Banish the fear that chicken meatballs will be dry and bland, because this easy gluten-free recipe solves it all! Juicy, moist ground chicken meatballs uses dash of olive oil in the mixture as moisture insurance. Plus, they are made without breadcrumbs, using gluten-free quick oats instead for a binder. While they bake, whip up the 5-minute creamy sun dried tomato sauce that legitimately earns oohs, ahhs, and possibly a marriage proposal!
Moist chicken meatballs without breadcrumbs, You Say??
I know what you are thinking because I was once one of the nay sayers. What could possibly be so exciting about a baked gluten-free chicken meatballs recipe? It’s not exactly screaming sensational and packed-with-flavor when you just look at the basic components.
But contemplate this. Ground chicken is mixed with garlic, minced fresh basil, and a bit of olive oil to really smack on the tastiness. Once they start swimming in the creamy sun dried tomato pan sauce, you have a restaurant-grade meal made in less than 45 minutes start to finish.
While easy prep with crazy good seasoning wins me over, the fam also couldn’t get enough of this recipe. They were licking their plates clean and asking me when we could have it again. It’s going solidly into my go-to gluten-free weeknight dinner ideas file.
If you are short on time to determine if these GF chicken meatballs will be a home run, here are the cliff notes of their biggest wins.
- No breadcrumbs and no flour! Don’t worry about picking up any speciality or fancy ingredients. Like this famously delish gluten-free meatloaf recipe, the ground chicken uses GF quick oats as a binder.
- Hands-off prep that keeps your kitchen clean (or at least don’t make it any dirtier…) Combine the meatballs ingredients, shape, and bake all at once. No messy frying in batches.
- This. Creamy. Sauce. Jimmy Crickets is it good. It comes together lightening fast while the meatballs bake. In fact, it’s so fast, I recommend prepping the ingredients ahead of time because it only takes a few minutes to make.
Ingredient highlights
Before I walk you through how to make easy chicken meatballs without breadcrumbs, I want to touch on a few ingredient snippets to insure the recipe is a smash.
- Ground Chicken – You can use lean ground chicken, 92-94%, and not worry about a lack of taste or dryness. All the recipe components work in its favor. Can you use ground turkey? I haven’t tried it, but I don’t see why not! Let me know in the comments below if you do.
- Sun dried Tomatoes – Use the kind packed in oil, sold in jars. I usually use the Italian herbs version, but any will work.
- Fresh basil – I really recommend using fresh over dried. You will use it both in the meatball mixture and for the sauce.
- White wine – I really love how this elevates the sauce’s complexity. I usually keep a cheap bottle on hand for cooking. If you don’t have any, or want to make it without wine, substitute an equal amount of GF chicken broth.
Let’s Make This Together!
(Below shows step-by-step photos and modified instructions. For the complete recipe, along with ingredient amounts, scroll down to the recipe card.)
Mixy Mixy Meatballs
To keep the prep streamlined, first combine the egg, parmesan, olive oil, gluten-free Worcestershire sauce, basil, and seasonings in a large bowl. Next add the ground chicken and gluten-free oats. Then just dig in with your hands and mix it all together. It’s easier than a spoon. Roll the mixture into balls and pop them on a baking sheet.
Prep the crazy-good pan sauce
While the meatballs are baking, it’s time to make the sauce. Once you start cooking it, it only takes 5 minutes start to finish, so it’s best to prep everything ahead of time. Grate the parmesan, mince basil and garlic, chop sun dried tomatoes, basically mise en place like a boss. 
Work some marry-me sauce magic
To make the sauce, sauté the garlic then add the wine to cook down for a bit. Stir in the broth, heavy cream, parmesan, and tomatoes. Once that’s hot ladle out about 1/4 cup. I just put it back into one of the measuring cups I used. Whisk in the cornstarch, and then add that back to the pan sauce. Stir and simmer until slightly thickened, finishing with the basil. Once the meatballs are done baking, add them to the sauce and serve!
Meal Prep freezer option
If you are one of those meal prep peeps (gosh, I idolize you!), you can also use freeze these for future dinner prep. To freeze unbaked, shape the ground chicken mixture and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Once they are frozen, transfer to ziplock freezer bag. Bake from frozen, adding a few minutes to the baking time.
You may also bake the meatballs and freeze them after they have cooled. I don’t recommend making and freezing the sauce ahead of time because it will break upon thawing and reheating, due to the cream and cornstarch.
More Serving ideas
Now that you have a super on-point chicken meatball recipe, how can you make this a meal? Boy, do I have some ideas for you…
If you make the recipe as is, I like to serve it with gluten-free pasta, this hands-off baked gluten-free risotto, roasted potatoes, or rice. For a low carb option, the tomato basil sauce also works well with roasted or mashed cauliflower and zucchini noodles.
Alternatively, skip the sauce and serve the baked meatballs on a soft gluten-free baguette with marinara and provolone for a meatball sub. For a party snack, shape them into smaller balls, bake a few minutes less, and serve with the sauce for dipping.
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Moist Marry-Me Gluten-Free Chicken Meatballs
Ingredients
Meatballs
- 1 large egg
- ½ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh basil
- 2 tablespoons olive oil divided
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1 teaspoon gluten free Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon ground pepper
- 2 pounds ground chicken (92-94% lean)
- ¾ cup gluten-free quick-cooking oats
Sauce
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- ½ cup white wine or additional chicken broth
- 1 cup chicken broth
- ½ cup heavy cream
- ⅓ cup fresh parmesan finely grated
- ⅓ cup sun dried tomatoes (packed in oil) chopped
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon ground pepper
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- ¼ cup fresh basil chopped
Instructions
Meatballs
- Preheat the oven to 400℉. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or spray with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the egg, parmesan, basil, olive oil, garlic, Worcestershire, salt, onion powder, pepper. Add the ground chicken and quick oats. I use my hands to combine everything together and to make sure it's well mixed.1 large egg, ½ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese, 2 tablespoons minced fresh basil, 2 tablespoons olive oil, 3 garlic cloves, 1 teaspoon gluten free Worcestershire sauce, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon onion powder, ¼ teaspoon ground pepper, 2 pounds ground chicken, ¾ cup gluten-free quick-cooking oats
- Scoop the chicken mixture, about 2 tablespoons, and roll into a ball. You should have about 25 large meatballs.
- Bake for 18-20 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through. Insert an instant read thermometer to check for doneness. It should read 165°F. While the meatballs are baking, prepare the sauce.
Sauce
- Since the sauce comes together very fast, it's best to have the ingredients prepped and ready to go ahead of time. Heat a large deep skillet over medium heat. Add the butter and garlic and sauté for 30 seconds. Slowly pour in the wine and let it simmer for 2 minutes to reduce slightly.1 tablespoon butter, 2 garlic cloves, ½ cup white wine
- Lower the heat and pour in chicken broth, heavy cream, parmesan, sun dried tomatoes, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine and reduce heat to a simmer.1 cup chicken broth, ½ cup heavy cream, ⅓ cup fresh parmesan, ⅓ cup sun dried tomatoes (packed in oil), ¼ teaspoon salt, ⅛ teaspoon ground pepper
- To slightly thicken the sauce ladle about ¼ cup sauce into one of the used liquid measuring cups. Add the cornstarch to the hot liquid and whisk to combine. Pour the cornstarch slurry back into pan. Stir while simmering for one more minute to thicken slightly. Stir in the fresh basil.1 tablespoon cornstarch, ¼ cup fresh basil
- Once the meatballs come out of the oven add them to the sauce. If they were done before the sauce finished, add them to the sauce to rewarm slightly. Serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition
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