Can I make the chicken meatballs ahead of time?

Yes! There are a couple of ways you can do this. Form the meatballs and pop them in the fridge, covered, on a plate or in a container 24 hours before you want to cook them. Or you can brown the meatballs and store them in the fridge for up to 3 days before adding them to the sauce. The sauce can also be made 3 days in advance, and everything can be mixed when you're ready to serve.

Can I freeze 'Marry Me' chicken meatballs?

You can - they freeze very well. Freeze cooked or raw meatballs on a lined tray in a single layer until solid, then transfer them into ziplock bags to store. You can add them to the sauce straight from frozen, or air fry them from frozen. Just add an extra few minutes onto the cooking time if you're using raw meatballs. Freeze with the sauce. You might find the sauce separates a little bit when thawed, but if you stir well when you're reheating and add a little extra stock or water, it should come back together.

Could I use ground turkey instead of chicken?

You can! Turkey tends to be leaner than ground chicken, so I recommend adding a little drizzle of olive oil into the mixture to help keep things juicy.

Will the sauce taste like coconut?

Maybe surprisingly, no. Because sun-dried tomatoes, parmesan, and garlic are strong flavors, they dominate here and overpower any coconut coming through. The only thing you might get is a little sweetness, but that works to balance out the salty flavors of the sauce. If you know you're hyper sensitive to coconut, though, just swap it for regular heavy cream.

30 Minute One Pot 'Marry Me' Chicken Meatballs

Name: 30 Minute One Pot 'Marry Me' Chicken Meatballs
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Cuisine: american
Ingredients: 1 lb (500g) ground chicken (or ground turkey, beef, pork, or a plant-based alternative); ⅓ cup Parmesan cheese, freshly shredded; ⅓ cup sundried tomatoes, finely chopped; 3 garlic cloves, crushed; 2 teaspoons dried thyme; 1 teaspoon salt; A handful of fresh basil, chopped; 1 egg; ⅓ cup panko breadcrumbs; Black pepper; 1 tablespoon sundried tomato oil (or olive oil); 4 garlic cloves, crushed; ½ teaspoon salt; ½ cup sundried tomatoes, drained and very finely chopped; 1 tablespoon tomato paste; ½ cup chicken stock (broth); 1 teaspoon fish sauce; 1 teaspoon dried thyme; 1 teaspoon red pepper or chili flakes (optional); 2 teaspoons lemon juice; 1 cup full-fat coconut milk (or heavy cream or coconut cream); ½ cup parmesan cheese, grated; A handful of basil leaves, chopped

Description

These ‘Marry Me’ Chicken Meatballs take the viral creamy chicken dish and give it a very special meatball makeover. Super juicy and packed with sun-dried tomatoes, parmesan, garlic, and basil, they’re simmered in that iconic creamy sauce and ready in just 30 minutes. Think: an easy weeknight dinner that’s luxurious enough for date night or entertaining.

Ingredients

Units Scale

For the meatballs -

1 lb (500g) ground chicken (or ground turkey, beef, pork, or a plant-based alternative)
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese, freshly shredded
1/3 cup sundried tomatoes, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, crushed
2 teaspoons dried thyme
1 teaspoon salt
A handful of fresh basil, chopped
1 egg
1/3 cup panko breadcrumbs
Black pepper

For the sauce -

1 tablespoon sundried tomato oil (or olive oil)
4 garlic cloves, crushed
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup sundried tomatoes, drained and very finely chopped
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1/2 cup chicken stock (broth)
1 teaspoon fish sauce
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon red pepper or chili flakes (optional)
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 cup full-fat coconut milk (or heavy cream or coconut cream)
1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated
A handful of basil leaves, chopped

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Instructions

Make the meatball mixture. Add the ground chicken, ⅓ cup of grated parmesan cheese, ⅓ cup chopped sundried tomatoes, crushed garlic, 2 teaspoons of dried thyme, 1 teaspoon of salt, the chopped basil leaves, a good grind of black pepper, the egg, and ⅓ cup of panko breadcrumbs to a mixing bowl. Use your hands or a large spoon to mix well to combine, ensuring the seasoning is evenly dispersed.
Form the meatballs. Line a plate or tray with parchment paper. Lightly wet your hands (this will stop the mixture from sticking to them), then scoop up a heaped tablespoon of the mixture. Roll into a ball, roughly the size of a golf ball, and set on your prepared plate or tray. Repeat with the rest of the mixture. PRO TIP: If you have time, I recommend popping the meatballs in the fridge for about 30 minutes before cooking them – this will help them keep their shape in the pan.
Brown the meatballs. Set a large, high-sided skillet or pan over medium-high heat and add 1 tablespoon of the sundried tomato oil. Add the meatballs and cook for a couple of minutes on each side, until lovely and golden all over. You don’t need to cook them all the way through at this point – they’ll simmer in the sauce later. This is to seal them and build flavor. Remove the meatballs from the pan and set aside on a plate for now.
Make the creamy sauce. If needed, remove any burnt bits from the pan. Then add the crushed garlic, ½ teaspoon of salt, and ½ cup of chopped sundried tomatoes. Cook, stirring for a couple of minutes, then add the tomato paste and stir for another minute.
Add the coconut milk and seasoning. Add ½ cup of chicken stock, 1 teaspoon of fish sauce, 1 teaspoon of dried thyme, 1 teaspoon of chili flakes (if you’re using them), 2 teaspoons of lemon juice, 1 cup of coconut milk, and ½ cup of shredded Parmesan cheese. Stir and bring to a simmer.
Simmer the sauce. Once the sauce is simmering, reduce the heat and leave to cook for 5 minutes. At this point, add the meatballs into the sauce, stir, and simmer for another 10 minutes.
Garnish and serve. To finish, spoon more sauce over the meatballs and scatter with the basil leaves. Serve with steamed rice or baked rice, fresh bread, over mashed potatoes or pasta.

Notes

PREP AHEAD: There are a couple of ways you can get ahead with this recipe. Form the meatballs and pop them in the fridge, covered, on a plate or in a container 24 hours before you want to cook them. You can also brown the meatballs, and store them in the fridge for up to 3 days before adding them to the sauce. The sauce can also be made 3 days ahead of time and everything can be mixed when you’re ready to serve.

INGREDIENT NOTES: Use ground turkey, pork or a plant-based alternative instead of chicken if you prefer. Or, if you can’t find ground chicken, you can blitz 1lb of boneless, skinless chicken thighs in a food processor to make your own ground chicken. Swap the coconut milk for heavy (double) cream or coconut cream – regular milk will make the sauce too runny. You can throw in some baby spinach leaves, or kale, when you add the cream if you like.

AIR FRYER INSTRUCTIONS: You can easily cook the meatballs in the air fryer, then just add them to the sauce at the end if you prefer! Add them right at the end, as you add the basil leaves. Just pop the meatballs into your air fryer and air fry for 11 minutes at 400°F/200°C. Try to have them on one layer, but it’s not a massive deal if they overlap; just give them a shake halfway through the cooking time.

Prep Time: 10
Cook Time: 20
Category: one pot
Method: stove top
Cuisine: american

Nutrition

Serving Size: 250g
Calories: 490
Sugar: 1.9g
Sodium: 1259.5mg
Fat: 32.4g
Saturated Fat: 17.5g
Unsaturated Fat: 12.6g
Trans Fat: 0g
Carbohydrates: 18.6g
Fiber: 2.3g
Protein: 34.7g
Cholesterol: 166.9mg