Description

These Marry Me Chicken Meatballs feature herb-loaded ground chicken seasoned perfectly with aromatics. The meatballs swim in a saucy, extra creamy sauce loaded with fresh basil and sun-dried tomatoes. It’s a meal the whole family will love that whips up in under 1 hour, and it’s also dairy-free! Pile these creamy meatballs on top of mashed potatoes or serve with veggies for an easy weeknight-friendly meal!

Ingredients

For the chicken meatballs:

2 lbs ground chicken
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
½ cup plain panko breadcrumbs
¼ cup fresh chopped basil
1 tablespoon garlic paste
2 teaspoons herbs de provence
1 teaspoon onion powder
½ teaspoon smoked paprika
Kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper- to taste

For the marry me sauce:

2-3 tablespoons olive oil, as needed
1 large shallot, finely diced
1 tablespoon garlic paste
1 (7-8 ounce) jar sun-dried tomatoes packed in olive oil- removed from oil (but don’t discard oil!) & roughly chopped (about 1 cup)
⅓ cup dry white wine, such as sauvignon blanc or pinot grigio
2 teaspoons dijon mustard
1 teaspoon herbs de provence
½ – 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper- to taste
1 ½ cups chicken broth
1 (13.5 ounce) can full-fat coconut milk
¼ cup fresh chopped basil, plus more for serving
¼ cup fresh grated parmesan cheese

Instructions

Make meatball mixture. In a large mixing bowl, combine the ground chicken, eggs, breadcrumbs, basil, garlic paste, herbs de provence, onion powder, smoked paprika, and salt/pepper- to taste. Mix the meatball ingredients until just combined- careful not to overwork the meat mixture to prevent tough meatballs.
Shape meatballs. Set aside a large plate/platter. Use a medium spring-loaded scooper to scoop the mixture into golf ball-size meatballs. Then roll the meatball in the palm of your hands just until a smooth shape is formed. Place the formed meatballs on the plate/platter and repeat this process until all meatballs are shaped, you should end up with about 20-23 meatballs.
Brown meatballs. In a large, deep skillet over medium heat, warm up 2 tablespoons of oil (feel free to use the oil from the sun-dried tomato jar or fresh!). Once the oil is shimmering, gently swirl the skillet to evenly coat the bottom. Add the meatballs into the skillet in a single layer, careful not to overcrowd the skillet, work in batches. Brown the meatballs on the bottom until a nice sear appears, about 3-4 minutes. Then carefully turn them onto the other side to brown, about 3-4 minutes. At this stage, the meatballs may not be fully cooked but will finish in the pan sauce later; use a slotted utensil to transfer the browned meatballs to a clean plate/platter. Repeat the process with the remaining half of the meatballs- if your pan looks dry, add a slick more oil into the skillet, only if needed.
Build the marry me sauce. With all browned meatballs set aside, add the shallot into the same pan and cook, stirring often, until tender and translucent, about 5-7 minutes. Then add in the garlic and sun-dried tomatoes, and continue cooking until the garlic is fragrant, about 1-2 minutes. Then stir in the white wine to deglaze, scraping up any bits on the bottom of the pan. Let the mixture cook until the tomatoes slightly soften and get a bit jammy in texture, about 2 minutes. Then stir in the dijon mustard, and add the herbs de provence, red pepper flakes, salt/pepper- to taste, and the broth- stir everything well to fully combine. Let the sauce come up to a simmer, stirring every so often, about 3-4 minutes.
Stir in the coconut milk. Let the sauce come up to a simmer, stirring every so often, about 5-7 minutes.
Bring it all together & finish. Reduce the heat to the lowest setting, add in all the browned meatballs with any residual juices that have been collected along with the fresh chopped basil and parmesan cheese, and gently toss to coat with sauce. Let the meatballs continue cooking with the pan sauce for 10-15 minutes, gently swirling the skillet every few minutes. The sauce will thicken some and the meatballs will finish off and meld with the pan sauce. Then remove from heat.
Serve these creamy, marry me chicken meatballs over a bed of fluffy mashed potatoes (or white rice) and garnish with more fresh chopped basil, if desired. Enjoy!

Notes

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