Mushroom Chicken Meatballs with No Breadcrumbs
Mushroom Chicken Meatballs with no breadcrumbs are an easy weeknight dinner with a simple twist to help you eat more veggies. As a bonus these gluten free meatballs are made with no breadcrumbs or fillers. Serve with pasta, spaghetti squash, over salad or on a meatball hero!
Gluten free, Grain free, Nut free, Egg free, Soy free, Dairy free
I just want to say that I have NOTHING against breadcrumbs. I love ‘em. Chicken fingers are a staple in my diet, multiple times per week (especially during this pregnancy).
But they’re not an ingredient I always have in my pantry. Hence the chicken meatballs with no breadcrumbs recipe I’m sharing today.
The idea for these Mushroom Chicken Meatballs came from a box of almost bad mushrooms that wouldn’t be good on their own. They weren’t the plump juicy mushrooms I love. They were almost drying out in the fridge.
So I chopped them up, sautéed them with a bunch of spices, and voila, these meatballs with no breadcrumbs were born.
These Mushroom Chicken Meatballs with No Breadcrumbs are…
- Delicious
- Incredibly flavorful thanks to pantry staple spices
- Tender to the bite
- Easy to make
- A great way to amp up your veggie intake
- A great way to use almost rotten mushrooms
- Made with no binders or fillers
- Versatile in how they’re served
Seriously, you’re going to LOVE this recipe!
Ingredients to Make Chicken Meatballs with No Breadcrumbs
You only need 8 ingredients to make this recipe (plus olive oil, salt and pepper).
You’ll need:
- White button or baby portobello mushrooms
- Tons of pantry-staple spices (smoked paprika, garlic powder, dried oregano, dried thyme, and red chili flakes)
- Ground chicken, turkey or meat
- A jar of marinara sauce or tomato sauce
That’s right, this chicken meatball recipe with no breadcrumbs contains NO BREADCRUMBS, or any other binders. It’s just not necessary to make delicious meatballs that do stick together!
What are pantry-staple spices?
If you like to cook, or simply cook often out of necessity, there are certain spices that it helps to keep on hand to easily enhance the flavor of your meals. This recipe uses some of my favorite pantry-staple spices, so to me, the recipe really only has 2 ingredients I need to go out and buy: ground chicken and mushrooms.
Having a stocked spice cabinet can truly elevate the flavor of nearly any dish, including boring frozen veggies, plain chicken, or any other ho hum food you have in your pantry (even cheese!).
Here are a few of my favorite pantry-staple spices:
- Smoked paprika lends a smoky flavor to any dish, without the use of smoked meats, like bacon.
- Garlic powder is great for when you don’t want to chop garlic or use jarred chopped garlic. Obviously everything tastes better with more garlic, so this is highly recommended to have on hand!
- Dried oregano is perfect in any Italian or Mexican-inspired dish. I can also be hard to find fresh oregano, which is why I always have a big bottle of dried oregano in my spice cabinet.
- Dried thyme is so underrated when cooking poultry. Not only is it SO flavorful, but makes anything that you’re cooking taste well-seasoned. I love it on roasted chicken too!
- Red chili flakes add spice without being overpowering, like I think hot sauce can do. Always take the amount suggested with a grain of salt (PUN INTENDED) because only you know how much spice you tolerate or need (maybe more, maybe less!).
- Salt and pepper don’t really even need to be mentioned in this list, do they??
Other spices I love that are NOT in this recipe:
- Cinnamon
- Cumin
- Chili powder
- Dried rosemary
- Dried ginger
What type of mushrooms should you use for this recipe?
There are SO many different types of mushrooms, and honestly, you could use ANY mushroom varietal in this Mushroom Chicken Meatball recipe.
White button mushrooms or baby portobellos are the easiest to find in the supermarket, so they’re my preference when it comes to this recipe. They have a mild, yet meaty flavor that works perfectly with ground meat.
The key to using mushrooms in this recipe (or most recipes that I’ll share with ground meat) is to chop them up finely enough that they blend in effortlessly. When the chunks of mushrooms are too big, your meatballs can fall apart without a binder. Truly make sure the mushrooms here are finely chopped.
Mushrooms also pair particularly well with smoked paprika, so don’t skip that spice!
How to Make Chicken Meatballs with No Breadcrumbs
This is a 3-step recipe, but each step takes mere minutes, so you’ll have dinner on the table in under 30 minutes from start to finish!
First, saute your finely chopped mushrooms.
If you missed my note above, make sure your mushrooms are very finely chopped so they blend in effortlessly with the ground chicken or meat.
Be sure to season the mushrooms really well. You don’t just want to wait until the end to add your seasonings. Seasoning at every step of this recipe ensures these chicken meatballs are extremely flavorful.
Don’t skip this step!! I know it may be tempting to skip this step to save yourself from washing another dish as you saute these mushrooms, but DON’T!!! Sauteing the mushrooms in some oil adds extra moisture and makes your final chicken meatballs so *moist.* It’s truly worth the extra dish to wash!
Second, make your chicken meatballs with no breadcrumbs.
Mix together the ground chicken, plus spices, and the mushrooms you just cooked. Make sure the mushrooms are evenly distributed throughout the ground chicken.
Form the ground chicken + mushroom mixture into 12 balls. This makes for a good size ball (a bit bigger than 1-inch in diameter) and ensures the chicken meatballs cook evenly in the oven.
Place the chicken meatballs on a parchment paper lined baking sheet to cook.
Third, assemble your meal!
To amp up the mushroom flavor of this meal I sauteed extra sliced mushrooms (not chopped) before adding them to jarred marinara sauce. This little addition changes the flavor of the sauce and tastes absolutely delicious!
This would also be a good time to cook pasta, spaghetti squash, zoodles, or however you plan to serve these meatballs.
Personally, I loved this meal with spaghetti squash (as photographed) for lunch, but would probably add some pasta for dinner to stay full longer. The combo would’ve been ideal!
I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I did!
Kitchen Tools You’ll Need to Make Mushroom Chicken Meatballs
Even though this recipe has the extra step of sauteing the mushrooms, you really don’t need any fancy kitchen equipment for this recipe.
You’ll need:
- Saute pan
- Large mixing bowl
- Good kitchen knife
- Baking sheet
- Parchment paper or silpat
- Cutting board
Mushroom Chicken Meatballs with No Breadcrumbs
Mushroom Chicken Meatballs with no breadcrumbs are an easy weeknight dinner with a simple twist to help you eat more veggies. As a bonus these gluten free meatballs are made with no breadcrumbs or fillers. Serve with pasta, spaghetti squash, over salad or on a meatball hero!
Gluten free, Grain free, Nut free, Egg free, Soy free, Dairy free
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Ingredients
- ½ tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup finely chopped white button or baby portobello mushrooms
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper
- 1 lb ground chicken (or turkey or red meat)
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 2 cups sliced white button or baby portobello mushrooms
- 1 jar tomato or marinara sauce
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Heat oil in a medium saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms, smoked paprika, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Saute until mushrooms soften, about 3-4 minutes. Set aside.
- Add ground chicken to a large bowl. Season with dried oregano, dried thyme and red pepper flakes. Add the mushrooms and mix until combined.
- Roll the ground chicken mixture into 12 balls and place on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet.
- Bake for 15-18 minutes at 400°F, or until the internal temperature reaches 165°F.
- While the meatballs are baking, saute the remaining 2 cups of mushrooms over medium heat, just until softened, about 10 minutes. Heat your favorite jarred tomato sauce and add the mushrooms once softened.
- When meatballs are done cooking, add to the sauce and serve over pasta, sautéed spinach, or spaghetti squash.
Don’t Forget to PIN these Mushroom Chicken Meatballs with No Breadcrumbs
How to turn these Mushroom Chicken Meatballs into a balanced meal
I’m all about balanced meals, and these Mushroom Chicken Meatballs are a great PROTEIN source to add to a balanced plate.
Although the recipe does contain mushrooms, I would suggest adding another veggie to really add more color to your plate. Here’s how you can add veggies to this meal:
- Serve over spaghetti squash or zoodles
- Add a handful of baby spinach (fresh or frozen) into your marinara/tomato sauce
- Serve with a side salad
- Don’t if you’re not in the mood! Satisfaction is key – don’t force it!
It’s also important to add some carbs for staying power. Although this recipe does not contain breadcrumbs, starchy carbs are still important for satisfaction, fullness, and additional fiber.
The natural choice would be to serve these mushroom chicken meatballs over pasta, but you could also choose one of the following starchy carbs:
- Baked potato
- Lentils or beans
- Hero (like a meatball hero)
By adding carbs and veggies, you have a balanced meal, thanks to protein in the chicken meatballs and fats in the marinara sauce and oil used in cooking. If you’d like, you could amp up the fats to stay full with a sprinkle of parmesan cheese too!
Other delicious mushroom recipes to try:
- 5-Ingredient Mushroom Tacos
- Portobello Mushroom Jerky
- One Pan Chicken Marsala
- 45 Healthy Mushroom Recipes
XO