Marry Me Chicken Meatballs

Marry Me Chicken Meatballs is a pasta recipe ready in 45 min. It makes 6 servings, each 560 kcal with 27 g protein. Intermediate level, 24 ingredients, and it keeps for work lunches.

Recipe by @sammymontgoms, adapted and measured by Cookpath.

  • 45 min35 min hands-on
  • Intermediatelevel
  • 560kcal a serving
  • 27 gprotein
Jump to the recipe
Marry Me Chicken Meatballs

What is Marry Me Chicken Meatballs

Chicken meatballs finished in a one-pan orzo with a creamy sun-dried tomato, parmesan and spinach sauce.

More:Meal prep recipesChicken recipes

How to make Marry Me Chicken Meatballs

Tips from the cook

  • Meatballs too soft to roll? Add another tablespoon of breadcrumbs.
  • Don't worry about cooking the meatballs through in the pan; they finish in the sauce.
  • Stir the orzo while it simmers so it doesn't stick to the pan.
  • No wine? Use more stock. Ditalini or rice work instead of orzo; turkey, pork or sausage instead of chicken.
Cook it with the app

Step by step with timers, in your shopping list in one tap.

Get Cookpath

Goes well with

Sides from Cookpath that balance this dish, the same picks the app suggests.

Cucumber Dill Salad15 min · 50 kcalGarlic Confit Bruschetta1 h 45 min · 190 kcal

Meal prep and storage

Good as a work lunch

Still good after 2 to 3 days in the fridge, cold or microwaved.

Keeps 4 days in the fridge (reheat gently with a splash of stock or cream), or 2 months in the freezer.

Prep a few days

See this week’s meal prep plan on the blog, or plan your own week in the app.

Marry Me Chicken Meatballs substitutions

Out of something, or cooking around an allergy. Each swap was checked against a source.

Butter2 options
  • Vegan/dairy-free butter block 1:1 by weight

    Soft tub margarine fails in pastry and cheesecake base.

  • Olive oil use about 3/4 as much by volume

    Not for creaming or pastry; base goes oily.

Egg2 options
  • Flax egg (1 tbsp ground flax + 3 tbsp water) per egg

    Not above 3 eggs, not sponge.

  • 60 g unsweetened applesauce per egg

    Denser.

Milk3 options
  • Unsweetened soy drink 1:1

    Thickens less than dairy.

    Still contains soy.

  • Gluten-free oat drink 1:1

    Must be labelled gluten-free.

  • Unsweetened almond drink 1:1

    Thin; tree nut.

    Still contains tree nuts.

Breadcrumbs2 options
  • Gluten-free breadcrumbs 1:1 by weight
  • Crushed rice cereal or polenta 1:1 by weight

    Check label for gluten.

Parmesan2 options
  • Vegetarian hard Italian-style cheese (made with microbial rennet) 1:1 by weight

    Grana Padano contains egg lysozyme.

    Still contains dairy.

  • Nutritional yeast (fortified flakes) 1:1 by volume, add a pinch of salt

    No melt; less sharp.

Onion powder2 options
  • Garlic powder use about half as much
  • Leave out leave out (small background flavour)
Onion2 options
  • Leek, white and light-green part 1:1 by volume

    Still an allium; raw dishes.

  • Fennel bulb, finely diced 1:1 by volume

    Sweet aniseed note; raw dishes.

Orzo3 options
  • Ditalini (or macaroni, stelline) 1:1 by weight; similar small-pasta cook time

    Larger shapes such as fusilli/farfalle cook longer.

    Still contains gluten.

  • Long-grain rice roughly 1:1 by weight; rice needs more liquid and different timing (unverified)

    Texture differs from pasta.

  • Gluten-free small pasta / gluten-free orzo use a labelled gluten-free one; page says GF orzo exists but is hard to find

    Availability.

    Still contains gluten.

From the cook: Ditalini or rice work instead of orzo; turkey, pork or sausage instead of chicken..

White wine1 option
  • Stock + 1 tsp lemon juice or mild vinegar per 100 ml 1:1 by volume

    Less complexity.

    Still contains celery.

Chicken stock3 options
  • Vegetable stock (check the label for celery) 1:1 by volume

    Less poultry flavour; the page notes vegetable broth usually has celery, carrots, onions.

    Still contains celery.

  • Mushroom broth (dried or fresh shiitake simmered in plain water 20-30 min) 1:1 by volume

    Earthy taste.

  • Miso whisked into hot water (1-2 tsp per 1 cup) 1:1 by volume

    Add late; do not boil hard.

    Still contains soy.

Heavy cream2 options
  • Oat cooking cream (GF-labelled) or soy cream 1:1

    Does not whip.

    Still contains soy.

  • Coconut cream (top layer of can) 1:1

    Coconut flavour.

Cook next

Pasta · 25 min · 35 g proteinLemon Chicken Orzo Pasta · 40 min · 25 g proteinTuscan Chicken Meatball Pasta Pasta · 3 h 35 min · 41 g proteinChicken Penne alla Vodka Pasta · 30 min · 27 g proteinCreamy Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta Pasta · 40 min · 60 g proteinHoney BBQ Chicken Mac Pasta · 45 min · 50 g proteinCornflake Chicken Alfredo