Chicken Meatballs In Cream Sauce

If you’ve been around for a while then you probably know how much we love meatball recipes over here at Budget Bytes. And for good reason. They’re easy to make, extremely versatile, budget-friendly, and perfect for meal prep. And with grocery prices still rising, I’ve been leaning even more towards cheaper ingredients that I can turn into a delicious meal. Which is why these chicken meatballs made with ground chicken and served in a delicious cream sauce were a huge hit! They’re tender, flavorful, and quick enough to make any day of the week.

Can I Bake The Meatballs?

Yes, if you prefer to bake chicken meatballs in the oven instead of using a skillet, simply line a baking sheet with parchment paper and bake in a preheated 400ºF oven for about 20 minutes or until the internal temperature of the meatballs reaches 165ºF. Keep in mind that baked meatballs will not achieve the nice browning on the outside that you get with cooking in a skillet. The browned surface does provide additional flavor. I also chose to cook these meatballs in a skillet to keep everything in one pan since I was making a cream sauce to go with them.

Serving Suggestions

What I love about meatballs is that they’re so versatile! I served these tasty chicken meatballs with the cream sauce over a bed of fluffy mashed potatoes. But you can also switch out the sauce and serve them with a homemade marinara sauce over a bed of pasta or make meatballs subs with some hoagie rolls. They would also be great in a pot of soup like Minestrone or served with some veggie noodles. The options really are endless!

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Chicken Meatballs in Cream Sauce

These Chicken Meatballs made with a delicious cream sauce checks all the boxes. They’re tender, flavorful, easy to make and budget-friendly!

Course Dinner, Lunch

Cuisine American

Total Cost $7.94 recipe / $1.58 serving

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 22 minutes minutes

Total Time 37 minutes minutes

Servings 5 (4-5 meatballs each)

Calories 370kcal

Author Marsha – Budget Bytes

Equipment

• Mixing Bowls
• 3 qt. Cast Iron Casserole Skillet

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup plain breadcrumbs $0.30
• 1 tsp Italian seasoning $0.10
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder $0.05
• 1/2 tsp onion powder $0.05
• 3/4 tsp salt $0.05
• 1/4 tsp freshly cracked black pepper $0.02
• 3 Tbsp grated parmesan $0.33
• 1 lb. ground chicken $4.49
• 1 large egg $0.17
• 1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce $0.03
• 2 Tbsp cooking oil $0.08

Cream Sauce

• 1 Tbsp butter $0.13
• 1 clove of garlic, minced $0.08
• 1.5 cups chicken broth $0.25
• 1/2 cup heavy cream $0.74
• 1/4 tsp oregano $0.02
• 1/4 tsp salt $0.02
• 1/4 tsp freshly cracked black pepper $0.02
• 2 Tbsp grated parmesan $0.22
• 1/2 lemon* (optional) $0.79

Instructions

• In a small bowl, combine the breadcrumbs, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper.
• Add the ground chicken to a separate large bowl along with the egg, Worcestershire sauce, and breadcrumb mixture. Use your hands to mix everything together until evenly combined. Try not to overmix as this can make the meatballs tough.
• Divide and shape the meat mixture into 24 meatballs, about two tablespoons each.
• In a large skillet add the cooking oil and heat over medium. Once hot add the meatballs and cook in 2 batches (about 12 meatballs at a time). Cook the meatballs in the hot skillet until browned on all sides and cooked through (about 2 minutes each side). Add a little more cooking oil for the 2nd batch of meatballs if needed. Remove the cooked meatballs to a clean plate and set aside.
• Now make the cream sauce. In the same skillet, add the butter and minced garlic. Turn the heat down to medium-low and sauté the garlic for one minute until fragrant.
• Next add the chicken broth, heavy cream, oregano, salt, pepper, grated parmesan and 2 Tbsp of lemon juice. Stir to combine.
• Bring the sauce to a simmer. Add all of the meatballs back to the skillet and toss in the sauce. Continue to simmer for 5 minutes or until the sauce has thickened.
• Serve hot with a sprinkle of fresh parsley on top (optional). Enjoy with pasta, mashed potatoes, or your favorite side.

See how we calculate recipe costs here.

Notes

*A little bit of lemon juice adds a touch of bright, fresh flavor to the sauce, but if you don’t have a lemon on hand, the sauce will still be delicious!

Nutrition

Serving: 5meatballs | Calories: 370kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 21g | Fat: 27g | Sodium: 995mg | Fiber: 1g

How to Make Creamy Chicken Meatballs – Step by Step Photos

In a small bowl, combine 1/2 cup breadcrumbs, 1 tsp Italian seasoning, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, 1/2 tsp onion powder, 3/4 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp black pepper.

Add 1 lb. ground chicken to a separate large bowl along with 1 large egg, 1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce, and breadcrumb mixture. Use your hands to mix everything together until evenly combined. Try not to overmix as this can make the meatballs tough.

Divide and shape the meat mixture into 24 meatballs, about two tablespoons each.

In a large skillet add 2 Tbsp cooking oil and heat over medium. Once hot add the meatballs and cook in 2 batches (about 12 meatballs at a time). Cook the meatballs in the hot skillet until browned on all sides and cooked through (about 2 minutes each side). Add a little more cooking oil for the 2nd batch of meatballs if needed.

Remove the cooked meatballs to a clean plate and set aside.

Now make the cream sauce. In the same skillet, add 1 Tbsp butter and 1 minced garlic clove. Turn the heat down to medium-low and sauté the garlic for one minute until fragrant.

Next add 1 1/2 cups chicken broth, 1/2 cup heavy cream, 1/4 tsp dried oregano, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp black pepper, 2 Tbsp grated parmesan and 2 Tbsp of lemon juice (about half a lemon). Stir to combine.

Bring the sauce to a simmer. Add all of the meatballs back to the skillet and toss in the sauce. Continue to simmer for 5 minutes or until the sauce has thickened.

Serve hot with a sprinkle of fresh parsley on top (optional). Enjoy with pasta, mashed potatoes, or your favorite side.

More Meatball Recipes

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Porcupine Meatballs

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Turkey Meatballs

$5.97 recipe / $1.49 serving

Slow Cooker Meatball Subs

$19.43 recipe / $2.43 each

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