Marry Me Chicken Meatballs
These Marry Me Chicken Meatballs are a pan-seared meatball recipe, cooked in a creamy sun-dried tomato sauce with spinach and Parmesan. They are delicious served with mashed potatoes or hot crusty bread to soak up all the sauce. Everyone at the dinner table loves these saucy Italian meatballs!
Marry Me Chicken Meatballs have been all over TikTok for months, hence the rave! They are as good as they look, and super easy to make. It’s a classic dish on our menu rotation, and honestly, good enough for company! We’ve made it with with boneless, skinless chicken breasts, but the meatball version is just as good! We’ve also made a Marry Me Caesar Wedge Salad (yes both lettuces), which is awesome!
We love using ground chicken for the meatballs, and the “marry me” recipe features the usual sun-dried tomatoes, spinach, and Parmesan cheese. It’s what you serve it with, that makes it your favorite! For instance, you can serve this dish with mashed potatoes, polenta, orzo, or any pasta. We’ve even baked up sweet potatoes!
Why I love this recipe
- total crowd favorite, but also great weeknight dinner
- juicy, tender, healthier meatballs and a sauce that’s creamy and absolutely droolworthy!
- you can make the meatballs ahead and freeze – then make the sauce!
Why is it called Marry Me Chicken?
The rumor stands that years ago somemade made this chicken recipe and called it Marry Me Chicken. They say, “once you make it for someone, they’re going to love it so much they’ll want to marry you!” It’s sort of a cute story! So why don’t you try this recipe and decide how much you love it?
What Ingredients Are in Marry Me Chicken Meatballs?
- Ground chicken: You can also use ground turkey is a good substitute.
- Panko crumbs: You can use regular or panko.
- Egg: An egg binds the meatballs together.
- Sun dried tomatoes: Tomatoes packed in oil and dry-packed work equally well, or you can use the ones in oil. Also use tomato paste!
- Stock: Use low-sodium chicken broth or regular. Also fish sauce! It’s a must!
- Heavy cream: Provides richness and makes the sauce nice and thick.
- Veggies: Garlic, shallots, spinach.
- Herbs and spices: Delicious red pepper flakes (optional), garlic, shallots, salt & pepper.
- Parmesan cheese: Makes it truly Italian!
Here’s how to make Marry Me chicken meatballs in a creamy Parmesan and sun-dried tomato cream sauce:
Make the meatballs:
- Make the meatballs: In a large mixing bowl, combine the ground chicken, bread crumbs, egg, garlic, onion powder, and salt and pepper. Mix lightly with hand until the mixture just comes together. Be careful not to over mix. Roll the meatballs to about the size of a small walnut.
- In a large skillet over medium heat the olive oil. Working in batches, fry the meatballs, turning them occasionally to brown on all sides. They don’t need to be cooked all the way through.
- Remove the meatballs from the skillet and set aside.
Make the sauce:
- In the same skillet as meatballs, add the diced shallots, sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, and tomato paste and saute.
- Add the meatballs back into the pan, and top with chicken stock, fish sauce, heavy whipping cream, baby spinach, and Parmesan cheese.
- Simmer over medium heat until the sauce thickens slightly and the meatballs are cooked through. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add the chili flakes.
Substitutions and Variations
- The recipe yields 16-20 meatballs.
- TIP: Spray your hands first with cooking spray so the meat doesn’t stick to your fingers.
- Meat: Use ground chicken or ground turkey.
- Egg-free: You can omit the egg in this recipe, but it will be a little different texture!
- Gluten-Free: Swap breadcrumbs for gluten-free breadcrumbs.
- Dairy-Free: Use coconut milk instead of heavy cream and skip Parmesan.
- Add a Kick: A pinch of red pepper flakes adds a subtle kick to the sauce, but it’s also optional.
Serving
Serve the meatballs and creamy sauce over the prepared mashed potatoes. Sprinkle with a few sprinkles of fresh chopped parsley!
Meatballs are also great over polenta or pasta. It’s fabulous with a house salad, and garlic bread. For springtime, make our Strawberry Banana Pudding Dessert or Lemon Curd Ice Cream.
More meatball recipes you may want to try:
- Sweet & Spicy Meatballs with Broccoli
- Baked Turkey Meatballs on Polenta
- Lamb Meatballs with Creamed Kale
- Chicken Paprika Meatballs
Get the Recipe:
Marry Me Chicken Meatballs
Ingredients
Meatball Ingredients:
- 1 pound ground chicken
- 1 cup panko bread crumbs
- 1 egg
- 1-2 cloves fresh garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- Salt & pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons olive oil for frying
Cream Sauce:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 2 large shallots, diced
- ½ cup sun-dried tomatoes in oil
- 4 cloves fresh garlic minced
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 2 tsp fish sauce
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp chili flakes, optional
- 6 cups baby spinach leaves
- 1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
- Salt & pepper to taste
- Fresh parsley, finely chopped for serving
Instructions
- Make the meatballs: In a large mixing bowl, combine the ground chicken, bread crumbs, egg, garlic, onion powder, and salt and pepper. Mix lightly with hand until the mixture just comes together. Be careful not to over mix. Roll the meatballs to about the size of a small walnut. [This will yield 16-20 meatballs. TIP: Spray your hands first with cooking spray so the meat doesn’t stick to your fingers.]
- In a large skillet over medium heat the 2 tablespoons olive oil.
- Working in batches, fry the meatballs, turning them occasionally to brown on all sides. They don’t need to be cooked all the way through.
- Remove the meatballs from the skillet and set aside.
- In the same skillet, add the diced shallots, sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, and tomato paste. Sauté for 2-3 minutes.
- Add the meatballs back into the pan, and top with chicken stock, fish sauce, heavy whipping cream, baby spinach, and Parmesan cheese.
- Simmer over medium heat for 15 minutes, or until the sauce thickens slightly and the meatballs are cooked through. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add the chili flakes.
- Serve the meatballs and creamy sauce over the prepared mashed potatoes. Sprinkle with a few sprinkles of fresh chopped parsley!
Hello and welcome to my home and table!
I’m Sandy—lover of food, family, cooking, THE BIG BOARD, travel, and bringing people together. Through great recipes and connection around the table, we become better, stronger, and more courageous people. Feasting on Life is real, and every time we do it, we grow a little more. Read more...
