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 chicken 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 juicy chicken meatballs.
Why You’ll Love this Recipe
This is a a creamy, zesty comfort food dish that’s perfect for your family dinner, yet fancy enough for company.
The meatball recipe is quick and easy to prep, as well as the sauce.
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 homemade 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
Ingredients You’ll Need
- 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.
Can you freeze 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.
Step-By-Step Instructions
The first step is to 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 second step is to make your sauce. 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.
The last step is to 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.
What to Serve with Marry Me Chicken Meatballs
You can serve these meatballs with a side of pasta, mashed potatoes or rice. Any of these side dish options are perfect smothered with the marry me chicken gravy.
I bet you folks will love these meatballs and this droolworthy sauce. It’s perfect served with a side of rice or mashed potatoes 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
Marry Me Chicken Meatballs
Print Recipe Pin RecipeIngredients
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.
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!
Yay GiGi!! So happy you enjoyed the recipe! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment!
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?
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.
Loved this recipe! Super easy and perfect to pair with pasta for an entree dish.
So happy you enjoyed it Annabelle! The meatballs are delicious with so many different sauces too.
Why would you use sundried tomatoes in oil? It won’t combine and will be gross.
Sorry, but it works! Spectacularly! 🥰
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?
AGREE 100%!!! Making this tonight — with sundried tomatoes in OIL!!!! :)
Yay!! Enjoy!!
Clearly you didn’t make the recipe. It combines perfectly and it’s delicious!
Clearly. Thanks so much Teri! So happy you enjoyed the recipe!
I made this and it was delicious!!! The chopped sundried tomatoes gives it a richness and the heavy cream balances the tangy flavor making it perfect!!! You don’t pour the oil in the dish, silly. You must try it!
Glad you enjoyed it Lynn!
Yes you fry the ingredients in the oil from the sun-dried tomato jar and it is divine!
I have never had the traditional Marry Me Chicken recipe but so enjoyed this dish! I made the meatballs a couple of days prior and flash frozen them. My husband took them out of the freezer partially thawed them and fried them for a bit. The only thing I would suggest, have all your sauce ingredients ready before starting. So delicious!
Thank you!!!
So happy you enjoyed it Shannon!
I have never had the traditional Marry Me Chicken recipe but so enjoyed this dish! I made the meatballs a couple of days prior and flash frozen them. I was out of Italian seasoning so used herbs of provenance. When we needed a fast meal my husband took them out of the freezer partially thawed them and then pan fried prior to baking. The only thing I would suggest would be to have all your sauce ingredients ready before starting.
Also, I enjoy a lot of sauce so next time I will double it.
So delicious!
Thank you!!!
Great idea to double the sauce Shannon!
It worked great for me and was delicious. Trust the recipe. How can you rate a recipe that you didn’t make? STOP!
Thanks so much Jody!So happy you enjoyed it! It’s the most popular recipe here at the BHK! What does Mike know?? Nothing!
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.
Yay! So happy you and the kiddos enjoyed the recipe Julea! Thanks so much for giving it a try!
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!
Yay!! So happy everyone enjoyed them Erin! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment!
Absolutely amazing dish! I serve it over rice and my family loved it! Making it again today!
So have you all enjoy Michelle! Thanks so much for trying recipe!
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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
The sauce was a bit runny, even after adding extra cheese.
Tasty though.
I probably wouldn’t marry you for this recipe. But it’d definitely get you at least 2 dates. :)
lol! The sauce isn’t meant to be super thick.
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!
We love it with mashed potatoes, rice or pasta. All sorts of sides work with these meatballs Anna. Enjoy!
Hi – wondering if anyone has made these and kept warm in a crockpot for a buffet/potluck? Thanks!
I have not Sara. Let me know if you give it a try.
How much chicken broth are you supposed to use? It’s not in ingredient list but it is in recipe?
It’s in the recipe Deena.
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?
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!
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.
That’s awesome your husband went for seconds! Thanks for sharing your tip Danielle!
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.
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.
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.
Yay! So happy you enjoyed it Lynn!
Simple, perfectly timed, and SO Delicious! Juicy meatballs with lots of flavor and the sauce put them over the top. We loved it!
Yay! Thanks so much for trying the recipe Jenneane! So happy you enjoyed it!
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!!!😊
That’s awesome to hear Jennifer! Thanks so much for trying the recipe!
My family loved everything about this dish. The meatballs were juicy and the sauce was so delicious. Will definitely be making again.
So happy you enjoyed it Rebecca!
Absolutely delicious. My husband and son raved about it. Will make it again and again. Meatballs were so moist and not dry like ive had in the past . Thank you for the amazing recipe
Woohoo Liz!! So happy you all enjoyed it! Thanks for much for taking the time to leave a comment and for the 5 star rating!
Omg! Those chicken meatballs are delicious just by themselves! This is a lovely recipe, thanks!
You’re welcome Kim! Soi happy you enjoyed them!
Yum and so easy. Four cloves garlic? Always add a little more. Easier since we used some premade chicken meatballs. Added some leftover pasta to the mix. Makes a lot of sauce. Substituted Prosecco from our Aperol Spritz for the wine.
So happy you enjoyed it Edward. Thanks so much for trying the recipe!
This is a massive hit every time we make it, even with our fussy toddler. We sub coconut milk or coconut cream for the heavy cream and it turns out great.
Woohoo Arthur! That’s great to hear! Thanks so much for trying the recipe.
Tasted good but I was expecting a heartier sauce. It never really thickened for me but the taste was very good. I had to cook it down to almost nothing so it wasn’t soupy. I have to tool with the recipe to make it my own but having this as a base is a great start.
Hi Jaclyn. It’s not meant to be a thick sauce. You could always make a slurry (some flour or cornstarch and water) to thicken it up if you’d like.
How do you cook these from frozen??
Hi Corrina. I would let them defrost in your fridge and then add them to the sauce. Enjoy!
CAN’T speak for the meatballs but my family said the sauce was perfecto!! Found this recipe looking for a sauce to use over some basil/parm chicken meatballs had purchased from Costco which were already cooked (during school year we do easy meals). I browned the meatballs really well in olive oil, removed from the cast iron, proceeded with the sauce from this recipe. Did not have heavy cream so used half and half which of course didn’t make it thick enough but that’s ok b/c I flavored our rice with some of the “juice” from cooked sauce. I did not put in the oven – simmered on stovetop while my rice soaked and cooked and I cleaned the kitchen :)
Hubby said the sauce made it and definitely will cook again. Thanks for sharing!
You’re so welcome Susan! So glad your family enjoyed it! When you have time to try the meatball recipe I hope you will because this is my go-to recipe for chicken meatballs. You can make them and freeze them so you always have some on hand when needed for a quick and easy dinner! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review!
Absolutely to die for!! Made exactly according to recipe. Served over egg noodles with side of zucchini/squash. My husband is already planning his meatball sandwich left over.
That is awesome to hear Ann! So happy you gave the recipe a try. Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a comment and rating!
I’m Italian and very picky about meatballs. Hadn’t ever thought that chicken meatballs could be this delicious! Both my children request this dish when they came home from college so it is a regular in my recipe rotation. Really look forward to making it each time!!!
OMG Elisabeth! Your comment totally made my night! I’m so happy everyone enjoys the recipe! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment!
What can I substitute the Parmesan cheese and cream for. Making for person with restricted diet, no cheese, dairy, grains or sugars. Thanks for the help as you can imagine the person is hard to cook for.
Hey there Fay. I’ve only tested the recipe as is. Perhaps coconut milk for the heavy cream? And I think you can find dairy free parmesan at some food stores. Hope this helps.
What is the 3T of olive oil for? Does that go inside meatball with the mixture?
Yes. That’s under the meatball ingredients. Enjoy Mona!
i cant have gluten or dairy so i was going to use premade chicken meatballs. For the dairy, do you think it would be okay to use dairy alternative whipping cream, and Parmesan?
I think that should work. Enjoy!
I can’t wait to try it! 😋
Yay! Enjoy!
I am excited to try this recipe, “Marry Me meatballs.” Looks easy and tasty.
Enjoy!
Love this dish, I add spinach at the end and serve over rice. Would be good with steamed broccoli too.
Yay! Thanks so much for trying the recipe Alicia! Love the added spinach!
Has anyone made this with ground turkey vs ground chicken? I have ground turkey that I need to us, and this sounds delicious. Thanks!
I haven’t tried ground turkey, but I bet it would work just as well Meghan. Enjoy!
Love this recipe, super easy house smells amazing❣️
I’m so happy to hear that Tina! Thanks so much for trying my recipe!
Made and added in tortellini just before baking in sauce. THANKS for the Great recipe.
You’re so welcome Laura! So happy you enjoyed it!
The strength it takes to not eat this food before it is ready! This smelled delicious from the start! Loved it! A lot of steps but not a difficult dish to prepare. Thank you!
You’re so welcome Kathy! So happy you love it!
Don’t like wine or syndrome tomatoes, but I subbed extra broth and 2tbs of tomato paste and came out delish. Thanks!!!
Awesome Paige!
Delicious. Multiplied the recipe by seven to feed a large crowd. I upped the italian seasong. When I do it again, I will cut the added broth (I actually used water and bouillon) due to it taking quite a bit of time to reduce. Forty five people raved about this dish served with rosemary mash and green beans. Thank you.
Woohoo! That’s so great to hear Susan! Hopefully you told them all to follow the blog! Lol! Thanks so much for trying the recipe and taking the time to leave a comment and five star rating!
Hi Mary Ann,
This r3cipe is fabulous! One of my favorite recipes is Maary Me Beans if you hand tried it yet you should. Don’t forget the toasedbsour dough bread to dip and scoop.
Thank you for this wond effluent recipe! I’m going to be looking for other recipes but you now☺️
I’ll need to try the beans for sure Michele! Sounds perfect with the sourdough for dipping! Thanks so much for trying my recipe!
Made this tonight with a few changes. I used ground turkey not chicken. Whenever I’ve made the regular Marry Me Chicken, I’ve sautéed some mushrooms and onions before starting rhe sauce so I did that too. And at the very end, I added a couple handfuls of fresh spinach to the sauce. The meatballs were very good! We liked it better than with the pieces of chicken.
Thanks for your feedback Carol! So happy you gave the recipe a try! I’m more of a fan of ground chicken than turkey, but perhaps I’ll give that a try next time!
Believe me, these are the greatest chicken meat balls I’ve made!, the sauce is to die for!
Make!,,
Thanks so much Jean!! So happy you enjoyed the recipe!
I have to agree with some of the others that said the sauce didn’t thicken. But it was delicious, and I added my cooked meatballs (which are also fantastic) to the pan with some cooked chopped up broccoli and cooked orzo, which I had cooked to just before al dente on purpose, so that it could finish in the sauce. It soaked up most of it, but that didn’t matter, it was a very fulfilling, tasty meal! I’ll do this again. And the red pepper flakes gave it just the right amount of kick!
Hi Lois. So happy you enjoyed the recipe. Thanks so much for giving it a try. The sauce really isn’t meant to be a thick sauce. Next time, if you’d like it thicker, you can add a cornstarch slurry to thicken it up. Maybe one or two tablespoons cornstarch and one or two tablespoons water and mix it into the sauce.
This recipe came out perfectly! I added some Gouda cheese to make it extra cheesy. Aades smoked paprika to the sauce. It’s was divine. My family gobbled it up.
Yay Debi! Thanks so much for trying the recipe and for taking the time to leave a comment and rating! This is a family and friend favorite here as well!