Simple Chicken Meatballs with an Easy Tomato Sauce

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These chicken meatballs are flavorful, tender, and easy to make. Pair them with your favorite side dishes or have a bowl all by itself. This recipe is definitely worth saving.

Serving meatballs with tomato sauce in a bowl with chopped green onion garnish.

I love one-pot meals. I will go out of my way to create recipes that will allow me to use only one pot. It just makes everything so much easier. I know it’s not possible for many recipes, but it certainly is for these chicken meatballs.

On top of that, this recipe makes a rich tomato sauce for the meatballs. A quick and easy tomato sauce that goes right into the same dish!

Table of Contents

Tips on how to make these chicken meatballs

Use ground chicken thighs. Whenever you make meatballs, whether they’re turkey, beef, or chicken, you want meat that has some fat. Chicken thighs have a good amount of fat so they’ll hold up together. Also, they tend to be more flavorful.

Add a tablespoon of boiled rice. The stickiness of the rice helps to keep the meatballs from falling apart.

Season the meatballs. You could totally add in your own favorite spices and herbs in with the meatball ingredients. I chose to add in store-bought seasoning. Specifically, Trader Joe’s “seasoning” blend.

Fry your meatballs. I know some people like adding their formed meatballs directly into liquid and “boil” them. I prefer to shallow fry them first to get a beautiful golden-brown color all around. You can’t get that browning color if the meat just boils.

Use boiled water. When you add water to your pot, you want to use boiling water. Otherwise, the meatballs can fall apart.

This one-pot meal is absolutely delicious. But the best part? Once you’re done cooking, there is little cleaning up to do. Enjoy!

Key Ingredients

Chicken Meatballs with tomato sauce ingredients- ground chicken, water, onion, tomato paste, carrot, chicken seasoning, salt, pepper, and rice.

Chicken thighs are fresh and juicy, making a great chicken base to these homemade meatballs.

Onion adds flavor into any dish, infusing it with savory and aromatic qualities.

Salt, black pepper, chicken seasoning all add spice and flavor to this meatball recipe. (Any seasoning you like will work, I use the one from Trader Joe’s “Seasonings”)

Rice helps the chicken to meld together in balls, binding them together.

Tomato Sauce Ingredients:

Onion contributes to the tomato sauce with savory flavors.

Carrots are rich in vitamin A, adding a subtle earthiness and sweetness to the sauce.

Tomato paste has a concentrated tomato flavor, creating the base to the tomato sauce.

Water, salt, and black pepper are necessary additions into the sauce to create the texture and flavors.

Find the full printable recipe with specific measurements below.

How to make Chicken Meatballs with Tomato Sauce

For the Meatballs:

Step 1: Cook rice

Boil the white rice.

Step 2: Combine chicken mix

In a bowl mix the onion, chicken thighs, rice, chicken seasoning, salt, and pepper.

Ground chicken mixed with seasoning and rice in a bowl.

Step 3: Heat the oil

On a heated pan, add the extra virgin olive oil.

Step 4: Form and cook

Shape meat into balls and fry each side quickly, this is just to get that beautiful color around the meatballs.

Step 5: Set aside

Put the seared meatballs into a pot.

For the Sauce:

Step 1: Sauté veggies

In the same pan that was used for the meatballs, sauté grated onions and carrots.

Step 2: Add tomato paste

Add in tomato paste, stir and turn off heat.

Step 3: Boil water

Boil up some water in a kettle. It’s important the water is boiled and hot so the meatballs don’t fall apart.

Step 4: Add the water

Add water to the pot, just until it covers all the meatballs.

Step 5: Add the veggies

Add the onion and carrots that you have sautéed.

Meatballs in a pot with water topped with sautéed veggies.

Step 6: Season

Salt and pepper to taste.

Step 7: Cook and serve

Turn heat on the lowest, cover with a lid and let it cook for 40 minutes. Serve with meatballs and mashed potatoes!

Cooked meatballs in a pot with tomato sauce.

Expert Tips

Taste the sauce before covering and adjust the salt and pepper to taste.
Handle the meatball mixture gently when shaping to avoid compacting it too much, leading to a tender result.
Mix 1 minced garlic clove into the meatball mixture for extra garlic flavor in the meat! Or, add it into the sautéing veggies.
For extra flavor, substitute the boiled water for hot chicken broth. Be sure to heat it up in advance so the meatballs cook as described. The flavor profile and nutrition information will vary.
Serve with mashed potatoes or pasta for the perfect well-rounded dinner.
Garnish with chopped fresh herbs for the perfect presentation and topping!

Recipe FAQs

What if I don’t have chicken seasoning?

Use a mix of paprika, garlic powder, and dried herbs as an alternative.

Can I use ground chicken breast instead of thighs?

Yes, but thighs add more flavor and moisture to the meatballs.

Can I use chicken stock instead of water in the sauce?

Yes, chicken stock adds extra flavor to the sauce.

Enjoying a meatball with a wooden spoon for serving.

Enjoyed this meal? Here are some more favorites:

This Crispy Tofu Salad has a Creamy Tahini Dressing that you can add to so many salads!
A Simple Butter Stuffed Chicken Breast fills you up with protein! It’s one of my favorite dinner recipes.

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If you tried these Chicken Meatballs with Tomato Sauce or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how you enjoyed it in the📝 comments below. I love hearing from you!