Low-Carb Chicken Pesto Meatballs

These Keto Chicken Pesto Meatballs are a delicious protein option to throw on top of salads, lettuce wraps, or even cauliflower rice. With just a few ingredients this is an easy batch cooking recipe to make on the weekend to have on hand all week for easy low carb meals. Here’s 5 ideas that would carry you through the entire week:

• Serve them on top of zucchini noodles with a little extra pesto and grated Parmesan.
• Tuck them into a lettuce wrap with olives, cherry tomatoes, and artichoke hearts.
• Make a large Italian salad with a red wine vinaigrette and top it off with these meatballs.
• Serve them with cauliflower rice and a side of Greek salad.
• Make a keto pizza dough and use these meatballs as the protein, simply give them a rough chop before adding them to the pizza!
• You can easily make any pesto with your favorite herbs,, nuts or seeds, with or without dairy.

Step-by-step

1. Preheat oven to 190 °C/ 375 °F (conventional), or 170 °C/ 340 °F (fan assisted), unless you cook them in a pan. Place the chicken, egg, almond flour, ¹/₄ cup pesto, chopped onion and salt in a large bowl and mix to combine.

2. Roll the mixture into 16 balls and place on a baking sheet.

   

3. Bake for about 20 minutes or until golden and cooked through. Alternatively, cook the meatballs in a hot, lightly greased pan for 2-3 minutes per side, until browned and cooked through. Do not turn too soon or they will crumble (don't turn until a crust develops on the outside).

   

4. Top with the remaining ¹/₄ cup pesto to serve. Eat with fresh green salad, cauli-rice or roasted vegetables. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

   

Recipe

Low-Carb Chicken Pesto Meatballs

★★★★☆4.3 (65 ratings)

These quick and easy low-carb meatballs are packed with flavor and healthy fats. They are ideal for keto ...

Hands on

10m

Overall

30m

Servings

4

4.3 g

Net carbs

27.3 g

Protein

32.9 g

Fat

424

kcal

1 serving2 servings3 servings4 servings5 servings6 servings7 servings8 servings9 servings10 servings11 servings12 servings16 servings

US + metricMetricUS

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Ingredients makes 4 servings

• 450 g ground chicken, ideally thighs (1 lb)
• 1 large egg
• ¹/₂ cup almond flour (50 g/ 1.8 oz) or 3 tbsp coconut flour for nut-free (24 g/ 0.9 oz)
• ¹/₂ cup pesto, divided into 2 parts (125 g/ 4.5 oz)
• 1 small red onion, chopped (60 g/ 2.1 oz)
• ¹/₂ tsp sea salt

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 190 °C/ 375 °F (conventional), or 170 °C/ 340 °F (fan assisted), unless you cook them in a pan. Place the chicken, egg, almond flour, ¹/₄ cup pesto, chopped onion and salt in a large bowl and mix to combine.

2. Roll the mixture into 16 balls and place on a baking sheet.

3. Bake for about 20 minutes or until golden and cooked through. Alternatively, cook the meatballs in a hot, lightly greased pan for 2-3 minutes per side, until browned and cooked through. Do not turn too soon or they will crumble (don't turn until a crust develops on the outside).

4. Top with the remaining ¹/₄ cup pesto to serve. Eat with fresh green salad, cauli-rice or roasted vegetables. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Nutrition per serving, 4 meatballs

Carbs 4%Protein 26%Fat 70% of calories

Net carbs

4.3 g

Total carbs

6.2 g

Fiber

1.9 g

Sugars

1.8 g

Protein

27.3 g

Fat

32.9 g

Saturated fat

4.8 g

Calories

424 kcal

Sodium

508 mg · 22.1% RDA

Magnesium

81 mg · 20.3% RDA

Potassium

493 mg · 24.6% EMR

Nutrition by ingredient

Per 4 meatballs	Net carbs	Protein	Fat	kcal
Chicken, minced (ground), dark meat, thighs	0 g	21.7 g	4.6 g	134
Egg, whole, fresh, raw (free-range or organic eggs)	0.1 g	1.6 g	1.2 g	18
Almond flour (blanched ground almonds, almond meal)	1.1 g	2.7 g	6.6 g	74
Basil pesto	2.2 g	1.2 g	20.5 g	193
Onion, red, fresh	1 g	0.2 g	0 g	6
Salt, sea salt	0 g	0 g	0 g	0
Total	4.3 g	27.3 g	32.9 g	424

Serving size 4 meatballs

• Gluten free
• Dairy free
• Nut free
• Nightshade free
• Pork free
• Avocado free
• Coconut free
• Fish free
• Shellfish free
• Beef free