Marry Me Chicken Meatballs (2024)

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The ever so popular classic dish Marry Me Chicken, but with a change up to meatballs.These Marry Me Chicken Meatballs are a total crowd favorite. Juicy, tender, healthier meatballs made with ground chicken and a sauce that’s creamy and absolutely droolworthy!

You’ve got to make this dish guys!!

Have y’all ever heard of the dish Marry Me Chicken?? If not you have absolutely got to give this meatball version a try!

The classic dish that’s so well known is made with boneless, skinless chicken breasts. I decided, as good as that version is, I wanted to try it with my homemade chicken meatballs.

Why is it called Marry Me Chicken?

Rumor has it it’s called Marry Me Chicken because once you make it for someone they’re going to love it so much they’ll want to marry you. Taste it and you decide.

A few weeks back I made a batch of my chicken meatballs for some chicken Parm subs. Tom always raves about my chicken meatballs. I was planning on sharing the chicken breast version of Marry Me chicken here at the BHK, but since Tom loves my ground chicken meatballs so much, I thought they would be a great substitute. And who wouldn’t enjoy meatballs in a creamy, zesty sauce??

Marry Me Chicken Meatball Ingredients

ground chicken
eggs
garlic cloves
olive oil
seasoned panko crumbs
grated Parmesan cheese
onion powder
kosher salt and pepper
paprika

Marry Me Sauce Ingredients

butter
garlic cloves
dried Italian seasoning
red pepper flakes
sundried tomatoes
white cooking wine
low-sodium chicken broth
heavy cream
grated Parmesan cheese
fresh basil for garnish, if desired

The meatballs are a combination of some ground chicken, eggs, flavored panko crumbs, some olive oil and spices. They come together super quick and they bake in a 400 degree oven for about 18 minutes. My recipe make about 38-40 smaller meatballs and I use my 1 1/2-inch cookie scooper to shape the meatballs.

The meatballs freeze wonderfully too. So if you decide to make a full batch and don’t want to use them all in this recipe, feel free to add as many as you’d like and freeze the remainder in a freezer bag for later. I myself always add the full batch of the meatballs because once they’re in that yummy sauce they go faster than fast.

How to Make this Marry Me Chicken Meatballs

First, you’ll make your chicken meatballs. You’ll combine all your meatball ingredients in a large bowl and then use a 1 1/2-inch scooper and scoop your meatballs onto a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper for easy clean up.

You’ll bake the meatballs for about 18 minutes until they’re lightly browned and no longer pink inside. You’ll remove the tray from the oven and set them aside until you make your sauce.

The sauce is just as easy to make. You will melt some butter in a deep oven-proof skillet. You will cook your minced garlic for just about two minutes along with the Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes and sundried tomatoes.

Next up, you’ll add your white wine and cook for about three minutes until mostly cooked down. Then you will need to add your chicken broth, heavy cream and Parmesan cheese and cook until well combined and slightly thickened.

At this point, you can add your meatballs to the sauce and stir until the meatballs are coated in the sauce before transferring to the oven and baking for about 10 minutes at 400 degrees until bubbly.

I bet you folks will love these meatballs and this droolworthy sauce. It’s perfect with a side of rice topped with some of the extra sauce!

Please let me know if you give the recipe a try. And if you have any questions about the recipe, just drop a comment below. Enjoy!

A Few Cook’s Notes for Marry Me Chicken Meatballs

As mentioned above, you can add as many of the meatballs to the recipe and freeze the remainder. The recipe will make roughly 38 smaller meatballs and for a group of four to six they almost always disappear.

If you decide to freeze, just add them to a freezer Ziploc bag and enjoy later. They’re delicious added to some marinara sauce with a side of pasta or for chicken Parmesan meatball subs.

More Delicious Meatball Recipes to Enjoy

Mom’s Meatballs and Marinara Sauce

Greek Meatballs and Gravy

Buffalo Turkey Meatballs

Marry Me Chicken Meatballs

Author: MaryAnn Dwyer

Servings: 6 servings

Print RecipePin Recipe

The ever so popular classic dish Marry Me Chicken, but with a change up to meatballs. These Marry Me Chicken Meatballs are a total crowd favorite. Juicy, tender, healthier meatballs made with ground chicken and a sauce that's creamy and absolutely droolworthy!

Prep Time 25 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 55 minutes mins

Ingredients

Chicken Meatballs

2 lbs. ground chicken
2 large eggs, slightly beaten
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 Tbsp. olive oil
1 cup seasoned panko crumbs
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. paprika

Sauce

5 Tbsp. butter
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp. Italian seasoning
1/4-1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes, add to your liking
1 cup sundried tomatoes in oil, drained and roughly chopped
1/4 cup white cooking wine
1 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup heavy cream
2/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
8-10 fresh basil leaves, julienned, if desired for garnish

Instructions

Chicken Meatballs

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lined an extra large baking sheet or two large baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
In a large bowl, combine all ingredients for meatballs and gently mix together. Do not over mix. Use a 1 1/2-inch scooper and scoop meatballs onto trays. Bake for 18 minutes until lightly browned and no longer pink inside. Remove from oven and set aside while you make the sauce.

Sauce

In a large oven-proof deep skillet, melt butter over medium heat.
Add the garlic, Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes and sundried tomatoes and cook over medium heat, stirring often for 2 minutes. Add the wine and cook for 2-3 minutes until mostly cooked down. Add the chicken broth, then slowly add the heavy cream and Parmesan and whisk until well combined. Continue to cook until sauce starts to thicken slightly, stirring occasionally.
Add the meatballs to the sauce and mix until the meatballs are well coated. Transfer the skillet to the oven and cook for about 10 minutes until the meatballs are heated through and the sauce is bubbly. Serve immediately.

Notes

If you decide to freeze, just add them to a freezer Ziploc bag and enjoy later. They're delicious added to some marinara sauce with a side of pasta or for chicken Parmesan meatball subs.

Nutrition

Keyword: Comfort Food, ground chicken, meatballs, sundried tomatoes

Cuisine: American

Course: Main Dish

Before your first bite, snap a photo and share!If you make this recipe, I'd love to see! Be sure to follow thebeachhousekitchen on Instagram and tag Mention @thebeachhousekitchen or tag #thebeachhousekitchen!

More Main Dish recipes you might like:

Chicken Osso Buco

Chicken Tortellini Paprikash

Bacon Wrapped Stuffed Pork Tenderloin

About MaryAnn Dwyer

Hello and welcome! My name is MaryAnn and I am the recipe developer, photographer and creator of The Beach House Kitchen.

Here at the BHK it's all about delicious, easy recipes for casual entertaining. No long lists of ingredients and difficult directions, just simple, fresh and approachable recipes for delicious meals to enjoy with family and friends.

Be sure to check out my about page to learn more about me.

Reader Interactions

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GiGi
Delicious! Easy! Stay with your sauce! I burned my first batch. I had to lower the heat here and there as well. It’s very rich! I served with pasta and a side salad. I also used dry sun dried tomatoes as I didn’t have the ones packed in oil. Make this dish! Yum!
Reply
- Mary Ann
  Yay GiGi!! So happy you enjoyed the recipe! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment!
  Reply
Lei
soo so good! Made the meatballs & made a side of garlic bread! Next time I’m going to add pasta in the mix. I’m curious if I can store the leftover meatballs in the sauce overnight or if I should separate them?
Reply
- Mary Ann
  So happy you enjoyed these Lei! I just stored the extra meatballs in the same container overnight. The next day when I reheated I added just a smidge more of the cream.
  Reply
Annabelle
Loved this recipe! Super easy and perfect to pair with pasta for an entree dish.
Reply
- Mary Ann
  So happy you enjoyed it Annabelle! The meatballs are delicious with so many different sauces too.
  Reply
Mike
Why would you use sundried tomatoes in oil? It won’t combine and will be gross.
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- Bill H Franklin
  Sorry, but it works! Spectacularly! 🥰
  Reply
  - Mary Ann
    Thanks for giving the recipe a try Bill and so happy you enjoyed it! As for Mike, I don’t usually respond to people who leave negative comments without even trying the recipe. His loss right?
    Reply
    - Teresa
      AGREE 100%!!! Making this tonight — with sundried tomatoes in OIL!!!! :)
      Reply
      - Mary Ann
        Yay!! Enjoy!!
- Teri Willard
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  Clearly you didn’t make the recipe. It combines perfectly and it’s delicious!
  Reply
  - Mary Ann
    Clearly. Thanks so much Teri! So happy you enjoyed the recipe!
    Reply
Julea F
Wonderful dish! The chicken meatballs are perfect. They did not last long in my household. My 2 year old and 8 month enjoyed them so it was a hit for sure. Going to make again and freeze the balls.
Reply
- Mary Ann
  Yay! So happy you and the kiddos enjoyed the recipe Julea! Thanks so much for giving it a try!
  Reply
Erin Thorson
These were such a hit with our whole family. My husband, 4 year old and 10 month old couldn’t get enough! This will be in our regular dinner rotation from now on. Thank you!
Reply
- Mary Ann
  Yay!! So happy everyone enjoyed them Erin! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment!
  Reply
Michelle
Absolutely amazing dish! I serve it over rice and my family loved it! Making it again today!
Reply
- Mary Ann
  So have you all enjoy Michelle! Thanks so much for trying recipe!
  Reply
Ashley
Made this for the first time, but instead of ground chicken, I just ground pork. It came out lovely. Served with parmesan garlic mashed potatoes and roasted broccoli florets. I don’t see leftovers lasting very long!
The oil from the sundried tomatoes in oil most definitely did combine with the rest of the sauce.
Reply
- Mary Ann
  Yay! So happy you enjoyed the recipe Ashley! I’ll have to try it with pork next time! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment!
  Reply
Teri Willard
I LOVE marry me chicken, and this is the first time I have ever used ground chicken…ever…in anything. These are perfect! I didn’t have white wine on hand, and it still is very good. I also add a bit of thyme to my sauce. Goes great with pasta or mashed potatoes.
Reply
Dee
My sauce curdled and look disgusting… I did exactly what the recipe said to do… What happened? The flavor was nice but the “sauce” was not creamy at all and looked terrible.
Reply
- Mary Ann
  Hmm. Was your heavy cream fresh Dee? That’s all I can think of. If you’re whisking the broth and heavy cream the sauce should be nice and smooth.
  Reply
Anna
I’m excited to try this, it looks delicious. I ran to the comments to see what side people used with it, glad I did. Thanks for sharing!
Reply
- Mary Ann
  We love it with mashed potatoes, rice or pasta. All sorts of sides work with these meatballs Anna. Enjoy!
  Reply
Sara
Hi – wondering if anyone has made these and kept warm in a crockpot for a buffet/potluck? Thanks!
Reply
- Mary Ann
  I have not Sara. Let me know if you give it a try.
  Reply
  - Deena
    How much chicken broth are you supposed to use? It’s not in ingredient list but it is in recipe?
    Reply
    - Mary Ann
      It’s in the recipe Deena.
      Reply
Sarah
The meatballs are really good, I’ve made this for my family several times now! However, I haven’t been able to get the cream to combine in the sauce. Whisking it doesn’t seem to help. What could be going wrong? Is the heat maybe too high?
Reply
- Mary Ann
  Hi Sarah. You could try lowering the heat and perhaps when you add the sundried tomatoes just add a bit less of the oil. Thanks for giving the recipe a try and Happy New Year!
  Reply
Danielle
Easy to follow and delicious! My husband went back for seconds which usually doesn’t happen when I cook, so I’ll consider that a huge win. Sauce was a little thin because I didn’t let it cook down long enough and didn’t whisk it well, but I’m sure I can fix that next time! It was my fault, not the recipe but including here as fyi for others to pay attention to those steps. Served it over egg noodles.
Reply
- Mary Ann
  That’s awesome your husband went for seconds! Thanks for sharing your tip Danielle!
  Reply
L
Recipe is delicious, however the sauce never thickens properly I followed the recipe to a tee and yet still the sauce doesn’t thicken and is very oily. I’m not sure what I am doing wrong but it is very frustrating.
Reply
- Mary Ann
  Hey there. The sauce is not a super thick sauce. Just make sure to cook the wine down and then just heat the sauce, stirring often until it’s slightly thickened. Make sure to drain your sun dried tomatoes before adding.
  Reply
Lynn
Oh my goodness this dish is amazing. My family really loved the meatballs and the sauce turned out perfect. I served it with a side of mashed potatoes. Would definitely make again and again. Thanks so much for sharing the recipe.
Reply
- Mary Ann
  Yay! So happy you enjoyed it Lynn!
  Reply
Jenneane
Simple, perfectly timed, and SO Delicious! Juicy meatballs with lots of flavor and the sauce put them over the top. We loved it!
Reply
- Mary Ann
  Yay! Thanks so much for trying the recipe Jenneane! So happy you enjoyed it!
  Reply
Jennifer Dingman
I made this last night and it was delicious- my family loved it. The sauce wasn’t thickening to my liking, so I used an immersion blender to blend the sundried tomatoes into the cream and thicken it. This did the trick and the sauce was amazing – served over pasta with broccoli on the side. Thanks!!!😊
Reply
- Mary Ann
  That’s awesome to hear Jennifer! Thanks so much for trying the recipe!
  Reply
Rebecca
My family loved everything about this dish. The meatballs were juicy and the sauce was so delicious. Will definitely be making again.
Reply
- Mary Ann
  So happy you enjoyed it Rebecca!
  Reply

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