Juicy and so flavorful, these easy Chicken Pesto Meatballs are a delicious dinner option, perfect for any busy night.
Serve these tasty chicken meatballs with pasta, rice, or potatoes, and get ready for your family to love this recipe!
These pesto chicken meatballs are the easiest of all of my meatball recipes! With just 6 ingredients you can make the most flavorful chicken meatballs in under 30 minutes.
These are delicious with pesto pasta, but also good with mashed potatoes or roasted veggies.
I just know that this versatile dinner main dish made with ground chicken will be a family favorite, no matter how you serve it!
If you’re looking for more ways to cook ground chicken, try my ground chicken burgers, ground chicken meatloaf, or ground chicken sloppy joes next!
Chicken Pesto Meatballs Recipe Highlights
- Easy Prep and Minimal Ingredients – I love it when I can throw together a delicious meal with only a few simple ingredients. You need ground chicken, pesto, breadcrumbs, and seasonings!
- Delicious Flavors – Even with only a few ingredients, these chicken meatballs are so flavorful. Ground chicken will take on the flavor of the herbaceous basil peso and garlic beautifully.
- A Healthier Option – Using ground chicken to make meatballs instead of ground beef is going to make them lower in fat and cholesterol. These chicken meatballs are also easy to make gluten-free and are made without any eggs.
Ingredients In Pesto Chicken Meatballs
Here’s everything you need:
Complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
- Ground Chicken: Pick this up at the grocery store! Ground chicken is a healthier alternative to ground beef, and an inexpensive protein option.
- Pesto: Before you make these meatballs, make a quick batch of my homemade basil pesto. A simple combination of olive oil, parmesan cheese, fresh basil, and pine nuts is the key to this recipe.
- Breadcrumbs: Meatball recipes are very versatile, so you can use any kind of bread crumbs that you have on hand. I made mine with almond flour to keep them gluten-free.
- Seasonings: All you need is garlic powder, salt, and black pepper. The pesto is already super flavorful, we’re just enhancing it a bit.
How To Make Chicken Pesto Meatballs
Tip!
Chicken meatballs are fully cooked when they reach an internal temperature of 165°F (74°C) with a kitchen thermometer. Be sure to check a few different meatballs, as the ones on the edges can cook quicker than the ones in the middle of th pan.
Recipe Tips
- Use fresh, homemade pesto! Yes, technically you can make this recipe with pesto from a jar, but I promise that the flavor will be a hundred times better if you use fresh pesto. My recipe is super easy to make in a food processor and takes just a few minutes.
- Add flavor. Meatballs are very versatile, so feel free to add other herbs and seasonings that you enjoy. I think that these would be delicious with some extra grated parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, or fresh parsley mixed in.
- Don’t overmix the meat. If you mix the meat too much your meatballs will end up dry and tough. Try to mix the meatball ingredients only until they are combined, then stop!
- Use your hands. I think that this is the key to mixing the ingredients gently. Use gloves if you like.
- A cookie scoop will help you make meatballs that are all exactly the same size. This way, they should cook at the same time.
- For extra browning, place the meatballs under the broiler for a few minutes.
Storing Tips
To Store: Any leftovers can be kept in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. They easily reheat in the microwave or in a skillet, just avoid overheating them as that will dry them out.
To Freeze: These chicken meatballs freeze really well! I prefer to freeze them uncooked, then cook them fresh when I’m ready for them. Keep frozen meatballs in the freezer for up to 3 months.
To Cook Frozen Meatballs: Bake raw frozen meatballs at 375°F/190°C for 30-35 minutes, or until fully cooked.
For meal planning, you can make a few batches of these chicken meatballs and keep them in the freezer for quick meals later on!
What to Serve with Chicken Pesto Meatballs
I’m serving mine with some pasta tossed in extra pesto sauce. A handful of toasted pine nuts, freshly grated parmesan cheese, and a few basil leaves turn this simple dish into a beautiful plate.
Your family might enjoy these with my buttered noodles, garlic butter pasta, or pasta or zucchini noodles with alfredo sauce or meat sauce with hidden veggies instead.
Pesto meatballs are also delicious in tomato sauce! Use your favorite jarred marinara sauce and serve spaghetti and chicken meatballs for dinner.
Want something other than pasta? Try these with mashed potatoes, roasted broccoli and carrots, or vegetable rice pilaf.
Recipe FAQs
Why are my chicken meatballs falling apart?
This can happen if the ingredients aren’t mixed well enough, or if they are mixed too much. This recipe doesn’t call for egg, so the meatballs are a bit delicate too. Be sure to handle them gently.
What temperature should ground chicken meatballs be?
Use a thermometer to check that the meatballs are cooked through and have an internal temp of 165°F/74°C. This is the safe temperature for cooking any type of chicken.
Will this recipe work with ground turkey?
I haven’t fully tested a ground turkey pesto meatballs recipe yet, but if you have lean ground turkey instead of chicken in the fridge, you should definitely try it out!
More Delicious Meatball Recipes
These chicken pesto meatballs are the perfect addition to your pasta night dinner menu! Kids and adults all love them, and you’ll love how simple they are to prepare.
Save this recipe for later! Pin it or share it with your friends.
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Chicken Pesto Meatballs
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 pound (450 g) ground chicken
- ½ cup breadcrumbs or almond flour
- ¼ cup (60 ml) basil pesto
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F/190°C, or 170° for a fan oven. Add a tablespoon of olive oil to an oven-proof pan, and set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine ground chicken with breadcrumbs or almond flour, pesto, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. It’s best to use your hands (I like to use gloves), but you can also use a spatula if you like. Mix everything together until just combined, but do not overmix.
- Use a medium cookie scoop and scoop meatballs that are about 1 ½ tablespoons onto the prepared pan.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes. Place under the broiler if you want some color. The meatballs are ready when the internal temperature reaches 165°F (74°C) when tested with a kitchen thermometer. Test different meatballs, as the ones on the sides can cook quicker than the ones in the middle. Do not overcook them; they can become dry.
- Remove from the oven, and serve over pasta, rice, salad, or mashed potatoes.
Notes:
- Use fresh, homemade pesto! Yes, technically you can make this recipe with pesto from a jar, but I promise that the flavor will be a hundred times better if you use fresh pesto. My recipe is super easy to make in a food processor and takes just a few minutes.
- Don’t overmix the meat. If you mix the meat too much your meatballs will end up dry and tough. Try to mix the meatball ingredients only until they are combined, then stop!
- Use your hands. I think that this is the key to mixing the ingredients gently. Use gloves if you like.
Nutrition Information
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
© Little Sunny Kitchen
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