Chicken and Ricotta Meatballs (Baked or Pan-Fried)
Ricotta meatballs are easy to love, mostly because creamy, full-fat ricotta makes incredibly light and airy meatballs. Mix them up in minutes using ground chicken, whole milk ricotta cheese, and Italian-style seasonings. Serve these tender beauties with homestyle marinara sauce or your favorite sauce. And make a double batch for the freezer!
Ingredients
Yield: about 30 meatballs
- 2 pounds (907 g) ground chicken thigh turkey or lean beef
- 8 ounces (225 g) whole milk ricotta cheese excess liquid drained
- ½ cup panko or coarse breadcrumbs
- 2 large eggs lightly beaten
- ¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- ½ cup fresh basil leaves chopped, or substitute 2 teaspoons dried basil or chopped fresh parsley
- 2 teaspoons grated or finely chopped garlic
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper or crushed red pepper
- Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper
- Extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Put the ground chicken, ricotta, panko, eggs, Parmesan, basil, garlic, cayenne, 2 teaspoons salt and black pepper in a large bowl and mix well. Form the mixture into approximately 2-ounce meatballs, using damp hands to make them less sticky, or portion with an oiled cookie scoop.
Baked meatballs
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with a piece of parchment. Arrange the meatballs on the sheet and drizzle them with some olive oil. Bake 20 minutes, turning them over halfway through, or until the meatballs are golden brown all over and cooked through (160-165F on a meat thermometer).
Pan-fried meatballs
- Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the meatballs to the pan — they should sizzle on contact or the pan isn't hot enough. Cook the meatballs 3-5 minutes, or until golden brown on one side. Turn them over and continue cooking until they feel firm to the touch and are cooked through. Tip: For juicier meatballs, cover the pan after flipping them the first time, lowering the heat to medium so the residual steam heat will finish cooking them.
Serving
- If you'd like to serve the meatballs with marinara or your favorite pasta sauce, cook or bake them until they're halfway done. Drop them into your simmering sauce and cook about 10 minutes.
- The meatballs are fun to serve with sturdy toothpicks, along with a bowl of zesty tomato sauce on the side for dipping.
Notes
- For the best texture and flavor, I highly recommend using ground chicken thigh instead of chicken breast to make these meatballs. The dark meat has slightly more fat, which translates into juicy meatballs! Ground turkey thigh or even ground beef can be substituted.
- Chicken meatballs are freezer friendly. To freeze, arrange them in one layer on a tray and freeze until solid. Transfer to a ziplock bag or other airtight container and freeze 1-2 months.
- Store fresh meatballs in the refrigerator up to 3 days. Reheat in a low oven or in the microwave so they don’t dry out, or warm them up in chicken soup or meat broth.
Nutrition
Calories: 343kcalCarbohydrates: 5gProtein: 35gFat: 20gSodium: 250mgFiber: 0.3gSugar: 1g
