Incredible chicken meatballs baked in muffin tin!! Moist, saucy, easy and delicious baked barbecue chicken meatballs with avocado are easy enough for weeknight dinner and great for meal prep.
We are talking meatballs today!
Moist. Juicy. Saucy. Cheesy. DELICIOUS.
I did share this Baked Chicken Avocado Meatballs ( minus barbecue sauce and breadcrumbs) recipe a while ago and it has been a reader favorite.
How can anything with avocado not be good, right?
It adds moisture and creaminess to the meatball.
Here are a few reasons to love these baked barbecue chicken meatballs with avocado:
- Baked in a muffin tin
- Lean ground chicken
- meal prep friendly
- Easy weeknight dinner
- One bowl
- Tasty
- Sneaky avocado
How to make baked chicken meatballs with sneaky avocado?
Step-1: Stir ground chicken, egg, mashed avocado, shredded mozzarella, barbecue sauce, chopped onion, garlic, salt and red pepper flakes together.
Step-2: Divide mixture into greased muffin tin
Step-3: Bake at 450 degrees for about 22 minutes.
Step-4: (optional) Broil for 1-2 minutes after to give a darker finish
Done and DONE.
I told you... easy!
Baked Chicken Meatballs with Cauliflower and Carrots <--- An all purpose baked chicken meatball recipe
Why bake chicken meatballs in muffin tin?
If you closely take a look at the ingredient list, then you will notice that this baked chicken meatball recipe does not include breadcrumbs or any other binding ingredients. But, there is a lot of moisture from barbecue sauce and avocado which contributes to the moist, tender chicken meatball.
Hence the mixture is too soft to be shaped into meatballs.
Muffin tin to the rescue!
How to serve baked barbecue chicken meatballs with avocado?
- For dinner with mashed potatoes/ sweet potatoes, steamed green beans/broccoli/ corn on the side
- Meal prep. Cool baked chicken meatballs to room temperature and refrigerate. Heat in microwave before eating. I packed my meal prep containers with charred corn ( Toss frozen corn onto a screaming hot cast iron skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, until it begins char. Season with salt, pepper and a dash of butter. You could totally use corn on the cob during summer) and Carrot ribbons (Cut thin strips of carrot with a vegetable peeler).
- Freeze. Place leftover baked chicken meatballs on a baking sheet and freeze until solid. Transfer frozen chicken meatballs into a zip lock bag and freeze for up to a month. Thaw at room temperature and you could bake or microwave to heat (brush a coating of bbq sauce to finish)
Baked Barbecue Chicken Meatballs with avocado (gluten free)
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground chicken
- 1 large egg
- ½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- ⅓ cup mashed avocado
- ¼ cup barbecue sauce
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped onion
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 1 pinch red pepper flakes
Additional ingredient
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees F with oven rack placed in the middle of the oven. Grease a standard muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.
- Add all ingredients into a large bowl and mix thoroughly. Divide about ¼ cup measure mixture into each of 10 muffin cups (an ice cream scoop comes very handy).
- Smear the tops with additional barbecue sauce.
- Bake for 21-22 minutes, until cooked through. [Optional step - Turn oven off (with muffin tin still in the oven) and turn on broiler mode. Let the meatballs broil for just a minute or two to caramelize the tops]
- Remove pan and place on a wire rack to cool slightly before serving.
To meal prep Bbq chicken meatballs
- Place cooled meatballs into meal prep containers with carrots and corn on the cob or corn kernels.
Nutrition
Nutritional information, based on third-party calculations, should be seen as estimates, not guarantees, as various factors like product types, brands, processing methods, and more can alter the nutritional content in recipes.
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Kelly @ Kelly Lynns Sweets and Treats
What a neat trick cooking these in a muffin tin! I will have to try that 🙂 and these just look so moist and flavorful. Love the sneaky avocado!!
Shelli
Could you use ground turkey instead?
Maria Doss
I haven't worked with ground turkey, but I'm sure that it will work:)
Ashika | Gardening Foodie
This is such a great lunch box treat Maria...and I love how you used a muffin tin to make these.
Katherine | Love In My Oven
I love these photos, and these meatballs! I like the idea of sneaking avocado in too 🙂