How to Make Creamy Garlic Parmesan Chicken Meatballs & Spaghetti
How to Make Creamy Garlic Parmesan Chicken Meatballs & Spaghetti
Okay, I think I just found my new favorite way to make chicken meatballs.
These Creamy Garlic Parmesan Chicken Meatballs & Spaghetti are basically everything I want in a pasta dinner: tender little chicken meatballs, a ridiculously creamy garlic Parmesan sauce, and thin spaghetti tangled up in all of it.
And yes, this one is definitely giving comfort food. We are not pretending otherwise.
Let’s talk about the chicken meatballs
The meatballs are made with ground chicken, panko, Parmesan, egg, garlic and a few simple seasonings. I love using chicken here because it keeps the meatballs a little lighter while still giving us plenty of flavor once they hit that creamy sauce.
The garlic and Parmesan are doing a LOT of work here. The Parmesan also adds a little savory, salty flavor right into the meatballs, so you’re not relying entirely on the sauce to make them delicious.
Once the meatballs are mixed, they’re cooked in oil until they’re nicely browned.
And honestly, don’t underestimate the importance of browning your meatballs. That golden exterior adds a ton of flavor and gives you those little crispy edges that are so good once they get coated in sauce.
The garlic Parmesan sauce
Now we get to the good part.
The sauce starts with garlic and tomato paste, then gets built with chicken stock, heavy cream, Parmesan and Italian seasoning.
The tomato paste might seem like a small addition, but it gives the sauce a little extra depth and a subtle tomato flavor without turning this into a tomato sauce.
Then comes the Parmesan.
As it melts into the cream, you get this rich, savory sauce that is basically begging to be tossed with spaghetti.
And then… spaghetti
I used thin spaghetti, which I love with this sauce because it gives you plenty of long, saucy noodles without completely overpowering the chicken meatballs.
Toss the cooked spaghetti into that creamy garlic Parmesan sauce, then bring the chicken meatballs back into the mix.
The result is one of those dinners that looks like you put in WAY more effort than you actually did.
Creamy pasta, garlicky Parmesan sauce, golden chicken meatballs… I mean, come on.
This is absolutely a make-it-again dinner.
More Chicken Meatball Recipes:
- Chicken Meatballs with Creamy Parmesan Orzo
- High-Protein Thai Chicken Meatball Bowls
- Sticky-Sweet Chicken Meatball Rice Bowls
Creamy Garlic Parmesan Chicken Meatballs & Spaghetti
Ingredients
Chicken Meatballs
- 1 pound ground chicken
- 1/3 cup panko
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 cloves garlic minced or grated
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- Oil for frying
Garlic Parmesan Sauce
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 1/2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 pound thin spaghetti cooked
Instructions
- Make the meatballs. In a large bowl, combine the meatball ingredients. Mix until everything is evenly combined, don’t overtax.
- Shape the meatballs. Scoop the mixture into small meatballs, about 1 tablespoon each. You should get roughly 25–30 meatballs.
- Brown the meatballs. Heat a thin layer of oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the meatballs in a single layer, working in batches if needed. Cook, turning occasionally, until browned on all sides and mostly cooked through. Transfer the meatballs to a plate and set aside.
- Start the sauce. Carefully wipe out any excess oil from the skillet, leaving some oil and browned bits behind. Return the skillet to medium heat and add the minced garlic. Cook for about 30 seconds, until fragrant.
- Add the tomato paste. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for about 1 minute, stirring frequently.
- Build the sauce. Pour in the chicken stock, scraping the bottom of the skillet with a wooden spoon to loosen any browned bits. Stir in the heavy cream, Parmesan cheese, and Italian seasoning.
- Finish the meatballs. Bring the sauce to a gentle simmer, then return the meatballs to the skillet. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for about 10 minutes, until the sauce has thickened.
- Add the pasta. Add the cooked thin spaghetti to the skillet and toss gently until the noodles are coated in the creamy Parmesan sauce. If the skillet is too crowded, transfer everything to a large bowl and toss there.
- Serve. Spoon the creamy spaghetti onto plates and top with the chicken meatballs. Serve hot.
