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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Comments
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I would like to make these for a party in advance. At what point in the recipe would I freeze them and then how would I proceed to finish them?
Hi Barbara, I think these would freeze well. I would suggest cooking them completely, glaze and all, before freezing them. When you’re ready to serve them, I would defrost them and then put reheat them tightly covered in a 300 degree oven, until warmed through. Hope you enjoy them!
I made these last night and they were terrific! I have made many meatball recipes and this one by far is the best I’ve ever made. I doubled the batch and still did not have left overs. Right now I’m printing all of your recipes as I try them and placing them in a bound notebook. I wished you had a cookbook. Whoever refused to publish your recipes the first time was a complete idiot. You are an amazing cook! Thank you for sharing your recipes with the world anyways!
I love these meatballs so much that I double the recipe. When I put two trays in the oven, by how much time should I increase the cooking time? Thanks!
Hi Allison, Cook time should be about the same; maybe just a few minutes longer.
This is a great alternative to traditional meatballs, and the ground chicken is very flavorful compliment to the tomato/balsamic glaze.
I might have over-cooked mine as I found them a bit dry. Next time, I may try to form burger patties or individual sized meatloaves to help maintain the juicy, yummy flavors.
Hi Kim, If you used all chicken breast meat, they might be a little dry. Try to find ground chicken that is a blend of white and dark meat.
Really, really good!
Why is the recipe not printable? I have tried to print but nothing happens. Does one have to join your mailing list in order to get access to printing the recipes?? thank you~
Hi Christie, That’s strange — if you click on the print tab, it should take you to a printable page. No need to subscribe to print recipes…what browser are you using?
Another hit, Jenn. Per the various comments, I doubled the sauce. My 6 year old inhaled them, asking for seconds. My husband was more than a little dubious, but once he started eating he liked them too!
Well done!
Can you please tell me the calories per meatball 🙂
Hi Holly, Nutritional data has been added underneath the recipe.
Could these be made in advance and frozen? (I’m planning a big New Years Day Brunch and want to make a lot of things in advance.)
Hi Susan, I do think they’d freeze well.
I absolutely loved these! I’m Italian and I have always made meatballs using beef, veal and pork and fried them in olive oil until they were nice and crispy. My family usually eats them as I fry them. But after trying this recipe I may never go back to my old ways! I don’t use the glaze, I make my own marinara sauce, delicious! Thanks Jenn for another keeper!