Meatballs are one of my favorite make-ahead meals. When I was in college, my mom would send me back to school with a big batch of them to make sure I was eating real food. Now I cook them myself and keep some tucked away in the freezer for nights when I really don’t feel like cooking.
Sometimes I do get a little tired of the tomato-and-oregano-flavored balls waiting for me, though. Don’t get me wrong — our classic meatballs are so tender and delicious, and I’d recommend them to anyone. But I’ve started to add different flavor profiles to my rotation too, including these lemon pepper chicken meatballs.
Get the recipe: Creamy Lemon Pepper Chicken Meatballs
What Makes Creamy Lemon Pepper Chicken Meatballs So Amazing
Lemon pepper is not normally a seasoning I reach for, but I absolutely love how it totally elevates one of my favorite proteins. The pepper adds a subtle kick and warmth to the dish, which I loved. And the lemon brings a much-needed tang and a little citrusy freshness to help cut through the heaviness of the cream sauce.
What can be better than a creamy, garlicky sauce? I can’t think of much. I was seriously dragging my meatballs through the sauce before every bite because I needed to make sure I was getting as much flavor as possible. I can even see myself making a meatball sub with a crispy baguette, these lemon pepper meatballs, and lots of creamy sauce.
Once I like a dish, I tend to make it over and over again, which eventually leads to flavor fatigue. I loved how this recipe helped me mix up one of my favorite things — meatballs! — with fun new flavors. It’s even inspired me to try out other meatball recipes, like cowboy meatballs and Greek chicken meatballs.
How to Make Creamy Lemon Pepper Chicken Meatballs
Start by grating a small yellow onion and four cloves of garlic. Add half of the garlic to a bowl with the onion to make the meatballs, and set the other half aside for your sauce later. To your meatball ingredient bowl, add parsley, breadcrumbs, milk, egg, lemon pepper seasoning, and salt. Mix together and add in your ground chicken (ground turkey also works!).
Next, form small balls of the chicken mixture with your hands and place them on a lined baking sheet. Pop them into a 425°F oven for about 12 minutes. While you wait for them to cook, start on the sauce.
To a skillet, melt down some butter then add the other half of your grated garlic and a bit of flour. Stir constantly for about a minute, so the flour taste is cooked out. Then add milk, lemon pepper seasoning, and chicken broth. Whisk all of this together until it is smooth. Let it simmer gently for a few minutes, while stirring occasionally, until it becomes nice and thick.
Add the baked meatballs straight to the pan with your sauce. Then put the pan into the oven so your meatballs can brown a bit (you might have to turn on your broiler for a minute or two). Serve with egg noodles, mashed potatoes, rice, bread, or whatever you’re craving.
Get the recipe: Creamy Lemon Pepper Chicken Meatballs
