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:
Scroll Down For A Printable Recipe Card At The Bottom Of The Page
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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
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:
- Hawaiian Meatballs And Rice
- Mom’s Swedish Meatballs and Rice
- Firecracker Chicken Meatballs
- Easy Meatballs For Spaghetti
- Chicken Ricotta Meatballs For 2
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↓↓ PRINTABLE RECIPE BELOW ↓↓
Make a dozen cheesy, baked Chicken Enchilada Meatballs in about 30 minutes! Serve them on a bed of rice for a simple, delicious meal.
- 1 pound ground chicken
- 1 large egg
- 2 Tablespoons chunky salsa or picante sauce
- ⅓ cup grated cheddar cheese
- ⅓ cup finely crushed tortilla chips
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 Tablespoon vegetable oil or other neutral oil
- 10 ounces canned red enchilada sauce
- ⅓ cup grated cheese
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Place ground chicken, egg, and salsa in large bowl. Stir, to combine.
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.
Divide chicken mixture evenly into 12 portions, shaping each portion into a meatball. Place each meatball (after forming) on wax paper.
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).
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.
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!
Here’s one more to pin on your Pinterest boards!