Chicken Meatballs and Spaghetti Recipe

skillet with chicken spaghetti and meatballs

4.59 from 29 votes

Chicken Meatballs and Spaghetti Recipe

When I'm craving a classic Italian meal but want to make it a bit healthier, I make this chicken meatballs and spaghetti recipe.

Prep Time10

Cook Time35

Total Time45

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

Servings: people

Calories: 847kcal

Author: Becky Hardin

Equipment

Baking Sheet

Ingredients

For the Chicken Meatballs:

1 pound ground chicken
1 large egg
½ cup Panko breadcrumbs
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
½ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

For the Spaghetti Sauce:

2 tablespoons olive oil
½ cup chopped onion
2 cloves garlic minced
¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes optional
28 ounces crushed tomatoes 1 large can
1 tablespoon unsalted butter ⅛ stick
salt and pepper to taste

For Serving:

16 ounces cooked spaghetti 1 box
freshly grated Parmesan cheese optional
fresh Parsley optional

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400℉. Line a baking sheet with foil and coat with cooking spray.
In a large bowl, stir together the ground chicken, egg, breadcrumbs, parmesan, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper.
1 pound ground chicken, 1 large egg, ½ cup Panko breadcrumbs, ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese, 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Roll the mixture into 1-inch meatballs and place on the prepared pan.
Bake for 20 minutes, or until the meatballs are golden and cooked through.
While the meatballs are cooking, heat the olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add in the onion and sauté until softened and golden.
2 tablespoons olive oil, ½ cup chopped onion
Add in the garlic, crushed red pepper, and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
2 cloves garlic, ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Stir in the crushed tomatoes, butter, salt and pepper. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes.
28 ounces crushed tomatoes, salt and pepper, 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
Add the meatballs into the pan, cover and reduce heat to low.
Boil the pasta according to the package directions, drain and add to the pan with sauce and meatballs.
16 ounces cooked spaghetti
Toss to coat, adding a little pasta water if the sauce seems dry. Top with parmesan, parsley and serve.
freshly grated Parmesan cheese, fresh Parsley

Video

Notes

*You can also use ground turkey in place of ground chicken.

Tip:

Don't overwork the meatball mixture, or your meatballs will turn out tough and dry.
I like to use a cookie portion scoop to get equal sized meatballs, but you can use a spoon and your hands.
Gently roll the meatballs between your palms to create perfect spheres.
Optionally, you can chill the rolled meatballs for 10-15 minutes before baking (or pop them in the freezer for 5 minutes) to help them hold their shape in the oven.
If you prefer to pan-fry the meatballs, warm olive oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Cook for 3 minutes on each side, then add to sauce when ready.
Be careful not to let the minced garlic and crushed red pepper cook in the oil for too long. Garlic has a tendency to burn pretty quickly.
If you'd prefer your sauce to be even fresher, you can crush your own tomatoes instead of using the canned option. Just know that crushing 10-12 tomatoes takes some effort!
Skip the crushed red pepper if you're serving this to children. Even a little bit of spice is usually too much for them.

Make-Ahead: Roll and freeze raw meatballs on a lined baking sheet. Once solid, transfer to a Ziplock bag to store for up to 3 months. You can bake straight from frozen; just add a few minutes to the cook time.

Storage: Store chicken meatballs and spaghetti in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 days. Freeze chicken meatballs and sauce for up to 3 months.

Nutrition