Marry Me chicken meatballs are tender chicken and Parmesan meatballs simmered in a creamy sauce of garlic, sun-dried tomatoes and broth, finished with fresh basil. This version is made for two, with half a pound of ground chicken shaped into about ten meatballs that brown in a single batch and finish in the sauce in the same skillet. A little panko soaked in milk keeps the lean chicken soft and juicy, so there is no need to split an egg. It is a cozy, special-feeling dinner that still comes together in about 40 minutes.
Why you’ll like these meatballs
- Made for two. About ten meatballs, five each, with enough sauce to coat a small pot of pasta.
- One skillet. The meatballs brown, the sauce builds on the browned bits, and everything finishes together in the same pan.
- No egg to split. A spoonful of milk and a little panko bind the small batch instead.
- Simple sauce. Broth, cream, garlic, sun-dried tomatoes and Parmesan, with no wine or bacon to buy.
- Weeknight friendly. About 15 minutes of prep and 25 minutes at the stove.
What Marry Me chicken meatballs are
Marry Me chicken started as a skillet dish of chicken breasts in a creamy sun-dried tomato and Parmesan sauce, and the name stuck because the sauce is so rich and comforting. Over the past few years the flavor has spread far beyond the original, into pasta, soup and, more recently, meatballs. Food magazines and recipe blogs have published meatball versions this year, and searches for them have climbed through the fall.
Meatballs suit the sauce well: their browned surfaces add flavor to the pan, and each one soaks up the creamy sauce as it simmers. Most published recipes use one to one and a half pounds of chicken and serve four to eight people. This one uses half a pound, so it fits a single 10-inch skillet and leaves no extra meatballs in the refrigerator.
What makes these meatballs tender
A panade instead of an egg. Ground chicken is lean and can turn dense. Panko soaked in milk for 5 minutes becomes a soft paste that holds moisture inside the meatballs as they cook, and it binds the mixture well enough that an egg is not needed for such a small batch.
A light hand. Mixing just until the chicken, cheese and seasonings come together keeps the texture tender. Damp hands make the soft mixture easy to shape without pressing it tight.
One batch, then the sauce. Ten meatballs fit a 10-inch skillet with room to turn them, so they brown evenly in about 6 minutes. They come out before they are cooked through, which keeps them from drying out while the sauce comes together.
Finishing in the sauce. The meatballs return to the gently simmering sauce, covered, for about 10 minutes. They cook through in the steam and the cream while soaking up its flavor, and a thermometer reading of 165°F tells you they are done.
Ingredients for Marry Me chicken meatballs
The exact amounts are in the recipe card below. These notes cover the choices that matter.
- Ground chicken: 8 ounces makes about ten meatballs. Ground chicken made from a mix of thigh and breast stays juicier than all-breast.
- Panko and milk: the panade that keeps the meatballs soft. Plain dry breadcrumbs work too, though they absorb a little more milk.
- Parmesan: finely grated Parmesan goes into both the meatballs and the sauce, so it seasons the whole dish. Finely grated cheese melts into the sauce more smoothly than shreds.
- Seasonings: garlic powder, Italian seasoning, salt and black pepper in the meatballs, plus a little more Italian seasoning in the sauce.
- Sun-dried tomatoes: the oil-packed kind is soft and ready to use. Drain and chop them so they spread through the sauce.
- Broth and cream: half a cup of each gives a sauce that is rich but not heavy, with enough to spoon over pasta.
- Spinach and basil: a handful of baby spinach is optional and adds color; fresh basil at the end is what makes the dish taste bright.
How to make Marry Me chicken meatballs
- Soak the panko in the milk for 5 minutes.
- Mix in the chicken, half the Parmesan and the seasonings, and shape about 10 meatballs.
- Brown the meatballs in olive oil for about 6 minutes, then move them to a plate.
- Cook the garlic and sun-dried tomatoes, add the broth and simmer for 2 minutes.
- Stir in the cream, the rest of the Parmesan and the seasoning, and simmer for 3 minutes.
- Return the meatballs, cover and simmer for about 10 minutes, until they reach 165°F.
- Wilt in the spinach, if using, sprinkle with basil and serve.
Browning and doneness cues
Browning. Let the meatballs sit undisturbed for a minute or two before turning so a golden crust forms, then roll them to brown the other sides. They will still be soft and slightly pink inside when they come out of the pan, which is expected at this stage.
The sauce. After the broth simmers and the cream goes in, the sauce should bubble gently, not boil hard, so it stays smooth. It is ready for the meatballs when it starts to thicken slightly.
Doneness. Push an instant-read thermometer into the center of the largest meatball. At 165°F, the USDA safe minimum for ground chicken, they are done, and the inside will be white with no pink. If they need a little longer, cover the pan and check again after a couple of minutes.
Tips for the best Marry Me meatballs
- Keep your hands damp. A quick rinse between meatballs stops the soft mixture from sticking and lets you shape them gently.
- Make them the same size. Even meatballs cook through at the same time; a small cookie scoop helps.
- Scrape the pan. The browned bits left by the meatballs give the sauce much of its depth, so loosen them as the broth goes in.
- Simmer gently. Low heat once the meatballs are back in the pan keeps the cream smooth and the chicken tender.
- Add the basil last. Fresh basil tastes brightest when it goes on just before serving.
Substitutions and variations
Ground turkey: it works in place of the chicken with the same method and timing. Cook it to 165°F as well.
Without spinach: the spinach is optional; leave it out or swap in chopped kale, letting it cook a minute or two longer to soften.
More heat: add a larger pinch of red pepper flakes to the sauce for a gentle kick.
Breadcrumbs: plain dry breadcrumbs can replace the panko in the panade; the meatballs will be a little denser.
What to serve with them
The sauce is the star, so serve the meatballs with something that catches every drop. Short pasta such as rigatoni or penne, a nest of spaghetti, buttery rice or mashed potatoes all work, and a piece of crusty bread is welcome for wiping the plate. Add a simple green salad or roasted broccoli to round out the meal. It is a lovely dinner for a quiet night in, the kind you can carry straight from the skillet to the table. If you enjoy these flavors, the Marry Me chicken gnocchi soup for two turns the same sauce into a cozy soup.
Make-ahead, storage and reheating
You can shape the raw meatballs earlier in the day, cover them and keep them in the refrigerator until you are ready to cook. Leftover meatballs and sauce keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days; get them into the refrigerator within two hours of cooking.
For longer storage, freeze the cooked meatballs without the sauce for up to 3 months. The cream sauce separates when frozen, so make a fresh batch when you serve them. To reheat, warm the meatballs and sauce gently in a covered skillet over medium-low heat, adding a splash of broth if the sauce has thickened, until the meatballs reach 165°F.
Brown a skillet of tender chicken meatballs, let them simmer in that creamy sun-dried tomato sauce, and dinner for two is ready. Put the pasta on, set out the bread and enjoy.
Frequently asked questions
Can you make Marry Me chicken meatballs ahead of time?
Yes. Shape the meatballs earlier in the day and keep them covered in the refrigerator, then brown them and make the sauce just before dinner. Fully cooked leftovers also reheat well in a covered skillet.
Can you freeze Marry Me chicken meatballs?
Freeze the cooked meatballs without the sauce for up to 3 months. The cream sauce separates when frozen, so make it fresh when you reheat the meatballs.
How do you keep chicken meatballs from drying out?
Use a panade of panko soaked in milk, mix the meat gently and only until combined, and finish the meatballs in the simmering sauce instead of cooking them through in the pan. Take them off the heat once they reach 165°F.
How do you serve Marry Me chicken meatballs?
Spoon them and their sauce over short pasta, spaghetti, rice or mashed potatoes, with crusty bread on the side for the sauce.
Print
Marry Me Chicken Meatballs for Two
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: About 10 meatballs
Description
Tender chicken and Parmesan meatballs browned in one skillet and simmered in a creamy garlic, sun-dried tomato and broth sauce, finished with basil. About 10 meatballs for two.
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 8 ounces ground chicken
- 1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese, divided (1/4 cup and 1/4 cup)
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning, divided (1/4 teaspoon and 1/4 teaspoon)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 3 tablespoons chopped oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1 pinch red pepper flakes (optional)
- 1 cup baby spinach (optional)
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
Instructions
- Stir the panko and milk together in a mixing bowl and let them soak for 5 minutes, until the crumbs are soft.
- Add the chicken, 1/4 cup of the Parmesan, the garlic powder, 1/4 teaspoon of the Italian seasoning, the salt and the pepper. Mix gently with your hands or a fork just until combined. With damp hands, shape about 10 meatballs, roughly 1 1/4 inches across.
- Heat the olive oil in a 10-inch skillet over medium heat. Add the meatballs and cook for about 6 minutes, turning them every minute or two, until browned on all sides. They will not be cooked through yet. Move them to a plate.
- Add the garlic and sun-dried tomatoes to the skillet and cook for about 1 minute, until fragrant. Pour in the broth and scrape up the browned bits from the pan, then simmer for 2 minutes.
- Stir in the cream, the remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan, the remaining 1/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning and the red pepper flakes, if using. Simmer gently for 3 minutes, until the sauce starts to thicken.
- Return the meatballs and any juices to the skillet. Cover and simmer over low heat for about 10 minutes, turning them once, until a thermometer in the center of a meatball reads 165°F.
- Stir in the spinach, if using, and cook for about 1 minute, until wilted. Sprinkle with the basil and serve.
Notes
Equipment: 10-inch skillet with a lid, mixing bowl, instant-read thermometer, tongs or spatula
- Mix the meatballs gently and only until combined; overworked ground chicken turns dense and dry.
- Keep the sauce at a gentle simmer once the cream is in so it stays smooth.
- Ground turkey can replace the chicken; cook it to 165°F as well.
- Serve over pasta, rice or mashed potatoes, or with crusty bread for the sauce.
- Refrigerate leftover meatballs and sauce in an airtight container and eat them within 3 to 4 days.
- Cooked meatballs freeze without the sauce for up to 3 months; the cream sauce does not freeze well, so make it fresh.
- Reheat gently in a covered skillet over medium-low heat, with a splash of broth if the sauce has thickened, until the meatballs reach 165°F.
- Cook ground chicken to 165°F, the USDA safe minimum.
- Wash your hands, the bowl and any surfaces after handling raw chicken.
- Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours (USDA FSIS).
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian-American
