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Juicy Chicken Meatballs are coated in an Italian cheesy white sauce and then beautifully dished out on top of perfectly cooked spaghetti to make this easy Chicken Meatballs Alfredo! It’s a yummy take on a well-known classic and a quick 30-minute meal your whole family will love!
Chicken Meatballs Alfredo Recipe
This recipe is a little twist on two Italian classics that I love! Spaghetti with meatballs and spaghetti Alfredo. My idea was to remove all the tomato, focus on the cheese, and keep it simple. So I came up with the idea of creating these amazing chicken meatballs to slather in my classic Alfredo sauce and then serve with pasta! It’s so darn yummy!
Chicken Meatballs Alfredo is basically the perfect play on comfort food! But it doesn’t take hours to make and doesn’t require any fancy ingredients. The dish only takes about 30 minutes from start to finish.
It’s an easy weeknight meal when you add a side like steamed broccoli or roasted green beans. As well as, a fantastic weekend dinner main dish when served with a Caprese Salad to start and Tiramisu for dessert!
Why You’ll Love These Chicken Meatballs Alfredo
- Quick And Easy! Making meatballs from scratch has never been so simple with this recipe and the Alfredo sauce is even easier! Literally 30 minutes to a complete meal.
- Refined Comfort Food! You’ve got yummy tender chicken meatballs to comfort your taste buds and a classic homemade Alfredo sauce to make it fancy. It’s the ultimate tasty culinary combination.
- Family Favorite! Kids love meatballs! And adults too and this recipe is not your average spaghetti with meatballs. It’s unique and your entire family will love it!
Ingredients You’ll Need
For this meatball Alfredo pasta recipe, you will need a handful of ingredients to make the chicken meatballs, another handful to make the Alfredo sauce, and pasta! I used spaghetti for this recipe, but you can literally use any type of pasta you like from fettuccine to penne. The choice is yours.
Chicken Meatballs
- Ground Chicken – I used ground chicken to make the meatballs. You can also use turkey if you prefer.
- Breadcrumbs – You will need regular unseasoned breadcrumbs to help bind the meatballs together. Yet, if all you have is seasoned breadcrumbs on hand you will want to cut back on the added salt.
- Parsley – Fresh chopped parsley adds a layer of flavor. You can also use dried parsley too if that is all you have.
- Onion – I like to use brown onion, but any type of onion will work.
- Egg – Used to bind the meatballs together with the breadcrumbs.
- Salt – No meatball recipe would be complete without a touch of sodium to boost the flavors.
- Black Pepper – Regular ground black pepper works great.
- Vegetable Oil – Used to cook the meatballs. You can use any neutral oil like canola, grapeseed, or safflower.
Alfredo Sauce
- Butter – Always use unsalted butter in cooking to control the level of sodium unless a recipe states otherwise.
- Garlic – Fresh minced garlic is the best choice for the freshest taste. You can use jarred minced garlic, but it sometimes has an odd sour taste unless it has just been opened.
- Heavy Cream – Also called whipping cream, helps to both thicken and flavor the sauce.
- Parmesan Cheese – A key ingredient in Alfredo, it adds a lovely salty cheesy taste. And better quality grated Parmesan cheese will create a more delicious sauce.
- Nutmeg – Most white sauces have a touch of ground nutmeg for a hint of nutty warm flavor.
- Salt – It both seasons and enhances all the different ingredients of the Alfredo sauce.
- Black Pepper – Use fresh ground black pepper if you have it on hand.
This dish is layered in so much flavor, but so easy to make! All you have to do is boil some spaghetti, throw together these 10-minute chicken meatballs, and make a simple Alfredo sauce! It’s a foolproof recipe and I’ve outlined it into super simple steps for you.
Cook The Spaghetti
To begin, like most pasta recipes you’ll want to bring a large pot of well salted water to a boil. And don’t be afraid to really salt the water. It infuses the spaghetti with much needed flavor. Now, cook the noodles according to the package directions until al dente. Then when done, drain the spaghetti and set aside until the meatballs and Alfredo sauce is ready.
Form And Cook The Meatballs
To make the chicken meatballs, just add all the ingredients together in a large bowl and combine well. You can use a wooden spoon, but I often find that using my hands actually does the best job to really incorporate everything. Then once mixed, it’s time to form the meatballs! Measure out about 1-2 tablespoons of the meat mixture and form small golf ball sized meatballs.
Now that the chicken meatballs are formed, we can cook them! So add some vegetable oil to a large skillet and heat it over medium. Then once the oil is hot, add all those little golf balls of chicken to the pan in a single layer and sear until well browned for 3 to 4 minutes on all sides. When done cooking, remove the meatballs from the skillet and place them on a plate.
Make The Alfredo Sauce
Once the meatballs are made, you can start the Alfredo sauce by melting the unsalted butter in a clean skillet over medium-low heat. Be careful not to overheat the pan before adding the butter. In fact, it’s almost always better to add the butter to a cold skillet and then turn the heat on so you’re sure not to burn it.
Next, add the heavy cream to the melted butter and simmer for 5 minutes. Then quickly whisk in the minced garlic and Parmesan cheese and continue to whisk until it’s heated through. Now to finish the sauce, mix in the nutmeg, salt, and freshly ground black pepper. Finally, taste for salt once more and add more if you wish. The sauce should be fully seasoned, but not taste like salt.
Assemble The Dish
And for the grand finale, we can assemble the Chicken Meatballs Alfredo! First, add the cooked chicken meatballs to the Alfredo sauce in the skillet and heat them back up as you toss them around to fully coat them in the sauce. Then to serve, grab yourself a few plates. Now, add some cooked spaghetti and top with the meatballs in Alfredo to enjoy!
What Does It Mean To Cook Pasta Al Dente?
Pasta is best when cooked “al dente”, which means it’s tender but still firm to the bite. I always suggest checking the doneness of the pasta about 2 minutes before the package directions indicate.
Can I Use Other Types Of Pasta?
Yes! I used spaghetti for my play on chicken meatballs and spaghetti, but you can use any type or shape of pasta you like including gluten-free!
Can I Use Other Types Of Meat?
Yes, of course! You can make the meatballs with turkey, beef, or pork too. In fact, you can even just omit the meatballs altogether if you like or replace them with Baked Chicken Breast or Garlic Butter Shrimp.
Expert Tips
- Use quality ingredients. Italian cuisine is simple and easy to make, but the layered flavors are based on quality ingredients. So for the best results use a decent Parmesan, fresh garlic, and a nice pasta.
- Salt your pasta water. You want to salt your pasta water salty like the sea to infuse the spaghetti with flavor. So you’ll need to add at least a big tablespoon to the cooking water.
- Temp the chicken meatballs. To make sure your meatballs are fully cooked you will want to use an instant-read digital meat thermometer to ensure they have reached at least 165°F (74°C) for food safety.
Leftovers
Chicken Meatballs Alfredo will keep in the fridge for up to 4 days in an airtight container. To reheat, simply mix a few tablespoons of water or milk in with the pasta, then put it in the microwave or in a pan for a few minutes, and heat it at a medium temperature.
Make Ahead
You can easily make this yummy meatball Alfredo recipe ahead of time. To do this, just make the meatballs and Alfredo sauce and either store them in the fridge for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Then when you are ready to serve, simply just reheat the meatballs with the Alfredo sauce, cook the spaghetti, and then combine to serve.
However, if you decide to freeze the meatballs with Alfredo sauce, I recommend letting them both thaw out in the fridge the night before. Then the next day, reheating them together, cooking the pasta to make the Chicken Meatballs Alfredo with spaghetti.
Other Delicious Italian Recipes To Try
- Italian Pasta Salad
- Chicken Parmesan
- Italian Chicken Sheet Pan Dinner
- Sausage Tortellini Soup
- Italian Meatball Soup
- Creamy Chicken Gnocchi
- Creamy Mushroom Chicken Meatballs
- BBQ Meatballs
Chicken Meatballs Alfredo
Video
Ingredients
- 1 pound spaghetti
Chicken Meatballs
- 1 pound ground chicken
- ½ cup breadcrums regular unseasoned
- ¼ cup fresh parsley chopped
- 1 small onion grated or finely chopped
- 1 large egg
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Alfredo Sauce
- ¼ cup butter unsalted
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1½ cups heavy cream or whipping cream
- 1½ cups Parmesan cheese freshly grated
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Cook spaghetti: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the spaghetti according to package instructions.
- Form meatballs: In a large bowl mix all the meatball ingredients together. Form into small balls the size of golf balls.
- Cook meatballs: In a large skillet over medium heat, heat the vegetable oil. Add the meatballs in a single layer and cook until seared all over, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
- Make Alfredo sauce: Melt butter in a large skillet over medium low heat. Add cream and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the add garlic and parmesan cheese and whisk quickly, heating through. Stir in the salt, nutmeg and pepper.
- Finish the dish: Add the meatballs to the skillet with the sauce, toss them in the sauce, and cook for 1 to 2 minutes over medium-low heat until heated through. Serve meatballs over cooked spaghetti.
Tips & Notes:
- Use quality ingredients. Italian cuisine is simple and easy to make, but the layered flavors are based on quality ingredients. So for the best results use a decent Parmesan, fresh garlic, and a nice pasta.
- Salt your pasta water. You want to salt your pasta water salty like the sea to infuse the spaghetti with flavor. So you’ll need to add at least a big tablespoon to the cooking water.
- Temp the chicken meatballs. To make sure your meatballs are fully cooked you will want to use an instant-read digital meat thermometer to ensure they have reached at least 165°F (74°C) for food safety.
- Chicken Meatballs Alfredo will keep in the fridge for up to 4 days in an airtight container. To reheat, simply mix a few tablespoons of water or milk in with the pasta, then put it in the microwave or in a pan for a few minutes, and heat it at a medium temperature.
