Best Ever Chicken and Pork Meatballs (with Chicken-only Option)

Why We Love This Chicken & Pork Meatballs Recipe

Pork and chicken are a delicious flavor combo (if you haven’t tried it, you should), and they’re both cheaper cuts of meat than veal and beef, yet they still deliver on everything that makes a great meatball a great meatball.

• Baked not fried (we occasionally sauté them — delicious!)
• One bowl mixing 
• Hands-free Cooking
• Great MealPrep-and-freeze meatballs option
• Versatile flavor means you can eat them with anything
• It’s so easy! (watch the Chicken Meatballs video to see just how easy this recipe is)

Chicken and Pork Meatballs Ingredients (with Chicken-Only Meatball Option)

For this easy meatballs recipe, I’ve used ground pork shoulder steaks (which is a tender mostly dark cut of meat interspersed with fat) and ground chicken thighs. I choose to grind the chicken thigh and pork shoulder meat myself but you can use fatty ground pork and ground chicken (thigh meat preferably). Either way, this is the easiest meatball recipe on the planet. To the meat, I’ve added a few spices, fresh chives, and a bit of freshly ground nutmeg, but if you don’t have whole nutmeg, you can omit it.

• 1/2 pound ground skinless, boneless chicken thigh (227g)*
• 1/2 pound fatty ground pork (227g)
• 1/2 cup plain or panko breadcrumbs (70g)
• 1/2 cup grated Grana Padano or Parmesan (60g)
• 1 large egg (50g)
• 1 tablespoon freshly chopped chives (3.5g)
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder (2g)
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika (2g)
• 1/4 teaspoon rubbed sage (0.2g)
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder (1g)
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, or more to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper, or more to taste
• freshly grated nutmeg (5 quick bursts on a Microplane), or more to taste
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (30g)

*If you want to make the best chicken meatballs (without pork), omit the ground pork and use one full pound of ground chicken thigh meat. They’re just as delicious. 

**If your pantry is running low on spices or you just don’t have sage, smoked paprika, or even whole nutmeg, you can simply omit them because these meatballs are delicious even with the bare minimum of onion powder and garlic powder. Use what you’ve got.

Two Easy Ways to Cook Chicken & Pork Meatballs — Baked or Sautéed

If it’s the middle of summer and you don’t want to heat up your oven, simply sauté or pan sear the meatballs in a little extra virgin olive oil while turning them over occasionally to get all the sides nicely browned and golden. You can even finish them in your favorite tomato sauce.

However, if ease and splatter-free cooking is what you’re after, just pop the meatballs onto a sheet tray lined with foil that’s been lightly oiled. Pop them into a preheated oven to bake. You can skip baking meatballs or pan-searing them and pop them into a simmering pot of tomato sauce to cook. These little mini chicken meatballs are delicious no matter how you cook them.

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F/205°C + Prep the baking tray. Turn the oven on to preheat and line a baking tray with aluminum foil (shiny side up). Brush the foil with a little extra virgin olive oil and set aside.
2. Make the meatball mixture. Add all of the ingredients to a mixing bowl and using your hands, combine everything until well blended.
3. Taste test the meatball mixture. Add a small amount of the meatball mixture to a preheated skillet with a little olive oil and cook until golden brown. Taste and adjust seasonings, if needed.
4. Roll the meatballs. Roll the mixture into 25 to 30 meatballs (depending on the size you prefer) and add them to the prepared baking pan.
5. Bake. Pop them into the oven and bake for about 25 minutes, or until golden brown and cooked through, Enjoy!

Best Ever Chicken and Pork Meatballs step-by-step recipe photos