These Whole30 Chicken Meatballs are quick and easy to make with many sauce options. They are ready in 25 minutes and are an easy weeknight dinner or fun party appetizer.
Why You Will Love These Whole30 Chicken Meatballs
First, they are Whole30, which means they are also Paleo, gluten-free, grain-free, and dairy-free. Plus, they are also Keto with nut-free and egg-free modifications.
Second, they are so easy and quick! They only take 15 minutes to prep and can be air-fried in 10 minutes. This makes this a fast dish fantastic for busy weeknights.
Third, they freeze fantastically. Make up a double or triple batch and then freeze to pull out as needed for an even quicker grab-and-go option.
Fourth, the dipping options are endless! I include buffalo, BBQ, and orange chicken sauces you can dip or toss in. My boys love dipping them in my Whole30 Copycat Raising Canes Sauce or Chick-fil-A Sauce.
Finally, my Whole30 Chicken Meatballs are kid and budget-friendly. My boys love eating these with toothpicks appetizer-style and a variety of dipping sauces. Plus, you can use ground chicken OR make your ground chicken in a food processor. That helps keep them budget-friendly and accessible.
Ingredients
- Ground chicken—This is available at most grocery stores but can be the most expensive ground meat. But you can make your own ground chicken at home! Making ground chicken myself saves me $3-4 per pound. You can also substitute ground turkey instead.
- Egg—Eggs are an important binder for meatballs, and I recommend using them if you can. If you need an egg-free option, use 1/4 cup mashed potatoes or a flax egg.
- Almond flour – Almond flour in this recipe acts like breadcrumbs to soften and give bulk to the meatballs. You can learn more about how Paleo flour works and Paleo flour substitutions here. If you need a nut-free option, use 1/2 cup mashed potatoes instead.
- Oil – Olive oil or avocado oil works well in this recipe.
- Coconut aminos – On Whole30, soy is prohibited, as is soy sauce. However, coconut aminos are a great replacement for soy sauce and add a great depth of flavor. We can find coconut aminos at Walmart or Trader Joe’s.
- Onion powder—Granulated onion or onion powder both work equally well. I buy them in bulk from Sam’s Club or Winco, but you can find them in the spice aisle of most grocery stores.
- Minced garlic—I prefer to buy pre-minced garlic, like this one from Walmart, but you can always mince your own whole garlic cloves instead.
- Salt and pepper – Traditional table salt and ground black pepper.
- Dipping sauces of choice – See the bottom of the recipe for lots of options!
How to Make Whole30 Chicken Meatballs
- If using the oven, turn it on high broil and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment and a cooling rack, if you have one.
- In a medium bowl, combine all of the meatball ingredients. Mix well, but do not overmix to avoid making the meatballs tough.
- Shape ground chicken mixture into 30 1 1/2 tablespoon balls. I use a cookie scoop to help make sure they are all the same size so they will all cook at the same rate. The mixture will be very wet, but this will lead to nice, moist meatballs!
- AIR FRY in a single layer at 375 for 9-10 minutes or until browned and no longer pink inside.
- OVEN: Broil for 10 minutes or until browned, flip, and broil for 3-4 more minutes.
- Serve or toss with a dipping sauce of choice.
- FREEZE cooked meatballs on a lined baking sheet until frozen, and then in a sealed container all together for up to 3 months. Freezing them separately first will allow you to pull out as many meatballs as you need later.
What to Serve Them With
- If you toss them with my orange sauce, I recommend serving them on top of a bed of steamed cauliflower or cooked rice.
- If you are serving them with a dipping sauce like my Whole30 Copycat Raising Canes Sauce or Chick-fil-A Sauce, my boys love them with (all of these options are Whole30 + Paleo):
Whole30 Chicken Meatballs
A 30-min easy, budget and family-friendly protein that can be made in the air fryer or oven, with endless dipping sauce options!
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Course Appetizer, Main Course
Cuisine American
Servings 30 meatballs
Calories 40 kcal
1/2x1x2x3x
- 1 lb ground chicken see notes
- 1/2 cup almond flour see notes for substitution
- 1 large egg see notes for substitution
- 2 tablespoons coconut aminos
- 1 tablespoon olive or avocado oil
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
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If using the oven, turn your oven onto high broil and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment and a cooling rack, if you have one.
-
In a medium bowl, combine all of the meatball ingredients. Mix well but try not to over mix to avoid making the meatballs tough.
-
Shape ground chicken mixture into 30 1-tablespoon balls. I use a cookie scoop to help make sure they are all the same size so they will all cook at the same rate. The mixture will be very wet, but this will lead to nice, moist meatballs!
-
AIR FRY in a single layer at 375 for 8-10 minutes, or until browned and no longer pink inside.
-
OVEN: Broil for 10 minutes*, or until browned, flip, and broil for 3-4 more minutes. *Watch these closely! Browning time will vary based on size of oven and proximity to the broiler.
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Serve or toss with dipping sauce of choice. See below for some of our favorites!
-
FREEZE cooked meatballs on a lined baking sheet until frozen, and then in a sealed container all together for up to 3 months. Freezing them separately first will allow you to later pull out as many meatballs as you need.
Hard to find ground chicken or it’s expensive? Make your own! I do so at home with my food processor in under five minutes. Learn how here! You can also substitute ground turkey.
SUBSTITUTIONS:
- EGG: Eggs are an important binder for meatballs and I recommend using it if you can. If you need an egg-free option, you can use 1/4 cup mashed potatoes or a flax egg instead.
- NUT-FREE: Almond flour in this recipe acts like breadcrumbs to both soften and give bulk to the meatballs. You can learn more about how Paleo flours work and paleo flour substitutions here. If you need a nut-free option, you can use 1/2 cup mashed potatoes instead
SAUCE OPTIONS:
Calories: 40kcalCarbohydrates: 1gProtein: 3gFat: 3gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.3gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0.01gCholesterol: 19mgSodium: 92mgPotassium: 83mgFiber: 0.2gSugar: 0.1gVitamin A: 9IUVitamin C: 0.1mgCalcium: 7mgIron: 0.2mg
Keyword budget-friendly, dairy-free, easy, gluten-free, keto, kid-friendly, main dish, paleo, whole30
