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Moist, tender, and totally tantalizing, these Chicken Apple Meatballs are made with shredded apples and coated in a rich, silky smooth apple butter glaze. Easy to make and simple to customize to your liking, these fall meatballs are perfect for any occasion – from snack time and game day, to family dinners and holiday entertaining.
Featured comment: Wow thank you for the great recipe! They’re so fragrant, sweet and oh so tender and juicy! They remind me of the Swedish meatballs my mom always makes for Chriatmas — but perfectly spiced for the fall season.” – Sara
Update: This recipe was originally published in October 2017. I’ve updated the article below to include more information about making the best ground chicken meatballs with apple butter glaze at home.
Hello internet, friends! I hope you are ready for some utterly delicious comforting fall food, because that’s exactly what I’m dishing up today!
Table of Contents
About these chicken apple meatballs
Also known as the best meatball recipe of the fall season! Tender, moist, succulent chicken meatballs bursting with crisp apple flavor and subtly spiced with warm seasonings. Those fall meatballs get generously (and lovingly) tossed in a sweet, savory, smooth, rich apple cider and apple butter glaze. Finish those ground chicken and apple meatballs off with a scattering of fresh scallions, earthy thyme, and a kiss of spicy crushed red peppers and you have a dish that’s LITERALLY so gosh darn delicious its like a party in the USA. But for your tastebuds and stomach.
In case that was a little weird, just listen to this – there is a double dose of apple butter in these meatballs! DOUBLE DOSE! There’s silky, flavorful apple butter in the meatballs themselves AND in the sauce.
Essentially, if you are looking for a cozy, warm, hearty meal that celebrates the gloriousness of apple season and cinnamon-y apple butter, these chicken apple meatballs are for you!
If you’re looking for more recipes to celebrate apple season, try these fan favorites next: Cheddar and Apple Soup, Apple Pork Tenderloin, Pork Chops with Apples, Cinnamon Apple Bread, Healthy Apple Cinnamon Granola, Baked Apple Cider Donuts, Apple Pie Bites recipe, and Spiked Cider.
Ingredients for meatballs with apples
For the meatballs
- Ground Chicken: For the moistest meatballs, use regular ground chicken versus lean all white meat.
- Apples: I prefer to use granny smith apples here as the tart flavor plays well with the sweetness of the apple butter.
- Breadcrumbs: You’ll need panko breadcrumbs for texture and binding.
- Scallions: Mild scallions lend delicate onion flavor.
- Garlic: Two cloves of garlic lend a beautiful aromatic touch.
- Egg: A large egg helps hold the meatballs together while also providing richness and moisture.
- Spices: A combination of allspice, thyme, kosher salt, and ground black pepper all provide flavor.
And the apple butter glaze
- Apple Cider: You can use regular cider, hard apple cider, or apple juice – depending upon your preference. I use the hard stuff because it lends the most flavor and the alcohol cooks out of the sauce.
- Apple Butter: Your favorite brand or homemade works great here.
- Apple Cider Vinegar: A touch of sweet tang to balance out the sweetness.
- Spices: A combination of ground cinnamon and ginger, thyme, and cayenne make this apple glaze sing with flavor.
- Thyme: A sprig of fresh thyme gives the sauce a touch of freshness.
FAQs: frequently asked questions
How long do you cook chicken meatballs in the oven?
The length of time you baked chicken meatballs directly depends on the size of your meatballs and the temperature of your oven.
If you form these chicken apple meatballs into golfball-sized meatballs, they will take approximately 18-22 minutes to bake at 400 degrees F.
You should always bake meatballs until an internal temperature of 165 degrees F registers on an instant-read thermometer and until the juices run clear.
Are chicken meatballs healthy?
Short answer, that depends!
If you are using all dark meat chicken in your meatballs along with tons of breadcrumbs, your chicken meatballs will not be as healthy as a meatball made with lean, white chicken meat and little to no filler.
The chicken apple meatball recipe below allows you to use lean ground chicken, or combination (dark and light meat) ground chicken. As well, grated apple is added to the mix and the recipe only calls for 1/4 cup of panko breadcrumbs. Compared to other chicken meatballs recipes out there, this one is on the healthier side!
Expert tips for making fall meatballs
- I use ground chicken in my meatballs, but feel free to use whatever type of ground meat you would like. Ground turkey or pork would be a great substitution, but ground beef will work too! If you are using ground chicken, I highly recommend you do NOT go with all white meat ground chicken. All ground chicken breasts tend to make the meatballs less juicy and flavorful.
- This recipe for apple meatballs calls for ½ cup of grated apple, which is roughly ¾ of an apple. I use a Granny Smith apple because the tartness balances the sweetness of the apple butter, but feel free to use any variety that hold up well under heat. Honey Crisp and Pink Lady are both excellent substitutions.
- To keep the meatballs from sticking to your hands when rolling them into balls, lightly oil your hands. This trick works like a charm! Also, make sure you DO NOT roll your meatballs into a tight ball. When meatballs are packed too tight they end up tough and chewy after being cooked.
- Make sure you form your meatballs into roughly the same size. You don’t need to be overly obsessive, just make sure they are around the same size. If you want to be precise, you can use a small ice cream scoop (it’s what I use).
- You can make the meatballs mini size or jumbo if you want, just scale the baking time accordingly.
- The alcohol will cook out of the sauce, however if hard cider isn’t your thing, feel free to use plain apple cider or apple juice.
Serving apple butter meatballs
Chicken apple meatballs go with a wide variety of side dishes. Below are some of my favorite serving ideas to get your culinary juices flowing:
- As an appetizer: Apple chicken meatballs are one of my favorite fall appetizer. Simply bake them in the oven and pull out your serving gear, such as a pot holder or cooling rack (for the hot skillet of meatballs!), napkins, and toothpicks, and let guests help themselves. They pair great with this phyllo cup appetizer.
- In a salad or harvest bowl: The sweetness of these apple butter meatballs plays perfectly with bitter greens, like the arugula. Add a little quinoa, your favorite veggies, and a light vinaigrette dressing – and you have yourself a salad party! If you’re looking for a shortcut, this fall butternut salad gets my vote.
- Piled on mashed potatoes: Personally, I love these meatballs with apples over creamy, buttery mashed taters. However, any kind of mash, such as cauliflower, sweet potato mash, or butternut squash mash will taste excellent here.
- Over noodles: If you prefer noodles to potatoes, your favorite pasta works great here too.
- Spoon over Rice: Serving your fall meatballs over your favorite cooked grains is another classic way to serve your meatball.
- With veggies: Keep your dinner on the lighter side by pairing your meatballs with a side of roasted veggies, like maple brussels sprouts or roasted mushrooms.
Storing ground chicken meatballs
- Allow leftover autumn meatballs to cool completely to room temperature before storing in an airtight container in the fridge.
- Leftover chicken and apple meatballs will keep for 3-4 days in the fridge.
- Alternatively, you can store cooked ground poultry meatballs in the freezer for 2-3 months.
Sweet, savory and delicious to the max, these Baked Chicken Apple Meatballs are perfect for game day, holiday entertaining, or simply served over mashed potatoes for dinner. Regardless of how you serve them, I pinkie-promise you are going to LOVE them!
Until next week, friends, cheers – magnificent meatballs!
Cheyanne
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More meatballs recipes!
How to make Baked Chicken Apple Meatballs 👇\
Chicken Apple Meatballs
Equipment
- 1 Large Rimmed Baking Sheet
Ingredients
Chicken Apple Meatballs
- 1 pound Ground Chicken or ground pork, turkey, or beef*
- ¾ Cup Panko Breadcrumbs
- 2 cloves Garlic – minced
- 2 Scallions – finely chopped
- ½ Cup Granny Smith Apple * – peeled & grated (about ¾ of an apple)
- 1 Large Egg – whisked
- ¼ Cup Apple Butter
- ¾ tsp Allspice
- 1 tsp Fresh Thyme Leaves – chopped
- 1 tsp Kosher Salt plus more to taste
Apple Butter Glaze
- ¾ Cup Hard Apple Cider (substitute: Regular Cider or Apple Juice)
- ½ Cup Apple Butter
- 1 TBS Apple Cider Vinegar
- 1/8 tsp Cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp Ground Ginger
- 2 tsp Dijon Mustard
- 1 sprig Thyme
- 1 Pinch Cayenne
- Optional Garnishes: Sliced Green Onions, Thyme, Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or foil for easy clean up.
- Make the meatball mixture: In a large bowl combine all the ingredients for the meatballs. Use your hands or a rubber spatula to gently mix until just combined. Do NOT over-mix the meatballs.
- Form the meatballs: Using wet hands to prevent sticking, roll the mixture into golf ball-sized meatballs (about 2 tablespoons of the mixture for each). If the mixture is too wet, add 1 tablespoon of panko, at a time, to the mix until it is easier to shape. Transfer meatballs to prepared baking sheet.
- Bake Meatballs: for 18-22 minutes, or until lightly browned and meatballs are cooked through.
- MEANWHILE, make the apple butter glaze: In a large skillet combine all the sauce ingredients. Season with ½ teaspoon salt and pinch of pepper. Whisk to combine. Place the skillet over medium heat and bring to a gentle simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, whisking occasionally. for 6-8 minutes, or until sauce is slightly thickened. Reduce heat to low and add the meatballs. Gently toss to thoroughly coat the meatballs.
- To serve: Transfer the glazed meatballs to a serving dish and top with optional garnishes. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
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Sara Hewi
Wow thank you for the great recipe! They’re so fragrant, sweet and oh so tender and juicy! They remind me of the Swedish meatballs my mom always makes for Chriatmas — but perfectly spiced for the fall season. I used 85% lean ground turkey and half pumpkin butter because I ran out of apple butter and they were amazing! I was looking for traditional turkey dinner alternatives for Friendsgivng and can’t wait for everyone to try them — they are going to be a hit!
Rebecca
Thank you for a fabulous recipe!! We were searching for recipes that featured products from an apple orchard where we were having a private cocktail event This recipe was perfect!!
We used the orchard apples, hard cider and apple butter and made sure to use all fresh herbs. For the meat we ground boneless skinless chicken thighs. A tablespoon ball scoop was the right appetizer size. We made them the day before and reheated them in a roaster pan two hours before setting them out in the chafing pans. We served 150 people with rave reviews! Thanks for a keeper!
Cheyanne Bany
Hi Rebecca,
I’m absolutely thrilled you loved this recipe! 150 people is quite a crowd and I’m so very happy to hear everyone enjoyed the meatballs!! Thank you for coming back and letting me know how it went over! You’ve made my day! Cheers!
Danielle
Oh good lord…these were delicious. I don’t have much experience cooking with apple butter. Actually no experience. But these sounded so delicious I had to buy a jar. I just love these so much! I eat a protein heavy diet during the week, and these were the perfect addition to my rotation!
stacey
These sound so perfect for our rainy, chilly weather. I love the savory sweet combo and hard cider is amazing!!
Karen
These were the perfect appetizer to serve at my halloween party…they were great!
marcie
I can’t tell you how much I love cooking with hard apple cider so these meat-ah-balls are calling my name! They look so tender and that sauce is killing me softly! Happy almost weekend!
Jennifer
Love this skillet full of balls of meat 🙂 So perfect with the apple flavours!
Abbe
I am just loving these fall meatballs. I just bought hard cider and apple butter because they are my two favorite fall items. Now you made this genius recipe and I am drooling!
Caroline
these were so good! thanks for the recipe
Ashley
It was the hard apple cider glaze that sold me. These were very good!
Marissa
I’ve been on a meatball tear lately! So I need to add these to the rotation – I’m in a rut! Loving the hard apple cider in these – I bet it makes the flavor and texture amazing!
Ben
This recipe was very good.
Gaila
Chey!! you had me at hard apple cider!! and then glazed meatballs… oh my! I could eat this all weekend long, week days too! for that matter!! Have a great weekend, Chey!
Kelsie
Yaaaaaas to starting weekends early and to these glorious meatballs! Apple butter IN the meatballs is genius! This was fall food at its finest and so perfect for football watching. Thank you so much!
annie@ciaochowbambina
OMG! I cannot handle the creativity surrounding these meatballs! You know how I feel about them without even uttering a word, right? But I will anyway – these are INCREDIBLE! Perfect for entertaining, my friend!! Pinned! xo
Mary Ann
Great minds Chey!! These meatballs look amazing! So nice and juicy. And you know I’m totally loving all that apple flavor. I know Tom will just love these. Perfect for fall entertaining! Happy almost the weekend! XO
Dawn
Woo hoo to these delicious balls of meat 😉 I love anything in a skillet and meatballs are one of the best comfort foods out there. I really loved this fall spin and apprechiate that you used chicken because that means they were a little lighter and so I could eat more! Have a lovely weekend!
Gayle
YES to starting the weekend early! Especially if it involves one of your cocktails and this delicious meatballs! I’m absolutely loving the flavor, Cheyanne! Hard apple cider…so creative! I just want to dive right into that skillet for breakfast. I love both the sweet and savory combo…just what our fall dinners need! Pinned! Hope you have a wonderful weekend!
Kathryn
I adore meatballs and always love trying new flavors and this one is perfect for fall! Such a genius idea to use apple butter (I’m a tad obsessed with the stuff) AND the hard apple cider! Oh wow, there’s so much flavor in these babies! They were a hit at my party, but I can’t wait to make them for dinner and serve them over some mashed potatoes! Thank you!
Angie@Angie’s Recipes
Must make this for my husband as he is a huge fan of all sorts of meatballs. I love the idea of using apple butter in the. So juicy and delicious!