Chicken Meatballs with Tomato-Balsamic Glaze
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Winner, winner meatball dinner! Quick, easy, and irresistibly tasty, these baked chicken meatballs with a tangy glaze make the perfect fuss-free family supper.
If you’re looking for an alternative to traditional meatballs or turkey meatballs in marinara sauce, these light and elegant chicken meatballs fit the bill. I love them with mashed potatoes, puréed cauliflower, polenta, or buttered noodles for a quick and easy weeknight meal. They also make a delicious appetizer—just make them smaller and spear them with toothpicks.
Table of Contents
“I made a triple recipe of these for a family dinner…Everyone loved them, especially my younger grandsons.”
What You’ll Need To Make Chicken Meatballs With Tomato-Balsamic Glaze
When purchasing ground chicken, stay away from extra-lean all breast meat; if the meat is too lean, the meatballs will come out dry and lacking in flavor.
Tomato paste can be purchased in a small can or tube. While I use canned here, the tubed variety is more practical because you can use just what you need and store it in the fridge until you need it again. To preserve canned tomato paste longer, freeze it in tablespoon-sized portions (use an ice cube tray or put tablespoon-sized portions on a cookie sheet). Once frozen, transfer these portions into a freezer-safe plastic bag for future use.
The recipe calls for pecorino Romano cheese, a hard Italian sheep milk cheese. It is similar to Parmigiano Reggiano, in that both cheeses have salty, umami-rich flavors, but pecorino Romano is saltier, tangier, and stronger in flavor.
Step-by-Step Instructions
To begin, combine the egg, parsley, tomato paste, garlic, milk, salt and pepper in a large bowl.
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.
Using wet hands, form medium-sized balls and place into an ungreased 9-x-13-in baking dish.
Next, make the glaze by combining the tomato paste, olive oil, balsamic vinegar and sugar in a small bowl.
Whisk to combine.
Brush the glaze 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. Remove from the oven and serve.
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Chicken Meatballs with Tomato-Balsamic Glaze
Winner, winner meatball dinner! Quick, easy, and irresistibly tasty, these baked chicken meatballs with a tangy glaze make the perfect fuss-free family supper.
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 pound 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.
- 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 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. Remove from the oven and serve.
- Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The cooked meatballs can be frozen, with their glaze, for up to 3 months. When you’re ready to serve, thaw them in the fridge and then reheat them, tightly covered with foil, in a 300°F oven, until hot in the center.
Pair with
Nutrition Information
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- Serving size: 1 meatball
- Calories: 119
- Fat: 7 g
- Saturated fat: 2 g
- Carbohydrates: 4 g
- Sugar: 1 g
- Fiber: 0 g
- Protein: 10 g
- Sodium: 161 mg
- Cholesterol: 54 mg
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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I made these meatballs twice now and they are FABULOUS !! the sauce is absolutely perfect on top and they come out tender and nicely browned all around. My family loved them – I printed the recipe and it’s now in my “keeper” recipe binder! Look forward to making these for many years to come
Can’t tell you how much I love this recipe! I double everything and freeze it to enjoy future deliciousness 🙂
These were super easy, and the glaze made them both tasty and a little different. I’m already planning to make them again!
I usually make this as your reciple indicates and they always come out delish!
However we were invited to a party (before covid) and I just didn’t know what to make.
I decided to do meatballs — but no time to do them the usual way.
So I improvised. I bought premade flame broiled Swedish size meatballs, made quadrupled the amount of sauce, stirred the meatballs to make sure they were all covered, and just let them heat in the crock pot. They were a huge hit! One lady told me this recipe was a keeper!!!
I think this glaze would be terrific on pork chops too — going to try that next.
We love chicken meatballs, and we love balsamic vinegar. These hit the spot, they were healthy, moist, and full of flavor.
They went perfect with your suggestion of the mashed potatoes with parmesan, which were also a flavor bomb. Thank you!
Jenn,
I can not wait to try this recipe, I am doing keto right now and think this will be perfect for a lunch or dinner. I have made your chicken marsala, & beef tenderloin with the red wine reduction sauce for a dinner party that I gave and everyone raved about the meal. They know that I am a big fan of trying new recipes and asking all my family & friend for there review. It never fails your recipes are always a keeper in my recipe box! I have made the chicken so many times because everyone always request it it has become a family favorite.
This is by far the best recipe I have found for chicken meatballs!! I have made them multiple times….and have even made just the meatballs and thrown them in my homemade tomato sauce!
I’ve made these many times– my kids love them!
We loved this. I made as directed with the exception of doubling the garlic as we love garlic. The meatballs are so tender and the glaze is so easy. Served with roasted broccoli and orzo. There are just 2 of us but I made a double batch and froze the meat mixture in serving portions in vacuum bags. Easy dinners to pull out of the freezer on busy days. These will also work nicely with mild sauce and pasta. Thank you for another great recipe.
You really need to read the importance of eating organic for well being and the planet. Also Perdue is the epitome of animal cruelty.