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Aren't these Easy Chicken Meatballs baked in a mini muffin tin cute? You can roll them into perfectly round balls, but you don't have to.
This mind-blowingly easy method cuts down on the mess and preparation time!
These healthy chicken meatballs are lower in carbs, gluten-free and have just a few wholesome ingredients like oatmeal, cheese and onion.
Just like Baked Chicken Parmesan Meatballs, it's yet another variation of our popular Gourmet Meatloaf Recipe. Same concept, different flavor profile.
The inspiration to turn meatloaf into meatballs came from customers at our Make Ahead Meal Kitchen.
They would often shape our signature meatloaf mixes, such as Turkey Meatloaf, Buffalo Chicken Meatloaf and Meatloaf Cupcakes with Spinach and Pinenuts into various shapes and serving sizes.
We've been doing it ever since. We're big fans of the small-sized versions of meatloaf because they cook quickly in the oven and freeze in perfectly sized portions.
How to make Easy Chicken Meatballs in the Oven
Here's how you make "cheater" meatballs:
Combine all of the ingredients, except for ground chicken, in a large bowl.
Tip 1: Mix well before adding ground chicken to the bowl. This step will ensure that all of the ingredients are evenly distributed.
Tip 2: Mix just until blending. Handling the chicken too much will cause it to become tough!
Use a 1 Tablespoon scoop to portion the meat into 3 mini muffin tins. The yield will be about 36 meatballs. Use your fingertips or the back of a spoon to press the mixture down in the tin.
Bake in a 350 degree Fahrenheit for 20-25 minutes or until the chicken meatballs reach the proper internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
Allow the chicken meatballs to sit for about 5 minutes before popping them out to enjoy!
Ingredients in Easy Chicken Meatballs
What's healthy to one person may not be healthy for another. It all depends on your dietary restrictions.
With that in mind, here's a breakdown of the ingredients including substitutions to consider.
- Ground Chicken - Use ground chicken breast or ground chicken depending upon your preference. The difference is in the parts of the chicken used and will impact the fat percentage. Note that chicken is much "softer" to work with as compared to beef.
Ground turkey can be used instead of ground chicken.
- Oatmeal - We use this instead of breadcrumbs. Oatmeal absorbs the juices and liquids and keeps the meatloaf moist. (Plus, I always have it on hand!)
The oatmeal does not need to be ground first, but you can. Breadcrumbs and almond flour can be substituted one for one in amount.
- Parmesan and Mozzarella Cheeses - We use both types, just like we do in the meatloaf recipe!
- Egg - Because we use lots of cheese, egg becomes optional, especially when cooked in a muffin tin.
- Ketchup - We use it just like we do in meatloaf...except that we use a little less!
- Basil - Chop fresh basil if you have it or use dried basil.
What to Serve with Chicken Meatballs
Make a HUGE batch of these easy chicken meatballs for endless options all month long!
Serve chicken meatballs with:
- Pasta
- Zucchini Noodles
- Sweet Potato Noodles
- On a small bun for a slider
- On a larger bun for a meatball sub
- In any casserole dish that calls for meatballs, such as this Dump and Bake Meatball Casserole
- As a pizza topping
- Sandwich them in bread, like these Meatball Bombs
How to Freeze Easy Chicken Meatballs Baked in Muffin Tins
Normally our make and freeze recipes can be frozen before or after cooking. That's still the case.
However, we suggest cooking these Easy Chicken Meatballs and then freezing them, unless you have some extra mini muffin tins to spare.
After cooking the meatballs, allow them to cool and then transfer them to a large freezer bag that zips to close.
When you're ready to enjoy them, lift the amount desired out and microwave for about 2 minutes and at 30 second intervals after that until heated through.
Please rate the recipe and tag @DinnerMom or #DinnerMom on social media. We love to see what you are cooking up!
📋 Recipe
Easy Chicken Meatballs Baked in Muffin Tins
Ingredients
- 1 egg slightly beaten
- ½ cup oatmeal or breadcrumbs
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese shredded
- ½ cup Parmesan cheese grated
- ½ cup onion diced, about ½ medium-sized onion
- 2 teaspoons dried basil or ¼ cup fresh basil
- ½ cup ketchup
- 1 pound ground chicken
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- Add all of the ingredients except for the ground chicken to a large bowl and mix well.
- Add ground chicken and mix just until combined.
- Portion about 1 Tablespoon of meat mixture into 3 mini meatloaf tins.
- Bake uncovered for about 25 minutes.
- Allow cooked meatballs to sit for 5-10 minutes before popping out of muffin tin.
Emerald says
Do I have to change any other ingredients if I use Ground Beef in place of Ground Chicken? Will the cooking time be any different?
Would appreciate some feedback as I would like to make them for dinner tomorrow.
Thanks for reading.
Marjory Pilley says
Hi! It should take the same amount of time. I hope you enjoy them!
Stef says
I never thought of making meatballs in a cupcake tin! What a fun idea! And, these sound wonderful and super healthy. Thanks for the idea!
Marjory says
Your welcome! 🙂
Claire says
The ketchup in these is just a great addition!
And baking them in a muffin tray is genius!
Aimee Shugarman says
Love how easy these baked chicken meatballs are to make. So much flavor too!