These French Onion Chicken Meatballs (Low Carb) are juicy, tender, and packed with all of the classic flavors of a comforting French onion soup! Add a scoop to a bowl of egg noodles, on toasted bread, or enjoy them for a super savory dinner.
7slicesHavarti cheeseor substitute with 2 cups gruyere cheese
Instructions
Chicken Meatballs
Preheat your oven to 450 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set it aside.
In a large mixing bowl, combine all meatball ingredients. Mix well with your hands or a spoon until combined.
Scoop the chicken mixture with a 1½ - inch cookie scoop onto the parchment paper-lined cookie sheet.
Using wet hands form the meatballs and place them back on the baking sheet.
Bake for 8-10 minutes or until the internal temperature is 165F. Keep oven on to melt the cheese on top.
French Onion Sauce
Heat a large oven-safe skillet over medium-low heat and add the olive oil. Add sliced onions and salt, cook until very soft and golden brown, about 20 minutes, add butter halfway after cooking. Stirring them often to prevent burning.
Add in the minced garlic and cook for an additional minute.
Add the fresh thyme and beef broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes.
Add the baked meatballs to the skillet, top with some of the caramelized onions, and then the cheese over the meatballs.
Add pan to the 450F oven and bake until cheese has melted about 3-5 minutes. Serve them warm, garnish the meatballs with fresh parsley.
Notes
Substitutions and Tips:
Onions: I prefer sweet onions for this recipe. But you could use whatever onion you wanted – white, yellow, red, etc.
Cheese: I like using Havarti or Gruyère cheese, but you can swap it for one of the following cheeses or use any combination of Jarlsberg, Asiago, a mix of Fontina/Parmesan, Swiss, or Gouda.
Stock: Beef stock produces a rich, deep flavor. You could use chicken stock but the sauce would have a lighter and brighter taste.
Ground Meat: This recipe should work with ground beef or pork (or a combination) just make sure to buy lean meat!
Bread Crumbs: You can swap potato chips for bread crumbs, panko, or almond meal, however, this does raise the carb count to the recipe.Can you freeze the meatballs?
These meatballs and sauce will keep in the fridge in an airtight container for 4 days. You can also freeze them and store them in a resealable freezer bag for up to 3 months. I would suggest separating the sauce and meatballs and bring to room temp before reheating them.