Spaghetti and meatballs is a classic Italian-American dish prepared with simmered meatballs in tomato sauce and served with boiled spaghetti. Spaghetti and meatballs are iconic dishes, and when made with chicken, they’re even better. The chicken version of meatballs is a much better choice for your health than the beef version. This is a great place to begin if you’re trying to eliminate red meat from your diet. It’s guaranteed that even the pickiest eater will enjoy this classic family meal.
Because chicken meatballs are much quicker to cook than beef, using chicken will save us a lot of time in the kitchen. Besides, we want to preserve the tenderness and flavor of the meatballs. So, we’ll be stir-frying them in the pan.
Here, I’ll share a spicy version of this recipe, but you can adjust it according to your preference. For example, if you plan to relish this dish with your kids, you can skip adding spices like paprika and chili flakes.
I am confident when you realize how tasty these homemade chicken meatballs are, you’ll never want to return to the ones you buy at the store.
How do you make Chicken Meatballs with Spaghetti?
To make this dish, we first gather the recipe’s ingredients.
Starting with the meatballs, we add all the dry and wet ingredients to the ground chicken. Then, ensuring everything is mixed well, it is rolled into ball-sized shapes and stir-fried in a pan.
To make the sauce, we’ll cook tomato purée with spices, chopped onion, and garlic. Next, it will be simmered along with the meatballs we’ve already prepared.
The spaghetti is then cooked in salted boiling water according to the directions on the package.
Now, the sauced meatballs are mixed with the spaghetti, or if you prefer you can also pour the sauce over the bowl of spaghetti.
Now, without further ado, here is the recipe:-
Chicken Meatballs with Spaghetti
Course: Main CourseCuisine: Italian, AmericanDifficulty: Beginner4
servings10
minutes35
minutes880
kcalSpaghetti and meatballs with chicken are a tasty twist.
Even fussy eaters will love this family favorite.
Ingredients
- For the meatballs
400 gms 400 chicken thigh (minced, boneless)
1/2 cup 1/2 panko breadcrumbs
1 1 medium sized sliced onion
4-5 4-5 cloves of garlic (minced)
1/2 tsp 1/2 oregano
1/2 tsp 1/2 chili flakes
Salt to taste
1/2 tsp 1/2 crushed black peppercorns
1 1 egg
1/4 tsp 1/4 dried thyme
1/4 cup 1/4 Parmesan cheese (grated)
1 tbsp 1 chopped parsley
10 gms 10 salted butter
1 tsp 1 olive oil
- For the sauce
1 cup 1 tomato purèe
Salt to taste
1/2 tsp 1/2 crushed black peppercorns
1 1 medium sized chopped onion
2-3 2-3 cloves of garlic (minced)
10 gms 10 salted butter
1 tbsp 1 olive oil
1 tbsp 1 vinegar
1/2 tbsp 1/2 chicken powder (optional)*
1/2 tsp 1/2 paprika
1 tbsp 1 tomato ketchup
1/2 tsp 1/2 oregano
1/2 tsp 1/2 chili flakes
1 tbsp 1 chopped parsley (for garnish)
Parmesan cheese (for garnish)
250 gms 250 whole wheat spaghetti
Directions
- Preparing meatballs:
Put the butter and olive oil in a pan and heat them over medium flame.
Give it a few seconds to heat up.
After that, throw in some minced garlic. Make it aromatic by sautéing it.
Toss in some onion slices. The onion should be caramelized until it turns deep golden brown.
Meanwhile, grab a bowl and fill it with chicken mince.
Mix in panko bread crumbs, caramelized onion, oregano, chili flakes, dried thyme, Parmesan cheese, chopped parsley, and salt.
Mix everything together.
Blend an egg into the chicken. Make sure everything is thoroughly combined.
The next step is to shape the chicken into about 1-inch balls and arrange them on a plate.
On the other hand, heat the pan to a medium temperature. Add olive oil and let it heat up for a minute or two.
Add the rolled meatballs into the pan. Stir fry it until it turns golden brown in color evenly from all the sides.
Once it’s done, transfer the meatballs to a plate. Set aside.
- Sauce Preparation:
Heat a pan at medium temperature.
Add some olive oil and butter and let it heat for a couple of seconds.
Toss in some minced garlic and chopped onion.
Keep sautéing for a minute or two or until the raw aroma disappears.
Season with salt, oregano, red chili flakes, crushed black pepper, and paprika. Combine all of the spices in a pan.
Add some tomato purée. Blend thoroughly and simmer for a minute or two on low heat with the lid on.
Take off the lid.
Put in some thyme, salt, some chicken powder(optional), vinegar, tomato ketchup, and stir well.
Put the lid back on and let it cook for another minute.
Combine all the meatballs we made earlier into the sauce.
Gently mix it together.
Let it cook until the meatballs are well covered with the sauce.
Turn off the stove. Throw in some chopped parsley and grated Parmesan cheese.
Combine all the ingredients in a pan.
And the chicken meatballs are done cooking. - Boiling the spaghetti:
Bring some water and salt to a boil in a separate pan.
Add spaghetti once the water comes to a boil and cook it as directed on the package.
Once it’s done, drain all the water from the cooked spaghetti.
You can now serve your chicken meatballs over spaghetti.
And with that, your chicken meatballs and spaghetti are finished cooking and ready to serve.
Notes
- The meatballs are very tender and easily crumble if handled roughly while frying.
- Spaghetti gets soggy if overcooked. So stop cooking it before that happens.
- Salt is used multiple times in this recipe. Taste and adjust accordingly.
- Since the dish contains garlic and other quick-cooking ingredients, you shouldn’t cook it over a high flame.
Nutrition Facts
4 servings per container
- Amount Per ServingCalories880
- % Daily Value *
- Total Fat
24g
37%
- Saturated Fat 8g 40%
- Trans Fat 0g
- Cholesterol 100mg 34%
- Sodium 2400mg 100%
- Potassium 1719mg 50%
- Total Carbohydrate
120g
40%
- Dietary Fiber 8g 32%
- Sugars 32g
- Protein 48g 96%
- Calcium 281%
- Iron 8%
* The % Daily Value tells you how much a nutrient in a serving of food contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
