Italian chicken meatballs with cream sauce and broccoli

Italian chicken meatballs with cream sauce and broccoli

Roll up to a new take on chicken with these flavorful bites. Pop one in your mouth right out of the frying pan. Taste the tomato, basil, and parmesan without carby fillers like breadcrumbs. The way meatballs were meant to be!
June 20 2017 by , photo by , nutritional review by in Recipes, Dinner, Meal

Italian chicken meatballs with cream sauce and broccoli

Roll up to a new take on chicken with these flavorful bites. Pop one in your mouth right out of the frying pan. Taste the tomato, basil, and parmesan without carby fillers like breadcrumbs. The way meatballs were meant to be!
USMetric
4 servingservings

Ingredients

Meatballs
  • 11⁄3 lbs 600 g ground chicken or ground turkey
  • 1 1 eggeggs
  • ¾ cup (2 oz.) 180 ml (60 g) shredded Parmesan cheese
  • 1 tsp 1 tsp salt
  • ½ tsp ½ tsp pepper
  • 1 tsp 1 tsp dried basil
  • ¼ cup (1 oz.) 60 ml (28 g) sun-dried tomatoes in oil
  • 1 tbsp 1 tbsp olive oil or butter
  • 2 oz. 55 g butter for serving
Cream sauce
  • 1¼ cups 300 ml heavy whipping cream
  • 1 tbsp 1 tbsp tomato paste
  • 3 tbsp 3 tbsp finely chopped fresh basil
Side
  • 1 lb (5 cups) 450 g (1.2 liters) broccoli
  • 2 oz. 55 g butter for serving
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Instructions

Instructions are for 4 servings. Please modify as needed.

  1. Mix together all the ingredients for the chicken meatballs and make 10-12 big balls (per pound or 450 g) with the help of a pair of spoons. Ground chicken is softer and looser than ground beef, so it is harder to make perfect balls. Just do your best; they will become more uniform when you fry them.
  2. Heat up some olive oil or butter in a big nonstick frying pan and add the raw meatballs. There should be a little space between the balls. Brown over medium heat, turning the balls often until they are browned on all sides. It takes about 15 minutes.
  3. Add cream and tomato paste. Boil and let it simmer on medium heat for 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add fresh basil right before you serve.
  4. Boil the broccoli in lightly salted water for a few minutes. Serve it up with a small dollop of butter next to the chicken meatballs and cream sauce.

Tip!

Go ahead and experiment with other flavors in your meatballs like diced olives, onions, or cheese.

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💬 Have you tried this recipe?

What did you think? Please share your thoughts in the comment section below!

32 comments

  1. 1
    CS
    June 16 2017
    Would I be able to use coconut milk instead of heavy whipping cream for this dish?
  2. 2
    Erin
    June 26 2017
    I used part whip cream and part coconut milk and it was delicious (oh and some hot smoked paprika for a bit of spice!)
  3. 3
    Robin
    July 2 2017
    He was skeptical (chicken meatballs???) but agreed they were delicious. I used a scoop to measure them out, and next time I think I'll flatten them into a more patty-like shape to cook them. I considered baking them next time, but the point is to fry them and get that fat in, so I think the patties will be easier and work better for me.
  4. 4
    kelley
    July 2 2017
    Used turkey because Trader Joes didnt have ground chicken and they were great! Think I'll try the coconut milk next time. You would just use the solid at the top of the can?
  5. 5
    August
    July 3 2017
    I baked them and with the sauce they were delicious! Even my two children enjoyed this meal.
  6. 6
    Sammi
    July 4 2017
    Made it with heavy whipping cream and not having any tomato paste, used a little marinara sauce. I cooked the patties (I took Robin's advice above) in bacon grease, and they were moist and yummy. The sauce was enough that when added to the rice I prepared, it made the most wonderful sauce. This one is a keeper. Er...I did fail to read the directions correctly and added the fresh basil in with the chicken mixture. Didn't hurt it a bit! And not having any parmesan at the time, I used gluten free crumbs that had parmesan in them. Again, a thumb's up.
  7. 7
    Roni
    July 17 2018
    This was BOMB!!! 😋😋😋😋I used red pepper instead of the sun dried tomatoes and I added garlic to the sauce because i love garlic in my creamy sauces. This turned out great. My husband and I loved this recipe. Its definitely going in the book of favorites.
  8. 8
    Claudia
    August 14 2018
    1/6 oz? How do I measure that? Am I just using the oil of it or actually using the tomato?
    Reply: #14
  9. 9
    Yvonne
    September 4 2018
    Made these yesterday, used half cream and half coconut cream fir the sauce. They where delicious.

    Just wondering if anyone knows how often new recipes are posted, been a member for a month and
    haven't seen any new ones appear. Don't want to carry on paying if nothing new will appear. Loving the recipes so far.

  10. 10
    Tereza
    September 21 2018
    Made this last night, OMG YUMOO the cream sauce is to die for i wanted more and more. I added some chillie and garlic. One of my Favs now.
  11. 11
    Stefani
    September 24 2018
    So I’m looking through the recipes on the site and everything is so high in protein. If I eat 1 g/kg of ideal weight I’m only supposed to consume 60 grams per day. Some of these recipes have that in one serving. I’m having a hard time eating below 80-90 grams of preotein a day. Can someone help?
  12. 12
    Shirley Fagan
    May 11 2019
    Can you freeze these
    Reply: #13
  13. 13
    Reply to comment #12 by Shirley Fagan
    Kristin Parker Team Diet Doctor
    May 11 2019

    Can you freeze these

    Yes! The cream sauce may break/separate when re-heated but it will still taste good.

  14. 14
    Reply to comment #8 by Claudia
    Kim
    July 22 2019
    Exactly what I would like to know too lol
    Reply: #15
  15. 15
    Reply to comment #14 by Kim
    Kristin Parker Team Diet Doctor
    July 23 2019

    Exactly what I would like to know too lol

    When scaling the recipes to make fewer servings, it can result in some funny looking measurements. You can use a scale to weigh half an ounce and then add just a little more and it will be fine.

  16. 2 comments removed
  17. 18
    Peter
    May 13 2020
    Psyllium husk helps with binding and forming the balls, and some chilli for a little spice, simple and tasty recipe, thank you.:)
  18. 19
    Genesis
    August 20 2020
    Can one use heavy cream instead of heavy whipping cream?
    Reply: #20
  19. 20
    Reply to comment #19 by Genesis
    Kristin Parker Team Diet Doctor
    August 20 2020

    Can one use heavy cream instead of heavy whipping cream?

    Yes - heavy cream and heavy whipping cream are very similar and generally interchangeable in recipes.

  20. 21
    SUSAN
    October 23 2020
    I served this to my family for dinner tonight. I added onions and mushrooms to the sauce. It was a hit! The only comment was there needs to be more sauce. I will increase the sauce next time I make it.
    Reply: #22
  21. 22
    Reply to comment #21 by SUSAN
    Crystal Pullen Team Diet Doctor
    October 23 2020

    I served this to my family for dinner tonight. I added onions and mushrooms to the sauce. It was a hit! The only comment was there needs to be more sauce. I will increase the sauce next time I make it.

    I am glad you and your family enjoyed this one. Make sure you add the onions, mushrooms, and additional sauce into your carb count.

  22. 23
    Melanie
    January 6 2021
    I used my air roaster to cook the meatballs initially - I took them out at about 27 minutes at 400F and then did the sauce in a fry pan. I know it takes a little longer than frying them in a pan, but its way easier imo and doesn't require any attention after setting them in the oven.

    This was very filling and yummy following the recipe as written otherwise.

    Reply: #24
  23. 24
    Reply to comment #23 by Melanie
    Crystal Pullen Team Diet Doctor
    January 6 2021

    I used my air roaster to cook the meatballs initially - I took them out at about 27 minutes at 400F and then did the sauce in a fry pan. I know it takes a little longer than frying them in a pan, but its way easier imo and doesn't require any attention after setting them in the oven.
    This was very filling and yummy following the recipe as written otherwise.

    I love that you found a way to make the cooking process easier for you!

  24. 25
    Sandy
    January 31 2021
    For 4 servings, there is 2 oz butter for serving listed twice, once in meatball ingredients and once in side ingredients. So there is a total of 4 oz of butter needed for this recipe?
    Reply: #26
  25. 26
    Reply to comment #25 by Sandy
    Crystal Pullen Team Diet Doctor
    February 1 2021

    For 4 servings, there is 2 oz butter for serving listed twice, once in meatball ingredients and once in side ingredients. So there is a total of 4 oz of butter needed for this recipe?

    The recipe is correct as written, you can leave out the 2 oz of butter with the meatballs, but it will reduce the amount of fat in the recipe which may reduce the level of satiety provided by the meal.

    Reply: #29
  26. 27
    sdudley649
    May 17 2021
    Made these exactly as written for dinner this evening and they were delicious! I will do as someone else suggested and make just a bit extra sauce. Thanks Diet Doctor - another great recipe for the weekly meal rotation :)
    Reply: #28
  27. 28
    Reply to comment #27 by sdudley649
    Crystal Pullen Team Diet Doctor
    May 17 2021

    Made these exactly as written for dinner this evening and they were delicious! I will do as someone else suggested and make just a bit extra sauce. Thanks Diet Doctor - another great recipe for the weekly meal rotation :)

    Thank you for the feedback! I am so glad you enjoyed this one!

  28. 29
    Reply to comment #26 by Crystal Pullen
    heidi
    January 8 2022
    You say the recipe is correct with butter served on both the meat balls and the side of broccoli. But it does not mention to add the butter to the meat balls, which makes it a little confusing.
    If all the butter is added to the broccoli, why not just mention all the butter under Side?
    I know this is a small issue, but usually all ingredients are listed in the right place under Instructions, so I was also not sure if it was a mistake that butter was mentioned twice :-)
  29. 1 comment removed
  30. 31
    Kim Brown
    February 2 2022
    When looking at the nutrition information of the recipes are the sides calculated in the carbs/calories or is it just the main dish?
    Thank you, Kim
    Reply: #32
  31. 32
    Reply to comment #31 by Kim Brown
    Kerry Merritt Team Diet Doctor
    February 2 2022

    When looking at the nutrition information of the recipes are the sides calculated in the carbs/calories or is it just the main dish?
    Thank you, Kim

    Hi, Kim! The nutrition information includes everything listed for the recipe.

  32. 33
    Sonia
    July 6 2022
    How do I calculate the recipe carb count so I can put it into my app?
    Reply: #34
  33. 34
    Reply to comment #33 by Sonia
    Kerry Merritt Team Diet Doctor
    July 6 2022

    How do I calculate the recipe carb count so I can put it into my app?

    Hi, Sonia! The nutritional information is listed below the Ingredients list. However, this feature is now a DD+ benefit. If you're not a member yet, you can sign up for a free month if you'd like to access it! https://www.dietdoctor.com/new-member

  34. 35
    crystalspin
    May 22 2023
    I could not make chicken-balls, even with my hands, much less two spoons. I dumped it all into my larger saute pan after heating olive oil and just fried it, breaking it up and turning (only once not the six or so times balls would have entailed, so way less than 15 minutes). Cooked until just browned on both sides, pushed to the edges, added the cream and tomato paste and then stirred it all together to simmer some more. I loved it and had seconds! My mom did not care much for it, but I think she didn't like chewing the pieces of sun-dried tomatoes. I will make it with black olives instead, next time.

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