These Whole30 Chicken Meatballs are quick and easy to make with many sauce options. They are ready in 25 minutes and are an easy weeknight dinner or fun party appetizer.
Why You Will Love These Whole30 Chicken Meatballs
First, they are Whole30, which means they are also Paleo, gluten-free, grain-free, and dairy-free. Plus, they are also Keto with nut-free and egg-free modifications.
Second, they are so easy and quick! They only take 15 minutes to prep and can be air-fried in 10 minutes. This makes this a fast dish fantastic for busy weeknights.
Third, they freeze fantastically. Make up a double or triple batch and then freeze to pull out as needed for an even quicker grab-and-go option.
Fourth, the dipping options are endless! I include buffalo, BBQ, and orange chicken sauces you can dip or toss in. My boys love dipping them in my Whole30 Copycat Raising Canes Sauce or Chick-fil-A Sauce.
Finally, my Whole30 Chicken Meatballs are kid and budget-friendly. My boys love eating these with toothpicks appetizer-style and a variety of dipping sauces. Plus, you can use ground chicken OR make your ground chicken in a food processor. That helps keep them budget-friendly and accessible.
Ingredients
- Ground chicken—This is available at most grocery stores but can be the most expensive ground meat. But you can make your own ground chicken at home! Making ground chicken myself saves me $3-4 per pound. You can also substitute ground turkey instead.
- Egg—Eggs are an important binder for meatballs, and I recommend using them if you can. If you need an egg-free option, use 1/4 cup mashed potatoes or a flax egg.
- Almond flour – Almond flour in this recipe acts like breadcrumbs to soften and give bulk to the meatballs. You can learn more about how Paleo flour works and Paleo flour substitutions here. If you need a nut-free option, use 1/2 cup mashed potatoes instead.
- Oil – Olive oil or avocado oil works well in this recipe.
- Coconut aminos – On Whole30, soy is prohibited, as is soy sauce. However, coconut aminos are a great replacement for soy sauce and add a great depth of flavor. We can find coconut aminos at Walmart or Trader Joe’s.
- Onion powder—Granulated onion or onion powder both work equally well. I buy them in bulk from Sam’s Club or Winco, but you can find them in the spice aisle of most grocery stores.
- Minced garlic—I prefer to buy pre-minced garlic, like this one from Walmart, but you can always mince your own whole garlic cloves instead.
- Salt and pepper – Traditional table salt and ground black pepper.
- Dipping sauces of choice – See the bottom of the recipe for lots of options!
How to Make Whole30 Chicken Meatballs
- If using the oven, turn it on high broil and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment and a cooling rack, if you have one.
- In a medium bowl, combine all of the meatball ingredients. Mix well, but do not overmix to avoid making the meatballs tough.
- Shape ground chicken mixture into 30 1 1/2 tablespoon balls. I use a cookie scoop to help make sure they are all the same size so they will all cook at the same rate. The mixture will be very wet, but this will lead to nice, moist meatballs!
- AIR FRY in a single layer at 425 for 9-11 minutes, or until browned and no longer pink inside. Watch these; every air fryer is different, and you want them lightly browned but not dry.
- OVEN: Broil for 10 minutes or until browned, flip, and broil for 3-4 more minutes.
- Serve or toss with a dipping sauce of choice.
- FREEZE cooked meatballs on a lined baking sheet until frozen, and then in a sealed container all together for up to 3 months. Freezing them separately first will allow you to pull out as many meatballs as you need later.
What to Serve Them With
- If you toss them with my orange sauce, I recommend serving them on top of a bed of steamed cauliflower or cooked rice.
- If you are serving them with a dipping sauce like my Whole30 Copycat Raising Canes Sauce or Chick-fil-A Sauce, my boys love them with (all of these options are Whole30 + Paleo):
Whole30 Chicken Meatballs
A 30-min easy, budget and family-friendly protein that can be made in the air fryer or oven, with endless dipping sauce options!
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground chicken see notes
- 1 cup almond flour see notes for substitution
- 1 large egg see notes for substitution
- 2 tablespoons coconut aminos
- 1 tablespoon olive oil or avocado oil
- 1 tablespoon fresh minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- If using the oven, turn your oven onto high broil and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment and a cooling rack, if you have one.
- In a medium bowl, combine all of the meatball ingredients. Mix well but try not to over mix to avoid making the meatballs tough.
- With greased hands, shape ground chicken mixture into 30 1.5-tablespoon balls. I use a cookie scoop to help make sure they are all the same size so they will all cook at the same rate. The mixture will be a little sticky, but this will lead to nice, moist meatballs!
- AIR FRY in a single layer at 425 for 9-11 minutes, or until browned and no longer pink inside. Watch these; every air fryer is different, and you want them lightly browned but not dry.
- OVEN: Broil for 10 minutes*, or until browned, flip, and broil for 3-4 more minutes. *Watch these closely! Browning time will vary based on size of oven and proximity to the broiler.
- Serve or toss with dipping sauce of choice. See below for some of our favorites!
- FREEZE cooked meatballs on a lined baking sheet until frozen, and then in a sealed container all together for up to 3 months. Freezing them separately first will allow you to later pull out as many meatballs as you need.
Notes
Hard to find ground chicken or it's expensive? Make your own! I do so at home with my food processor in under five minutes. Learn how here! You can also substitute ground turkey.
SUBSTITUTIONS:
- EGG: Eggs are an important binder for meatballs and I recommend using it if you can. If you need an egg-free option, you can use 1/4 cup mashed potatoes or a flax egg instead.
- NUT-FREE: Almond flour in this recipe acts like breadcrumbs to both soften and give bulk to the meatballs. You can learn more about how Paleo flours work and paleo flour substitutions here. If you need a nut-free option, you can use 1 cup mashed potatoes instead
- You can toss these meatballs in a sauce such as a Buffalo Sauce or BBQ Sauce.
- Or, if you have my cookbook, you can make and toss them in my honey garlic sauce (p 79 - Paleo or Whole30 options) or orange chicken sauce (p 90, Whole30) and serve on top of caulirice (Whole30) or cooked rice (gluten-free, not Whole30).
- My boys love to dip these in my my Whole30 Copycat Raising Canes Sauce or Chick-fil-A Sauce.
Nutrition
Calories: 306kcalCarbohydrates: 7gProtein: 22gFat: 22gSaturated Fat: 4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 115mgSodium: 554mgPotassium: 500mgFiber: 3gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 55IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 64mgIron: 2mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
Can I substitute almond flour with oat flour?
Great question! Function-wise, oat flour should still work as a binder — just know it absorbs moisture a little differently than almond flour, so start with the same amount and add a touch more only if the mix seems too wet. I haven’t personally tested it this way, so if you try it I’d love to hear how they turn out. And, of course, oats are not Whole30-compatible and don’t use them if on a round of Whole30. Thank you!
This is exactly what I needed in my life. Quick protein that actually tastes good. I cooked mine for 13 minutes on 400 in the air fryer, they were perfect for me. I like to makes sure my birds are cooked all the way.
Quick protein that actually tastes good is the dream, right?! And thank you for sharing your air fryer timing — 13 min at 400 is so helpful for anyone wanting that same perfectly-cooked result. Thank you so much for the review! 💛
This is a great recipe. I was looking for something protein based/carnivorish that I could eat cold as I do not have a way to heat up my lunches while working. This fits the bill! Eating cold beef leftovers didn’t appeal to me, but these chicken meatballs taste great and that is without sauce. Thank you!
A protein-packed lunch that tastes great cold with no sauce needed? That’s such a clever use — so glad these solved the no-microwave-at-work puzzle for you! Thank you so much for the review! 💛
These turned out so yummy! I tripled the batch so I could freeze a bunch extra. My kids loved them too!
Tripling the batch to stock the freezer is a total mom power move — love it! And a kid stamp of approval makes it even better. Thank you so much for the review!
These meatballs are soooooooo yummy!!!
I’m so happy to hear that!! Those meatballs are a favorite for a reason 😄 Thanks so much for taking a moment to leave a review — I appreciate it!
I made these and I wasn’t sure if my family would like them. They loved them! I am going to make a big batch and freeze them for later. They are definitely on repeat.
So glad your family enjoyed them! 😄 Thank you for taking the time to leave a review — it’s wonderful to hear these are going on repeat in your home!
I made these to comply with my diet. I used the mashed potatoes in place of the flour. I used green onion tops only in my food processor. I used garlic infused oil for the garlic. I used white pepper (low oxalate). I cooked in the air fryer and it worked well. I then made a sauce of hot sauce, ghee and cayenne pepper and pour it on top of meatballs. Set the crockpot on low for 4-6 hours. Absolutely delicious. I always have to adapt because of many food intolerance. Thanks for the recipe!
That sounds absolutely amazing — I love how you made it work perfectly for your needs! The air fryer method and that homemade sauce sound incredible. Thank you so much for sharing your creative (and delicious!) adaptations and for taking the time to leave a review!
What is the serving size.? I see the macros listed but wasn’t sure who’s many meatballs that equates to?
Thanks for wanting to make this recipe! This recipe makes 30 1-tablespoon meat balls. The nutritional information is for 1 meatball. Enjoy!
Can I sub half cup of mashed carrots instead of mashed potatoes as the binder? Can’t use almond flour.
That’s a great question! I’m not totally sure, as I haven’t tried it, but here are some thoughts: Mashed carrots could work, though they’re a bit sweeter and have more moisture than mashed potatoes, so the texture might be softer. You could try squeezing out any excess liquid from the carrots before adding them. Let me know how it goes if you try it — I love hearing about creative swaps like this! Thanks for your question!
These are so tasty! My daughter is following a low histamine diet. She can’t have onions or garlic. I subbed some chopped shallots, Italian seasoning, and paprika. They will be on a regular rotation for us. Thank you!
Thank you for sharing your modifications — so helpful for others navigating dietary needs too! I’m so glad they worked out for your daughter and earned a spot in your regular rotation!
These were so good. Definitely a repeat!
WOOT WOOT that you enjoyed these and now they are on repeat. So happy to hear it. Thanks for the review!
When reheating from freezer how long do you air fry them and what temperature? Of the best way to reheat? Thank you
I definitely prefer to reheat in my air fryer, if you have one. That helps them stay moist! I air fry them at 350 until warmed through, which can vary per air fryer size, but about 3-4 minutes. Enjoy!
I made a triple batch of these yesterday, and they are absolutely delicious! Thank you for such a wonderful recipe! I am a new follower and also listened to two podcasts that featured you as a guest yesterday while I was driving. I started crying in the car when you shared about the positive changes your children had from switching their diet. Thank you for your encouragement!
Aw, I’m touched that you connected in that way to our story! Glad you found your way here and I’m absolutely rooting for you – you can do this. Happy you enjoyed this recipe and hope you find so many more favorites here. Welcome!
I’ve tripped the recipe and made it twice in the last week as it was so easy and delicious! We LOVE your Raising Cane’s sauce with these chicken meatballs. Thank you for this fantastic recipe!
Ooo, I love that you enjoy these with the Cane’s sauce. Thrilled you love them, enough to make them twice in once week – YES! Thank you!
Another great recipe! They were juicy and flavorful!
Thrilled to know it was a success! Thanks for your kind words!
Yum, these are so delicious!! Thank you!
I’m so happy you loved this easy chicken dinner! Thank you for the review!
These are perfect ! My family loves
Hooray these were a slam-dunk for your family! Thank you so much for the review.
Can I omit the coconut aminos ?
Yes, you can, they just won’t be as moist and flavorful. If you don’t need Whole30/Paleo and aren’t intolerant to soy, you can use a soy sauce instead in the same amount. Enjoy!
These are so good! I baked them, since I doubled the recipe, and it worked great. Definite make again!
WAHOO! I’m so glad you enjoyed these and the baking method worked well for you. Happy to hear you want to make them again. Thanks for the review!