Make a dozen cheesy, baked Chicken Enchilada Meatballs in about 30 minutes! Serve them on a bed of rice for a simple, delicious meal.
Make a dozen cheesy, baked Chicken Enchilada Meatballs in about 30 minutes! Serve them on a bed of rice for a simple, delicious meal.

Today I want to share a recipe I created for yummy Chicken Enchilada Meatballs. One day I thawed out a pound of ground chicken, but didn’t quite know what I wanted to make with it. I put on my “thinking cap”, and came up with this recipe for Chicken Enchilada Meatballs! It was fun playing around with ingredients I thought would work well, and we loved the results.

I love meatball recipes (beef, chicken or pork), because they’re very budget friendly. To be able to get four servings out of a pound of chicken, ground beef or pork is a win-win in my book! Of course, this recipe would also work perfectly with ground beef instead of ground chicken, but I was going for lower calories, so the ground chicken won out!

The meatballs come together VERY EASILY, are quickly browned in a skillet, then bake for 20-25 minutes before serving. Chicken Enchilada meatballs not only have cheddar cheese inside, but they’re covered with enchilada sauce and more cheese before baking! They are only a tiny bit spicy, but if you prefer your food less spicy, simply use less of the chili powder and ground cumin called for in my recipe! Here’s how to make this dish:

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Let’s Make Some Meatballs!

Place one pound of ground chicken, a large egg, and 2 Tablespoons of chunky salsa in a large bowl. Stir, to combine these three ingredients well. It will be a very “wet” meat mixture.

Ground chicken is combined with an egg, and some chunky salsa.

Measure finely crushed tortilla chips, grated cheddar, garlic powder, ground cumin, chili powder, onion powder, and salt into a SEPARATE bowl, and stir to combine. Add these “dry” ingredients to the ground chicken mixture, and stir well, to fully incorporate these ingredients.

Divide the seasoned ground chicken mixture evenly into 12 portions, shaping each portion into a meatball by rolling mixture between your hands. Place each meatball (after forming) on a piece of wax paper or foil. Continue until all the meatballs have been formed.

Finely crushed tortilla chips, grated cheddar cheese and spices will season meatballs.Spices, grated cheddar, and crushed tortilla chips are combined with ground chicken mixture in bowl.Ground chicken is fully seasoned and is ready to make meatballs.

Pan-Sear The Chicken Enchilada Meatballs

Heat oil on Medium-High heat in a large, non-stick skillet until very hot, but not smoking. Add the meatballs carefully to the hot oil in a single layer and let them cook for 1-2 minutes before turning. Let the meatballs brown on all sides and be cooked through before removing them from the skillet. This usually takes about 5-6 minutes.

Twelve chicken enchilada meatballs are quickly pan-seared in hot oil in a large skillet.All 12 meatballs are browned on all sides in the skillet, then removed.

Prepare The Meatballs For Baking

Pour enough red enchilada sauce into a 2 quart baking dish to just lightly cover the bottom. Place the browned/cooked meatballs on top of the sauce in a single layer. Pour the remaining enchilada sauce over the top, making sure to cover all the meatballs.

Sprinkle the top of the meatballs with additional grated cheddar cheese, to cover. Now the chicken enchilada meatballs are ready to be baked!

Browned meatballs are place in single layer in a baking dish with enchilada sauce on the bottom.Red enchilada sauce is poured on top of the chicken enchilada meatballs in dish.Additional grated cheddar cheese is sprinkled on the sauce-covered meatballs before baking.

Bake And Serve the Chicken Enchilada Meatballs

Cover the dish with aluminum foil. Bake the chicken enchilada meatballs in a preheated 350°F. oven for 20-25 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbly around the edges, and the cheese has melted. We especially enjoy these meatballs served on top of hot, steamed rice. We portion out three meatballs per serving, which will provide you with 4 total servings. When served with the rice, it is a very filling meal.

Leftover meatballs reheat very well in the microwave, so we always make a full batch and then enjoy leftovers for our lunches. Store leftover meatballs and sauce, covered in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 3-4 days.

Chicken Enchilada Meatballs, covered with melted cheese, after baking 20 minutes.Three of the chicken enchilada meatballs are served hot, on a bed of steamed rice.

I hope you enjoy these delicious meatballs! Thanks for taking the time to stop by today, and I invite you to come back again, for more delicious, family friendly recipes. Take care, may God bless you, and have a GREAT day!

Looking For More MEATBALL Recipes?

You can find ALL of my recipes in the Recipe Index, which is located at the top of the page. I have some wonderful meatball recipes for you to choose from, including:

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↓↓ PRINTABLE RECIPE BELOW ↓↓

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Chicken Enchilada Meatballs
Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
20 mins
Total Time
35 mins
 

Make a dozen cheesy, baked Chicken Enchilada Meatballs in about 30 minutes! Serve them on a bed of rice for a simple, delicious meal.

Category: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: chicken enchilada meatballs
Servings: 4 (3 meatballs per serving)
Calories Per Serving: 367 kcal
Author: JB @ The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Ingredients
For Meatballs:
  • 1 pound ground chicken
  • 1 large egg
  • 2 Tablespoons chunky salsa or picante sauce
  • cup grated cheddar cheese
  • cup finely crushed tortilla chips
  • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
  • ½ teaspoon ground cumin
  • ½ teaspoon chili powder
  • ½ teaspoon onion powder
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
For Rest Of Recipe:
  • 1 Tablespoon vegetable oil or other neutral oil
  • 10 ounces canned red enchilada sauce
  • cup grated cheese
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350°F.

  2. Place ground chicken, egg, and salsa in large bowl. Stir, to combine.

  3. In SEPARATE bowl, combine crushed tortilla chips, ⅓ cup grated cheddar, garlic powder, cumin, chili powder, onion powder, and salt. Add to chicken mixture. Stir well, to fully incorporate ingredients.

  4. Divide chicken mixture evenly into 12 portions, shaping each portion into a meatball. Place each meatball (after forming) on wax paper.

  5. Heat oil on Medium-High heat in a large, non-stick skillet until very hot, but not smoking. Add meatballs carefully to hot oil, in a single layer. Cook 1-2 minutes before turning. Cook meatballs until browned on all sides and cooked through before removing them from skillet (approx. 5-6 minutes total).

  6. Pour enough enchilada sauce in a 2 quart baking dish to lightly cover the bottom. Place meatballs on top of the sauce in a single layer. Pour remaining enchilada sauce over the top, covering the meatballs. Top with additional grated cheese.

  7. Cover baking dish with foil. Bake at 350°F. for 20-25 minutes, or until sauce is bubbly around edges, and cheese has melted. Remove from oven; serve meatballs on top of hot, steamed rice, if desired. Enjoy!

Nutrition Facts
Chicken Enchilada Meatballs
Amount Per Serving (3 meatballs)
Calories 367 Calories from Fat 198
% Daily Value*
Fat 22g34%
Saturated Fat 7g44%
Trans Fat 0.1g
Polyunsaturated Fat 5g
Monounsaturated Fat 7g
Cholesterol 163mg54%
Sodium 1058mg46%
Potassium 678mg19%
Carbohydrates 14g5%
Fiber 2g8%
Sugar 5g6%
Protein 28g56%
Vitamin A 845IU17%
Vitamin C 2mg2%
Calcium 164mg16%
Iron 2mg11%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Here’s one more to pin on your Pinterest boards!Make a dozen cheesy, baked Chicken Enchilada Meatballs in about 30 minutes! Serve them on a bed of rice for a simple, delicious meal.

Chicken Enchilada Meatballs

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