Gluten Free Chicken meatballs smothered in sauce and cheese and baked until bubbly hot. This healthy GF chicken meatball recipe is a new twist on an Italian classic that’s easy to make and will quickly become a family favorite!
If you’ve been wondering what to make with ground chicken, I have a recipe for you – gluten-free chicken meatballs – Italian-style, of course! This is a 5-star ground chicken recipe you need to add to the weekly menu!
It’s no surprise we love meatballs around here. Our favorites include these classic gluten free meatballs with beef, gluten free turkey meatballs, and these gluten free chicken meatballs.
These Italian chicken meatballs are next level! It’s everything you love about chicken parmesan but rolled into a tasty meatball.
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Reasons You’ll Love This Recipe
- Easy to make. Mix everything into one bowl, roll it into balls, and bake. Done!
- Everyone can eat them! Making gluten-free chicken meatballs is easy, and nobody can tell the difference.
- Healthy. This meatballs are low in saturated fat, high in protein, and low in carbs.
- Versatile. Of course, we all love spaghetti and meatballs! But these chicken meatballs pair perfectly with salad or veggies too.
- Make-ahead! You can make these gluten-free chicken meatballs on Sunday for the week or make a few batches to freeze. Life is good with GF ground chicken meatballs in the freezer!
Ingredients
Here are all the gluten free chicken meatball ingredients. I’ll give my suggestions for gluten free breadcrumbs but make sure to check the labels of all of the other ingredients to ensure everything is gluten free. See the recipe card for complete instructions.
- Ground chicken. For best results, purchase high-quality organic ground chicken; you can find it in the meat section near the ground turkey breast and ground beef. You can get ground chicken breast but for more flavor purchase ground chicken thighs. I usually do a mix if I can find it.
- Egg. This is used as a binder for the rest of the ingredients.
- Seasoning. I blend garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper, and homemade Italian seasoning to flavor the meatballs. If you don’t have homemade Italian seasoning, use a high-quality GF store-bought or a blend of dried basil, oregano, and parsley.
- Worcestershire sauce. As with my ground turkey recipes, Worcestershire is the secret ingredient I use to give more flavor and meatiness to ground chicken recipes. Read the label to make sure the Worcestershire sauce is gluten-free. According to their website, Lea & Perrins Original is gluten free. If you don’t have Worcestershire sauce, tamari will work.
- Grated parmesan. For the best flavor, grate the parmesan cheese fresh. A quick shopping tip; head to your local wholesale store for great prices on chunks of fresh parmesan.
- Unseasoned gluten free bread crumbs. Since I add seasoning to the meatballs, I prefer to purchase unseasoned bread crumbs for this recipe. My favorite brand is Schar, but Gillians is a close second, and I will use the brand 4C if nothing else is available.
- Marinara sauce. To keep this chicken meatball recipe easy, I suggest grabbing a jar of high-quality sauce; Rao’s or the Thrive Market Brand are my favorites. Of course, you can also use this homemade gluten free marinara sauce, spice it up with an arrabiata sauce, or this vodka cream sauce is delicious too.
- Shredded mozzarella cheese. For extra ooey gooey cheesiness, I recommend shredding the mozzarella cheese fresh. However, grabbing a pre-shredded bag of cheese will also work if you’re short on time.
How to Make Gluten Free Chicken Meatballs
- Start by preheating the oven to 375 degrees.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the ground chicken, egg, garlic powder, onion powder, Italian seasoning, salt, black pepper, Worcestershire sauce, grated cheese, gluten free breadcrumbs, and 1/4 cup of the sauce.
- Using your hands, slowly mix until just combined.
- Using a medium scoop, form the meatball mixture into 18 small meatballs and place onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or foil or coated with cooking spray.
- Bake the meatballs for 20 minutes.
- As the meatballs cook, cover the bottom of a 9 x 13 casserole baking dish with 1/2 cup of the sauce.
- After the meatballs are done, place them in the baking dish. Pour the rest of the sauce over the chicken meatballs and sprinkle the mozzarella cheese over the top.
- Cover the baking dish with foil and bake for another 20 minutes. Serve hot. Sprinkle with fresh basil or any fresh herbs if you like.
Serving suggestions
- You can eat these tasty meatballs with gluten-free pasta and extra sauce.
- Or keep it low-carb and enjoy it with zucchini noodles, Caesar salad, or roasted Italian vegetables.
- Serve it alongside gluten free baked ziti, gluten free lasagna, or other gluten-free recipes.
- Stick toothpicks in the meatballs and serve them as an appetizer at your next holiday party.
Cooking Tips
- If the ground chicken has extra liquid, drain it before mixing it with the rest of the ingredients so the meatball mixture isn’t mushy and you can form it into balls.
- If the chicken mixture is too mushy and challenging to form meatballs, add in extra GF breadcrumbs a little at a time until you can form a ball. Please note this meatball mixture is on the wetter side, so as long as you can form a ball, that’s fine; the meatballs will firm up as they cook.
- This chicken mixture will be wet, so it’s helpful to have some water to wet your hands. This keeps the meat from sticking to your hands and helps to roll the meatballs.
- Use a medium cookie scoop to create uniform-sized meatballs.
Substitutions
- You can swap in ground turkey or for the chicken.
- For more flavor, add Italian sausage or ground pork.
- Prefer a creamy white sauce? Serve these chicken meatballs with this delicious gluten-free alfredo sauce.
- For an extra crunch, roll the meatballs in 1/2 cup gluten free panko breadcrumbs before baking. You can also in a skillet shallow fry in olive oil medium heat and continue the rest of the recipe in the skillet or assemble the casserole.
- Swap in equal parts almond flour to make this a grain-free meatball.
- Spice it up with a pinch of red pepper flakes.
Tools to make this recipe
- Large Bowl
- Large-rimmed Baking Sheet
- Medium Cookie Scoop
- 9 x13 Casserole Pan or Dish
Make-ahead & Storage Tips
These healthy gluten free chicken parmesan meatballs store and reheat well, making them perfect for meal prep.
For the week:
Cook the ground chicken meatball recipe completely, and after it cools, place it in glass meal prep containers to heat and eat during the week. It’s also helpful to divide the meatballs into individual containers if you’re looking for a grab-and-go lunch or dinner.
Bake the meatballs, assemble the recipe into a casserole dish, cover, and refrigerate for 3 to 4 days. On cooking day, continue with the recipe.
Bake and store the meatballs in an airtight container or storage bag and refrigerate for 3 to 4 days. On cooking day, assemble the rest of the ingredients and continue with the recipe.
To freeze:
The easiest way to free this recipe is to cook the chicken meatballs, cool them, and freeze them in freezer bags. Take the meatballs out of the freezer the night before to thaw in the refrigerator. Assemble the meatballs and the rest of the ingredients into the casserole dish and continue with the recipe.
Assemble the ingredients into a disposable casserole dish, cover, label, and freeze. Take out of the freezer the day before to thaw in the fridge. Continue with the cooking instructions; you might need to add more cooking time if it’s still cold.
For heat and eat freezer meal, cook the GF chicken meatball parm thoroughly, let the recipe cool, and then portion out into individual containers and freeze. Taking the portion out the day before to thaw in the refrigerator is helpful. However, you can reheat it from frozen, use a microwave dish and reheat it for 3-4 minutes until hot.
Other Gluten Free Italian Dinner Recipes
- Gluten Free Chicken Parmesan
- Tagliatelle Carbonara
- Lemon Garlic Pasta (Gluten Free)
- Ragu Alla Bolognese
- Gluten Free Breaded Chicken
See all of my gluten free dinner recipes.
Gluten Free Chicken Meatballs
Equipment
- Mixing Bowl
- medium cookie scoop
- large baking sheet
- 9 x 13 Casserole Dish
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground chicken
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan
- 1/2 cup unseasoned bread crumbs
- 2 cups marinara sauce
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- Start by preheating the oven to 375 degrees.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the ground chicken, egg, garlic powder, onion powder, Italian seasoning, salt, black pepper, Worcestershire sauce, grated cheese, gluten free breadcrumbs, and 1/4 cup of the sauce.
- Using your hands, slowly mix until just combined.
- Using a medium scoop, form the meatball mixture into 18 small meatballs and place onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or foil or coated with cooking spray.
- Bake the meatballs for 20 minutes.
- As the meatballs cook, cover the bottom of a 9 x 13 casserole baking dish with 1/2 cup of the sauce.
- After the meatballs are done, place them in the baking dish.
- Pour the rest of the sauce over the chicken meatballs and sprinkle the mozzarella cheese over the top.
- Cover the baking dish with foil and bake for another 20 minutes. Serve hot. Sprinkle with fresh basil or any fresh herbs if you like.
Notes
Nutrition
Did you make this recipe?
Have you tried these Gluten Free Chicken Meatballs yet? If so, I’d love for you to rate this recipe and leave a comment below. We all learn from each other’s experiences. Also, it would be awesome if you could share a picture on Instagram and tag it #glutenfreeitalianeats. I can’t wait to see it.
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