A ground turkey or chicken meatball with a great texture, moist yet firm, slightly yielding and tender, juicy with a great flavor? How about all of the above, and great baked, sautéed, or served in a sauce or simmered in soup? Impossible? Not anymore, and not with these Turkey or Chicken Ricotta Meatballs.
Healthy Italian Wedding Soup
I first tried chicken meatballs in 2002, a recipe by a celebrity chef – and I called up my sister and ranted on about how awful they were! I asked her if she rememberd and her answer was “OMG, yes!” I must have really ranted because that was 13 years ago! I remember my sister was like, “Why would you make a chicken meatball?!”
About Turkey or Chicken Ricotta Meatballs:
I was inspired to make a ground chicken or turkey meatball because I wanted something a little different, a little healthier, and I just knew that chicken meatballs could be delish and take on so many different flavors. They’re just as versatile as meatballs from pork or ground beef.
And so began a series of experiments involving a lot of turkey and chicken meatballs. Finally, I hit on the perfect meatball, one that stands up to the heat and stays perfectly moist. But that wasn’t all…right about that time, I came across a post from Audry at Lady Melady about her Elk Meatballs with Ricotta.
I had to try my Turkey or Chicken Ricotta Meatballs with Ricotta (hence the name, lol), and it rocked! I rethought my recipe and made a few hundred more! 
Just to make sure they were good, mind you. They were even better! I couldn’t stop eating them!
I adore my Turkey or Chicken Ricotta Meatballs, and I think you’ll love them, too!
Chicken and Ricotta Meatballs – my very 1st photo from 2015. I actually think they look better than my 2026 updates! More appetizing, anyway.
The Flavors of the Meatballs:
My Turkey or Chicken Ricotta Meatballs have an Italian lean. There’s ricotta cheese in them, but what really makes them is the blend of spices, fennel, coriander, and crushed white peppercorns that’s so unusual and so addicting.
That blend came from a recipe from Chef Michael Chiarello, and I mix it up as Michael Chiarello’s Spice Blend . I use it in and on so many things. (I don’t even like fennel that much, but the blend is magic!) You’ll want to make a batch of that up before you make the meatballs. That is, unless you have ideas of your own; go for it if you do.
Michael Chiarello’s Fennel Spice Rub
How to Use Turkey or Chicken Ricotta Meatballs:
How many ways will you love these meatballs?
You’ll love them in Italian Wedding Soup, cooked in or served with Cook’s Ilustrated Quick Marinara, and you’ll love them with my Herbed Yogurt Sauce, maybe cooked with a little Kale. It’s the same sauce I use for my Zucchini & Summer Squash, and the lemon in the sauce works so well with the spices in the meatballs.)
You’ll love these meatballs just plain, cold from the fridge, maybe in the middle of the night. Don’t ask how I know this. I *just* do.
Making Turkey or Chicken Ricotta Meatballs:
I know a lot of people might hesitate at the following, so you do you and just buy your ground chicken or turkey if you want to. I don’t trust either; both are items frequently recalled, and the nutritional information is often lacking. And, you never know what part of the bird is used. To add insult to injury, sales-priced chicken breast or thighs are often less than ground.
I have a food processor and grind my own. The texture is better, it’s always fresh, and the flavor is outstanding. Just cut your chicken into 2-inch chunks, refrigerate it so it’s cold, and pulse. Leave some larger pieces, maybe about the size of a trimmed pinkie nail.
Once the meatballs are mixed up, the mixture is super soft. Just toss it in the fridge for a while to firm up a bit and allow the bread crumbs to incorporate. Once cold, measuring it with a scoop makes it super easy to plop these meatballs out on a sheet tray in minutes! The meatballs probably are not going to be perfectly round; that’s the trade-off for such a moist meatball, but they’re close enough. If you want a perfectly round meatball, you might need to add more breadcrumbs.
Cooking the Meatballs:
Turkey or Chicken Ricotta Meatballs are versatile. I usually double or triple the recipe, bake them off, and keep them in my freezer. It’s interesting how different elements of flavor come through with a change in the cooking method, but all are delicious:
- Cook the meatballs off in the oven till browned.
- Drop into soup or broth raw,
- Or saute until done.
Always double-check the temperature of several meatballs with a thermometer. Turning white is not a safe indicator of chicken doneness.
See how moist these meatballs are! And so delish.
Notes on Turkey or Chicken Ricotta Meatballs:
A few notes on the recipe:
- The spice Fennel Spice Rub will need to be made ahead of time for this recipe. It makes about 1 1/2 cups, so cut the recipe down if you want. I keep it on hand and use it in many ways (I list my fave ways in the post.)
- I have made chicken meatballs in many variations: with dairy and without, with bread crumbs and without, with different herbs, with and without cooking the onion, and so on, and found the best texture includes the elements in the recipe below.
- Although ground turkey or chicken will work, the best texture (and I think the safest product) also depends on pulsing your own in the food processor.
- You may wish to double or triple and keep them, after being baked in the freezer, for handy meals.
Homemade Whole Milk Ricotta
Variations:
Just in case you don’t want to make ricotta meatballs, as in the recipe below, I also included notes to make the meatballs without the ricotta in the recipe notes. That was my original best recipe before I discovered how good these are with ricotta.
If you don’t have ricotta and can’t buy it in your area, I have an easy recipe for Whole Milk Ricotta. It can be made and strained in under an hour.
Chicken or Turkey Ricotta Meatballs
Turkey or Chicken Ricotta Meatballs
Great texture, moist yet firm, slightly yielding and tender, juicy with a great flavor.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes + chill
- Cook Time: 12 minutes but varies by method
- Total Time: 1 1/2 hours
- Yield: 20 meatba;;s 1x
- Category: Main Dish Chicken
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
- 1 pound cold boneless, skinless chicken thighs cut in chunks
- 1/2 onion, finely diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoons olive oil plus extra for the pan
- 1 slice of bread, preferably in crumbs
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1 cup Ricotta (may use cottage cheese that’s been blended) *
- 1 slightly heaping tablespoon Michael Chiarello’s Fennel Spice Rub
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 egg
Instructions
In a food processor, working with about half of the chicken at a time, process into fine bits with some pasty chicken and some noticeable small chunks. (See photo.) Place in refrigerator while you continue with the recipe.
In a small pan, heat oil, add onion, cover and cook over medium heat for two to three minutes, uncover and stir occasionally until softened. Add garlic and cook for a moment. Add to a bowl.
To the onions, add the rest of ingredients except chicken and the additional oil for the pan. Mix together well, then add the chicken, thoroughly mixing. Cover and place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to an hour to allow time for it to firm up enough to work with.
To bake:
Heavily oil a cookie sheet, lower an oven rack to the lowest setting and preheat to 400 degrees. Portion out the chicken into balls the size of a level tablespoon using two spoons or a scoop. They do not need to be perfectly round, and it may be likely that they will not hold a perfectly round shape. Bake about 12 minutes or until thermometer registers 165 degrees in the center of several meatballs.
After meatballs are baked, they may be sautéed until nicely browned. If making soup, the pan the meatballs are cooked on may be deglazed with wine, stock or water and the resulting liquid (defatted if desired) added to the finished dish.
To Saute:
Heat a little oil in a skillet or electric frying pan and saute until the desired temperature is reached. The pan may be deglazed with wine, stock or water and added to the finished dish.
To Simmer:
Drop into simmering broth or water and cook for about 10 minutes.
* Note: original recipe without Ricotta used 2 cups bread crumbs and 1/2 cup of milk, 1 garlic clove, and 2 teaspoons spice rub. Notice the fewer spices; that’s correct. The meatballs with cheese needed more.
A scoop is going to cut your work time considerably! It will take just minutes to form the meatballs.
z 
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