I have a small win for all you parents out there… a dinner that your kids will actually eat. Enter, Chicken Meatballs for Kids that has been tested and approved by my 2 kids. Even the one that said he was NOT going to eat the chicken meatballs for dinner, ended up eating the chicken meatballs and asking for seconds.
Now that’s a dinner win!
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I wanted to create this recipe after the chicken noodle soup for kids was such a success with the Mom’s Dinner cooks. So many of you rave about that being your go-to dinner for your picky kids. Well, now you will have 2 go-to dinners.
We serve these chicken meatballs more like a chicken nugget, with dipping sauce on the side, especially Chik-Fil-A dipping sauce. Then my kids like to have mashed potatoes and broccoli as side dishes.
Yes, we do have another amazing chicken meatball recipe on Mom’s Dinner, but it probably has some flavors and green stuff that your kids will not eat. So stay here on this recipe, unless your kids like bigger flavors.
RELATED: Best Tips for Making Amazing Meatballs, Every Time!
Ingredient Details & Tips
- Ground Chicken – you can definitely make this recipe with ground chicken or ground turkey, either will work. Our favorite ground chicken is the Smart Chicken Ground Chicken. It uses air-chilling and has the best flavor and texture. If you do not have Smart Chicken look for an air-chilled chicken option.
- Panko, Milk, Egg – the three of these ingredients together create a panade, which will help keep your ground chicken meatballs very tender and juicy as they bake. This method is not only good for meatballs, it is great to use in meatloaf and grilled burgers.
- Garlic Powder – adds just a little bit of secret flavor to you kids chicken meatballs without it being over powering.
- Parmesan Cheese – adds juiciness and flavor to the meatballs. It also slightly caramelizes on the bottom. If you think your kids will turn their noses up at parmesan cheese, leave it out. The meatballs will work without it.
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil – we use this trick in a few other meatball recipes, like this Italian Meatball. The EVOO adds moisture to the mixture and ensures you have tender and juicy meatballs. It also helps the meatball caramelize on the outside and bottom.
Favorite Meatball Tools
There are three items that I use to make all our meatball recipes amazing, including the ones for kids!
Cookie Scoop – yep, a cookie scoop! This helps make the meatballs more uniform so they cook evenly. It also makes quick work of scooping and rolling the meatballs.
Large Rimmed Baking Sheet – this helps spread the meatballs out so they roast and get more golden, instead of being crowded and steaming in the oven. It also allows the juices to spread out on the pan, again so the meatballs don’t steam.
Parchment Paper – this is a staple in my kitchen for just about all things baked in the oven, sweet or savory! It ensures that nothing sticks/bakes to the pan and yet lets enough heat through from the pan to caramelize the bottom of the meatballs. I don’t find I get the same results using foil.
How To Make Chicken Meatballs for Kids
Not only are these meatballs a huge dinner win, they are really simple to make… making them a win for your kids and for YOU!
- Preheat the oven. While you make the meatball mixture let the oven heat up to 400°F.
- Mix panade. In a large bowl combine the lightly beaten egg, panko bread crumbs, milk, evoo, garlic powder and kosher salt. Give it a good stir and let it sit a minute or two.
- Add ground chicken and parmesan. Add in the ground chicken and parmesan cheese, lightly mix with clean hands or a fork.
- Portion out the chicken mixture. Using the cookie scoop portion the chicken meatball mixture out onto the prepared baking sheet. Then roll the meatballs. Spray the tops of the meatballs with a little non-stick spray. This helps them become golden in the oven.
- Bake at 400°F for 20 minutes. If you like a little golden color you can broil the meatballs for the last minute or two.
Serving Ideas
These Kids Chicken Meatballs are wonderful served on their own with a dipping sauce on the side. You can also serve them on top of spaghetti with marinara sauce. Or if you are really feeling adventurous, pop them in a meatball sub with melted cheese and marinara sauce.
To complete your chicken meatball meal, by all means serve whatever side dishes you know your kids will eat. Nobody likes a meltdown at the dinner table. But here are some simple side dish ideas that my kids love, and I’m guessing yours will too:
- raw veggies with ranch dip
- fresh cut fruit
- crispy oven potatoes or baked potatoes
- mashed potatoes
More Kid Friendly Dinner Ideas
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Kids Chicken Meatball Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 lb. ground chicken
- ½ cup panko bread crumbs
- ¼ cup milk
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 large egg - -lightly beaten
- 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- ½ cup coarsely ground parmesan cheese
- non-stick spray
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400℉. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and spray with non-stick spray.
- In a large bowl combine the bread crumbs, milk, kosher salt, garlic powder, egg, and olive oil. Stir to combine and let sit a few minutes to let the bread crumbs soak in the liquid.½ cup panko bread crumbs, ¼ cup milk, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, 1 large egg, 2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- Add the ground chicken and parmesan cheese, then mix until it forms a meatball mixture. (if you think your kids won't like the parmesan you can skip it, the recipe will still work!)1 lb. ground chicken, ½ cup coarsely ground parmesan cheese
- Portion out the meatballs into evenly sized meatballs (this helps the meatballs cook evenly). A cookie scoop can help make uniform meatballs. You should have between 18-20 meatballs.
- Roll the meatballs into nice balls. Pro Tip: wet your hands slightly so the meatballs don't stick to your hands.
- Lightly spray the tops of the meatballs with the non-stick spray. This helps them become golden while baking.
- Bake for 20 minutes. To make a little extra golden you can turn on the broiler for 2-3 minutes at the end.
- Serve as is with a dipping sauce on the side; marinara, ranch or honey mustard is excellent.Also great on top of spaghetti with sauce or in a meatball sub!
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Susie Weinrich
My kids love these… but I LOVE them too!