These savory little Chicken-Vegetable Meatballs are an easy appetizer to serve on game day. Or they make an easy finger food for toddlers. Just prep the ingredients, mix together, roll into balls and bake.
The vegetables I used in this batch were carrots, spinach and green onion. The flavors are subtle enough for a toddler, without the adults feeling like you are sneaking something in that they might not like. You can sub other vegetables that you like, add seasonings, etc.
The meatballs are held together by flax meal and garbanzo flour, so anyone sensitive to gluten, nuts, eggs or dairy can enjoy them.
I like to serve these with a dressing or dip like my garlic-tahini dressing or my baba ghanoush dip.
For a baby or toddler who wants to self-feed, it’s a way to include vegetables like carrots or spinach that otherwise feel too mushy to eat at that age. There's a little bit of grated apple for sweetness, but not so much that the adults object.
The meatballs are appropriate for 8 months and older.
And, even if there are no toddlers in your house, these make a flavorful meatball with a marinara sauce over pasta.
Much of the fresh color of the spinach and carrots remains in the meatballs because they don't take long to bake. Yet because the vegetables are grated very fine, they blend well with the other flavors.
Why MCT oil to grease the pan?
I grease my pan with MCT oil because it is the best oil for preventing sticking that I've found. Plus, the little bit of oil helps the meatballs develop a nice golden crisp on the bottoms. It takes just a few drops in each well of the pan.
MCT oil stands for Medium Chain Triglycerides, and is the healthiest part of coconut oil. It is easier to digest than longer-chain fatty acids, is easily metabolized by the brain, and may help with maintaining a healthy weight. Win!
Can I make these oil-free?
Yes, you can bake the meatballs on parchment paper or a silpat mat, too. They will be a bit less crisp on the bottoms but will keep their shape during baking.
If using a mat, you can roll the meatballs smaller to get up to 30 to 36 per batch. Of course, smaller meatballs will bake faster, so check them after 12 minutes!
As always, if you have a chance to try this recipe, leave me a message in the comments so I know how it went!
Beth
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Appetizers and dips you may enjoy
Tahini-Garlic Dressing: 7-Ingredients
Garlicky Spinach-Artichoke Hummus
Baba Ghanoush Dip and Salad Dressing
Roasted Sweet Potato Fries with Sriracha-Lime Mayo
Shop chicken vegetable meatballs
Anthony's Organic Chickpea ...Shop on Amazon
Anthony's Organic Flaxseed ...Shop on Amazon
Nature's Way Organic MCT Oi...Shop on Amazon
KPKitchen Silicone Mini Muf...Shop on Amazon
Microplane Professional Ser...Shop on Amazon
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Chicken Vegetable Meatballs
Ingredients
Instructions
- Place all of the ingredients in a large bowl. Gently fold together with your hands until everything is well incorporated. Let sit for the garbanzo and flax flours to plump a bit while you pre-heat the oven.
- Pre-heat the oven to 450 degrees F.
- Grease a mini-muffin tin with coconut or MCT oil. Or for a low-oil option, line a baking sheet with parchment paper or silicon mat.
- Roll meat mixture into 1″ balls, see note. The balls keep their shape during baking.
- Place the meatballs onto the baking sheet or muffin tin and bake for 15 minutes or until meatballs are cooked through and gently browned.
Notes
Nutrition
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Holly
Awesome recipe! I can't wait to try this... I love chicken and this is a new way to cook it! Thank you!
Beth
Thanks, Holly. I love making favorites like this into party foods, and hope you will enjoy them!
Heather
I have never had a chicken meatball. I have made turkey ones and liked them very much. I am excited to try these. They sound delish!
Beth
Heather, I used to use a lot of turkey too but we've found lately we prefer the milder flavor of the chicken. But either would work well in this recipe!
Robin
These look delicious and perfect for my new air fryer! Thank you!
Beth
Robin, oh, I'd love to hear how they come out in the air fryer - I haven't had a chance to try them that way. The small size should work well.
Lucy
These look amazing! Did not know they could be eaten alone, sounds delicious!
Beth
Lucy, they contain lots of vegetables, which gives them a good flavor and texture even without a dip.
Angela
These will be great as appetizers for the Super Bowl
Beth
Angela, I'll be making some for the Super Bowl too! They're easy to make and serve, which is a plus.
Sydney Delong
These look great! Your photos are gorgeous as well!
Beth
Sydney, thanks so much for that supportive comment! Yes, my goal is make the photos look as good as the food, and glad to hear you think so.
Charlene
This looks delicious! My sister and her family don't eat red meat. I should make this for them!
Beth
Charlene, they are really good and don't take long to make - a great option for people who are avoiding red meat!
Lora Rovegna
These look so good! I might have to make them the next time my book club has a party. I'm always looking for good and easy appetizers.
Beth
Thanks, Lora, these do make a good book club appetizer because they hold together well, so are easy to eat - and they don't take long to mix up. Enjoy!
Malia
Delicious! I bet the apple and carrot give it a nice moisture and sweetness. Thanks for this recipe!
Beth
Thanks, Malia, you are right - just enough sweetness to make them feel like a snack rather than dinner, I think. I hope you'll enjoy it!
Lisa
Yum this looks do delicious! Can’t wait to try
Beth
Thanks, Lisa - they are delicious! I hope you have a chance to try them soon!
Maria G
They look delicious, and the sauce is always a clincher for me.
Beth
Thanks, Maria, I'm always up for dipping food in sauce too - I love how you can customize the flavors that way.
Cindy
These look really good, especially with the sauce. I can't wait to try them.
Beth
Thanks, Cindy, the best part is that because they're pretty mild they can go with different sauces - use your favorite!
Jen
These look delicious and I cannot wait to give them a try!
Beth
Thanks, Jen, they are delicious and I hope you enjoy them as much as we do.
Katherine Wolfe
These look and sound really good! I like how they're a wee bit crispy.
Beth
Katharine, these are really designed for my grandson, who will be more likely to eat them if they have a slight crispiness and are not mushy at all. It works for the adults too!
Jennifer
I like this concept to bake in the oven. Thanks for sharing.
Beth
Jennifer, what I like about the oven-baking is that the meatballs develop a light crust on the bottom, which everyone likes. Enjoy!
Amy Irvin
These looks sooo good! This isa great layout of the recipe, including the pics.
Beth
Amy, thank you so much! My goal is to make the food look as good as it really is, and I always hope I've succeeded.
Suzan
These look like they sure wouldn't last long if you get my drift 🙂
Beth
Suzan, haha, yes you are right about that drift! I often make a double batch just for that reason.
vanessa
You know, I never thought to place the meatballs in the muffin pan....awesome!
Beth
Vanessa, these meatballs hold their shape so well you don't really need to use the muffin tin unless you want them crisp a little bit up the sides - but that's really popular. Enjoy!
Stacey Billingsley
I've never tried anything like this, but your pictures look so good! I wonder if I could make this in my air fryer. I try to cook everything in that thing these days. Ha! Thanks for the recipe.
Beth
Stacey, I haven't tried these in the air fryer, but that's because I just got one for Christmas. If you do have a chance to try them that way, please let me know! They should work great.
Tricia Snow
These look absolutely delicious! I can 't wait to eat!
Beth
Tricia, they are tasty and easy. I hope you get a chance to try them and let me know what you think!!
Christina Furnival
I am going to have to give these a try! We do meatballs often but really don't make them veg enriched. They sound so good, especially with the sauce!
Beth
Christina, thanks so much! I love the extra color and flavor, plus that you can add whatever vegetables you like. Enjoy!
Brianna
This looks so delicious!
Beth
Brianna, thank you! They are, and easy too.
Tara
These look super yummy! I’m glad they’re made gluten free as well. I’m saving the recipe for later!
Beth
Tara, thank you! Some recipes are fairly easy to make gluten-free, and this is one of them. Enjoy!
Robin @ Reinventing Robin
Those look really good! I love all the veggies that are in them, without them really looking like veggies- perfect for my 8 year old who seems to have a special 6th sense that he uses to detect veggies, lol! Thanks for the recipe!
Beth
Robin, haha, yes I know what you mean about that 6th sense. I hope this one will work for him!
Trisha
I love the idea of using chicken for a meatball! These look delicious!
Beth
Trisha, chicken really appeals to people at parties and these are really popular. I hope you enjoy them.
Shirley
This looks yummy and easy. I think I will try it for my grandson. Thanks for sharing!
Beth
Shirley, I hope your grandson likes them as much as mine does. Finger foods are so easy for little ones to manage!
Christopher Redding
This looks like a great game day delight, thank you for sharing!
Beth
Christopher, thank you! They make a great snack or appetizer, for sure.
Susan
Oh my goodness... these look so good. I could do these and portion out enough for me into vacuum sealer bags and keep them in the freezer. They look like they'd be good just about anytime.
Beth
Susan, you're right about them being good in lots of ways - even as a burrito filling. thanks!
Michele
I have never heard of this but they sound delicious!
Beth
Thanks, Michele, they are easy and fun to serve, as well as tasty!
T.M. Brown
These look so different and I love the fruit and veggie inclusion!! Printing this one off to give a try.
Beth
Thanks so much! (And do you go by T.M.?) They're colorful without being too different from a meatball. I hope you'll let me know if you have a chance to try them!
Beatriz
Delicious! They look like great snacks!
Beth
Beatriz, thanks so much! It's one way the toddler will eat chicken, and it makes the adults happy too.
Lisa
These look sooooo yummy!!!!
Beth
Thanks, Lisa, they are, and easy enough to make often.
Cindy
Looks like a good recipe! I’m plant based. I’ll have to try this with the ground Beyond Meat.
Beth
Cindy, thanks! I'd love to know how they turn out. I'm working on a plant-based version myself, probably based on chickpeas.