Lemon and Creamy Parmesan Chicken Meatballs
Easy For A Weeknight But Special Enough For A Weekend
Lemon and Creamy Parmesan Chicken Meatballs are made with ground chicken, Parmesan, and breadcrumbs simmered in a creamy sauce made from broth, lemon pepper, dill, and cream cheese. It’s a great end of summer meal and would be delicious served over rice.
We were having our cousins over last Sunday who have a toddler and a newborn. I wanted to make a delicious dinner that would also be conducive to eating with one hand and standing up because… holding a new baby requires this.
I have been on a lemon kick lately, hence my Lemon Dill Pasta Salad recipe I recently posted. These Lemon and Creamy Parmesan Chicken Meatballs were an idea I had to pair with this salad that ended up being absolute perfection.
You can easily make this dinner happen on a busy weeknight. You can also make the meatballs on the weekend, freeze them, and thaw them when you are ready to make the sauce.
Everyone in your family is going to love this recipe.
Delicious On Their Own
If you have people in your house who don’t like sauce, you can make these meatballs and serve them completely on their own. They are REALLY flavorful and delicious.
This recipe makes a lot of meatballs but they are great to freeze and take out on a busy night. They are a great after school snack too.
Simmer Down Now
The sauce will need a little time to simmer. It is important that you whisk this sauce so that you work the cream cheese into the broth.
You want to make sure you do not have little dots of cream cheese in the sauce and this will require whisking and simmering. You will see this all come together if you give it the time it needs.
When you add the meatballs to this sauce the breadcrumbs and cheese IN the meatballs will also help to bring this sauce all together with texture and flavor. It is so good.
I like to use the Progresso Italian Breadcrumbs for this recipe.
Lemon and Creamy Parmesan Chicken Meatballs Recipe
Lemon and Creamy Parmesan Chicken Meatballs are a dinner everyone will love. Ground chicken, parmesan cheese, and breadcrumbs are some of the ingredients that make these delicious bites of heaven. An easy gravy comes together by combining cream cheese and chicken broth.
Ingredients
- 2 lbs of Ground Chicken
- 2 cups of Seasoned Breadcrumbs
- 2 packages of shredded Parmesan Cheese (6 ounces each package)
- 2 Eggs
- 2 tablespoons of Dried Dill *divided *to taste
- 2 teaspoon of Garlic Powder *divided
- 2 teaspoons of Onion Powder *divided
- 1 tablespoon of Lemon Pepper *divided
- 3 cups of Water
- 1 tablespoon of Chicken Bouillon Powder
- 1 package of Cream Cheese (8 ounce)
- 2 tablespoons of Butter
- Juice of half a Lemon
- 1 to 2 tablespoons of Heavy Cream
- Black Pepper to taste
- Sliced Chives
- Sliced Lemons
Instructions
- In a bowl add the ground chicken, both packages of Parmesan cheese, 2 cups of bread crumbs, 1/2 to 1 tablespoon of dried dill, 1 teaspoon of garlic powder, 1 teaspoon of onion powder, 1/2 tablespoon of lemon pepper, the lemon juice, and the 2 eggs.
- Mix until well combined. If the mixture is a little wet you can add a few more bread crumbs. Heat the oven to 350° and line a baking sheet with foil. Wet your hands to prevent the meat from sticking, roll the mixture into 3 inch balls, and place on the baking sheet.
- Place the meatballs in the oven and bake for 20 minutes. Every oven is different with time and temperature so keep an eye on these the first time you make them.
- While the meatballs bake, add the water and the chicken bouillon to a deep sided skillet. You may want to add the bouillon a little at a time and taste. Reminder that you will be adding the meatballs to this sauce and there is salt in the meatballs by way of the cheese and lemon pepper.
- Bring the pan to a boil, cut the cream cheese into cubes, and add to the boiling broth along with the butter. Whisk constantly, reduce heat, and keep whisking until the cream cheese is mostly combined in the broth. Reduce heat to low and simmer 15 to 20 minutes. Add the remaining dill, lemon pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder and whisk well to combine. Taste and add as much black pepper as you like.
- When the meatballs are done, the sauce should have thickened into a gravy like consistency. If not, simmer and stir a little longer. The sauce should coat the back of a spoon. Then add all the meatballs. Once the meatballs are added, toss to coat and simmer 10 to 15 minutes stirring occasionally. At the end, add the splash of cream and whisk to combine into the sauce.
- Add the sliced chives before serving. Top with lemon slices, chives, and more black pepper.