a slightly crunchy skin on the outside (with a good sear)?
When looking around the Internet on various forums, there were a few ideas I found to help succeed on the items listed above plus more.
Flavor:
I like the flavor of onions, garlic and other herbs a lot. In this recipe, I grate the onions, garlic (or use the ones in the tube) to get these flavors but don’t want to bite into a piece of any of these when eating the meatball.
Moistness:
The panade which is made with milk and white bread helps with the moistness and also makes the meatballs plump up a little bit when cooking.
Shape:
I’ve always had problems with meatballs not holding their round shape very well during cooking. A few ways I’ve worked around this are by making the meatball smaller in size. I put the meat mixture into a 1/4 cup. I think this is the perfect size.
For this last batch of meatballs that were made, I let them sear a little longer before handling them and also shook the pan around some to get an even cook on all sides. Previously, I would use tongues but this sometimes would cause the meatballs to become lopsided.
Ingredients
2 Pounds Ground Chicken
2 pieces of white bread with crusts removed (tear into little pieces)
Splash of Milk
1 Tablespoon Parsley
1 Tablespoon Basil
1 Tablespoon Oregano
2 Tablespoons Parmesan oregano or Pecorino Romano
1 Onion (or 2 tablespoons of onion paste)
6 Cloves of Garlic (or 2 tablespoons of garlic paste)
2 Tablespoons of Tomato Paste
2 Eggs
Salt/Pepper
Red Pepper Flakes
Some Olive Oil
Technique
1. Put bread in bowl and put in splash of milk along with the egg. Let sit 5-10 minutes. Note: the attached video still shows breadcrumbs but I found the white bread works better. New video to come soon. Tear the bread into small pieces. I like to roll into tube shape and then twist small piece till it falls apart.
2. Grate onion and garlic and add to bread mixture (or use the paste)
3. Add cheese, tomato paste, salt/pepper and red pepper flakes (to taste)
4. Add herbs to bread/milk/egg mixture
5. Add chicken. I use a spatula and fold the meat around the bowl with the spatula ensuring the each turn incorporates more of the bread/milk/egg mixture with the spices, etc.
6.. Form into meatballs. I use a 1/4 measuring cup for each one.
7. Spray baking sheet with olive oil or vegetable oil. Also spray meatballs.
8. Put meatballs in oven under high heat (or broil). Cook till they slightly start to turn brown.
- Put in sauce and cook under simmer for a few hours or bake in oven at 350 for 30 minutes or so.