"Marry Me Meatballs" Is the Creamy Chicken Dinner to Have and to Hold Forever

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Marry Me Chicken Meatballs Recipe

Juicy chickenhearted meatballs baked successful a velvety sun-dried herb and Parmesan pick sauce.

Serves4 to 6

Prep25 minutes

Cook22 minutes to 25 minutes

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Marry maine chickenhearted meatballs successful Dutch oven.

Credit: Kristina Vanni

As a regular location navigator who besides happens to beryllium a nutrient writer, I’m each excessively acquainted pinch recipes that committedness to beryllium nan champion aliases nan simplest aliases even life-changing. Some dinners unrecorded up to nan hype, while others don’t moreover travel close. So erstwhile I heard astir a skillet dinner that was bully capable to evoke matrimony proposal-level praise, I had my doubts. 

That skillet meal of golden, seared chickenhearted breasts vanished successful an Italian-inspired pick condiment was legitimately delicious (and besides happens to beryllium nan brainchild of The Kitchn’s very ain Editor-in-Chief, Lindsay Funston). While nan original is simply a stunner, pinch a fewer tweaks I’ve turned this crockery into 1 that I tin trust connected successful bully times and successful bad. Here’s really to make Marry Me chickenhearted meatballs successful a velvety Parmesan and sun-dried herb pick sauce. 

What Ingredients Are successful Marry Me Chicken Meatballs?

  • Ground chicken: For nan juiciest meatballs, make judge to bargain ground chicken, which is simply a operation of achromatic and acheronian nutrient and not ultra-lean crushed chickenhearted breast. Ground turkey is simply a bully substitute.
  • Parmesan cheese: The food goes into nan meatball substance and nan sauce.
  • Sun-dried tomatoes: Intensely saccharine and savory astatine nan aforesaid time, thing compares to sun-dried tomatoes. Tomatoes packed successful lipid and dry-packed activity arsenic good successful this recipe.
  • Chicken broth: Use low-sodium chickenhearted broth truthful that you tin power nan brackish level of nan last dish. 
  • Heavy cream: Provides richness and makes for a beautiful pinkish hue.
  • Herbs and spices: Raid your pantry for bulb powder, achromatic pepper, dried thyme, and reddish capsicum flakes to adhd spirit to meatballs and pick sauce. You’ll request caller ail cloves for this look too.

How to Make Marry Me Chicken Meatballs

  • Make nan meatball mixture. Stir nan meatball seasonings, breadcrumbs aliases panko, milk, and an ovum together successful a ample vessel earlier adding nan crushed chickenhearted to debar overworking nan meatballs. Once nan crushed chickenhearted (or turkey) is added, operation mildly pinch your fingers until nan substance is conscionable combined. 
  • Bake nan meatballs. Form nan meatballs into 2-tablespoon portions. The easiest measurement to do this is pinch a cookie scoop. Bake connected a rimmed baking expanse until cooked through.
  • Simmer nan sauce. While nan meatballs are successful nan oven, commencement nan pick condiment connected nan stovetop, building spirit pinch herbs, spices, sun-dried tomatoes, and Parmesan cheese.
  • Finish successful nan oven. Coat nan meatballs successful nan sauce, past return to nan oven until nan meatballs are browned connected apical and nan condiment has thickened slightly.

How to Make Marry Me Chicken Meatballs successful Advance

The sun-dried herb and Parmesan pick condiment is champion made conscionable earlier serving, but you tin still get up connected meal by making nan meatballs successful advance. Make nan meatball substance and scoop into balls, past either refrigerate raw, aliases cook and then refrigerate up to 2 days successful advance. You tin moreover frost nan meatballs for up to 3 months; conscionable thaw successful nan refrigerator earlier continuing pinch nan recipe. 

Juicy chickenhearted meatballs baked successful a velvety sun-dried herb and Parmesan pick sauce.

Ingredients

  • 4

    cloves garlic, divided

  • 2 ounces

    Parmesan food (or scant 1/2 cup store-bought grated), divided

  • 3 ounces

    sun-dried tomatoes packed successful oil

  • 1/2 cup

    unseasoned dried aliases panko breadcrumbs

  • 1/2 cup

    whole aliases 2% milk

  • 1

    large egg

  • 1 1/4 teaspoons

    kosher salt

  • 1/2 teaspoon

    onion powder

  • 1/4 teaspoon

    freshly crushed achromatic pepper

  • 1 1/2 pounds

    ground chickenhearted aliases turkey

  • 2 tablespoons

    unsalted butter

  • 1 teaspoon

    dried thyme

  • 1/2 teaspoon

    red capsicum flakes

  • 1 cup

    low-sodium chickenhearted broth

  • 1 cup

    heavy cream

  • Fresh basil leaves, for serving (optional)

  1. Arrange 1 oven rack successful nan precocious 3rd of nan oven and a 2nd rack successful nan mediate of nan oven. Heat nan oven to 400°F. Line a rimmed baking expanse pinch parchment insubstantial aliases a silicone baking mat.

  2. Mince 4 ail cloves. Finely grate 2 ounces Parmesan food connected nan mini holes of a container grater (about 1/2 cup) if needed, aliases measurement retired scant 1/2 cup store-bought grated. Coarsely chop 3 ounces sun-dried tomatoes (about 1/2 cup).

  3. Place half of nan ail and half of nan Parmesan cheese, 1/2 cup unseasoned dried aliases panko breadcrumbs, 1/2 cup full aliases 2% milk, 1 ample egg, 1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt, 1/2 spoon bulb powder, and 1/4 spoon achromatic capsicum successful a ample vessel and operation to combine.

  4. Add 1 1/2 pounds crushed chickenhearted aliases turkey and usage your fingers to harvester nan nutrient and flavorings. Handle nan nutrient mildly and do not overmix. Form nan substance into 32 to 34 (about 1 1/2-inch) meatballs (about 2 tablespoons each). Place connected nan baking sheet, spacing them astir 1/2-inch apart.

  5. Bake connected nan mediate rack until cooked through, opening to brown, and an instant-read thermometer inserted successful nan halfway of a meatball registers astatine slightest 165°F, 12 to 15 minutes. Meanwhile make nan sauce.

  6. Melt 2 tablespoons unsalted food successful a 12-inch skillet complete mean heat. Add nan remaining garlic, 1 spoon dried thyme, and 1/2 spoon reddish capsicum flakes. Cook until fragrant, astir 30 seconds.

  7. Add nan remaining Parmesan cheese, sun-dried tomatoes, 1 cup low-sodium chickenhearted broth, and 1 cup dense cream. Bring to a simmer. Continue to simmer gently, stirring occasionally and adjusting nan power arsenic needed, until nan condiment reduces somewhat and turns aureate astir nan edges, astir 5 minutes. If nan meatballs are not fresh yet, return nan condiment disconnected nan heat.

  8. Remove nan meatballs from nan oven. Using tongs aliases a slotted spoon, transportation nan meatballs to nan sauce. Gently operation to overgarment nan meatballs successful nan sauce, past dispersed into an moreover layer.

  9. Transfer nan skillet to nan precocious rack and cook until nan meatballs are browned successful spots and nan condiment is thickened slightly, astir 10 minutes. Garnish pinch torn caller basil leaves if desired.

Recipe Notes

Make ahead: The meatballs tin beryllium prepared and refrigerated earthy aliases baked up to 2 days successful beforehand aliases stiff successful a azygous furniture for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight successful nan refrigerator earlier continuing pinch nan recipe. If nan meatballs are afloat cooked, cook successful a 400ºF oven until heated done earlier adding them to nan sauce.

Storage: Leftovers tin beryllium refrigerated successful an airtight instrumentality for up to 4 days.

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