Baked Sage Chicken Meatballs

meatballs, ravioli, and spinach piled on a black plate

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4.67 from 6 votes

These Baked Sage Chicken Meatballs are quick and easy to make making them perfect for a weeknight meal.

Prep Time25

Cook Time20

Total Time45

Course: Dinner Recipes

Cuisine: American

Servings: Meatballs

Calories: 95kcal

Author: Erica Schramek

Equipment

Ingredients

Baked Sage Chicken Meatballs

1 lb of ground chicken
½ cup breadcrumbs
½ cup shredded onion ½ a large onion
¼ cup Parmesan cheese grated
1 large egg
2 cloves of garlic minced
2 tablespoon fresh sage minced
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper

Brown Butter Sage Sauce

½ cup unsalted butter sliced into 6 pieces
8 fresh sage leaves cut into ribbons
1 clove garlic minced
salt and pepper

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Baked Sage Chicken Meatballs

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Farenheight.
In a large bowl mix together the 1 lb of ground chicken, ½ cup breadcrumbs, ½ cup shredded onion, ¼ cup Parmesan cheese, 1 large egg, 2 cloves of garlic, 2 tablespoon fresh sage, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, and ½ teaspoon ground black pepper.
Shape the mixture into golf ball-sized meatballs using approximately 2 tablespoons of the mixture for each meatball.
Line a large sheet pan with foil and spray with nonstick spray. Space the meatballs about ½ inch apart on the sheet pan. Bake for 18-20 minutes. Meatballs are done when they reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees Farenheight. You can also cut a meatball in half to make sure the meat is no longer pink.

Brown Butter Sage Sauce

While the meatballs are baking, add the ½ cup unsalted butter to a large light-colored saucepan and melt over medium heat.
Add the 8 fresh sage leaves and 1 clove garlic. The butter will foam up a bit and then subside. Lightly browned specks will begin to form at the bottom of the pan.
Stir and cook the mixture until the butter has turned a very light brown color and the sage leaves have become crispy. About 5 minutes. Watch carefully the butter can go from perfectly browned to burnt in moments.
Season with salt and pepper.
When the meatballs have finished baking, serve them basted with the browned butter sage sauce.

Notes

If you can't find ground chicken you can either substitute ground turkey or ask your butcher to grind ½ a pound of chicken breasts and ½ a pound of chicken thighs together.

To test and adjust the seasoning, microwave a small amount of the meatball mixture until it is fully cooked. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.

To keep the meatballs from sticking to your hands when rolling them into balls, spray your hands with a little nonstick cooking spray or coat them in a little oil.

Do not overwork the meatballs. Mixing the ingredients by hand allows you to ensure the ingredients are combined completely without overworking the mixture. Overworking the mixture creates tight tough meatballs.

Shape into evenly sized meatballs so that they all cook at the same rate.

Use a light-colored pan to brown the butter. A light-color pan will make it easier to gauge the color of the butter as it browns.

Brown butter sauce can go from perfect to burnt very quickly. Once the butter starts to brown stir constantly. When the butter begins to smell nutty remove the pan from the heat and pour the sauce into a separate container. This will ensure that residual heat doesn't cause it to burn.

Use unsalted butter. Salted butter tends to foam more, which makes it harder to accurately gauge the color of the butter as it browns.

Storage: Store leftover meatballs in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Reheat over low heat in a saucepan or the microwave.

Nutrition