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These chicken meatballs for baby need only 5 ingredients, and are a healthy and fun way to introduce nutrients to your baby (and/or toddlers!). See how chicken for babies can be so versatile and flavorful!

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I think meatballs for babies are just such wonderful ways to introduce nutrients.

They are easy to hold, but can pack a punch of nutrition! Like these baby led weaning meatballs which incorporate sweetpotatoes, we’ve added some veggies here to increase the nutrients for our little ones.

Oftentimes, by adding veggies to meatballs, you don’t even know they are there, but they are adding so much in terms of nutrients.

Like Vitamin C helps iron absorption. Or more fiber for little bellies.

Of course, if you do have little ones who despise veggies, here are some tips for getting toddlers to eat veggies.

Why We Love Baby Chicken Meatballs

If you need kid friendly ground chicken recipes, this is it – your one-stop shop!

• Great for iron absorption – The Vitamin C from the pumpkin and carrots can aid in iron absorption, an important nutrient for babies and kids. You could also pair with broccoli for babies to up the Vitamin C.
• Servings of veggies – We all know that for little ones, veggies can be hard to come by, especially as they go through the picky eating phases of toddlerhood. However, having ground chicken recipes for toddlers that can disguise veggies, like the pumpkin and carrot here, are game winners, in my opinion! Easy to serve separate from other things on our favorite ezpz plates.
• Easy to customize – If you like them sweeter or more flavorful, feel free to play around with the spices. I keep them on the less sweet side for babies, but there are many wonderful spices for babies to include! Just limit the salt. I also like to add them to this meatball and kale soup for a fun spin.
• Freezer friendly – To make the most of your time, make a few servings of these toddler chicken meatballs and freeze for later. Then, when you’re feeling low energy or too busy to cook, use them as a freezer meal for toddlers and defrost accordingly.
• Great for baby led weaning meatballs – Since these have few ingredients, no salt and no added sugars, they are easy to hold and a great starter for baby led weaning foods for 6 months. If you want to make them toddler chicken meatballs or serve them as meal ideas for a 1 year old, you can add a little more flavor or some dipping sauces.
• Dairy free – I know that many babies have dairy allergies, so finding dairy free meatballs can be a life saver. While you can certainly add cheese if you’d like, these chicken meatballs are dairy free, naturally.

Ingredients

Here’s what you’ll need to make these simple chicken meatballs for kids.

Ground chicken – We get ours from Butcher Box. When possible, I try to opt for optimal quality meat when serving babies, and Butcher Box is that, just delivered to your door.

Shredded carrot – If you don’t have or like carrots, you could also use shredded apples or zucchini. Both of these choices may have extra fluid, so you’ll want to wring them out before adding to the batter.

Canned pumpkin – A great substitute for canned pumpkin is mashed sweetpotatoes. Either work great, though mashed sweetpotatoes may be naturally sweeter.

Flour – I used oat flour, but you could also use whole wheat, chickpea, almond flour or whole wheat white flour. I find that the oat flour helps keep these chicken meatballs soft, like you’d expect for chicken patties for baby.

Egg – Our favorite binder, but let’s not forget that eggs for babies are very nutritious too, adding micronutrients and a great way to introduce egg as an allergen. Scroll down for an option for egg-free meatballs for baby.

Note – I chose to make these as chicken meatballs for baby with no breadcrumbs, since they are usually salted, but you can add them if you’d like.

Breadcrumbs would give them a little crunch if you don’t want your meatballs overly soft – kinda like these fun thai red curry meatballs!

How to Make Simple Chicken Meatballs

When I say these are simple, I really do mean it. The shredding of carrots takes less than a minute, so don’t let that deter you.

If it does deter you, skip that step entirely!

Add all of your ingredients to one bowl, making sure to mash the chicken well and spreading everything out evenly.

Then, using your hands or a baking spoon, form dough into meatball shape and line them up on a baking sheet.

Bake for 25-30 minutes. Make sure that the meatballs are cooked completely, especially before serving to baby. We use this food thermometer to make sure the interior reaches 165 degrees F.

Make these kid friendly chicken meatballs egg-free:
To make egg free meatballs for baby, substitute 1/3 cup of applesauce or ricotta cheese for the egg. Note that adding ricotta cheese will not keep these as dairy free chicken meatballs.

FAQ

• Baby led weaning recipes for 10 months
• Roasted Baby Led Weaning Carrots
• Baby Pancakes Recipe
• Introducing peanut butter to baby
• Cantaloupe Puree for baby

Continue to Content

Yield: 20 meatballs

Chicken Meatballs for Baby

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

These chicken meatballs for baby need only 5 ingredients, and are a healthy and fun way to introduce nutrients to your baby (and/or toddlers!).

Print

Ingredients

• 1 lb ground chicken
• 2/3 cup pumpkin puree
• ¼ cup shredded carrot
• 2/3 cup flour* (chickpea flour, oat flour, whole wheat flour)
• 1 egg
• ½ tsp garlic powder
• 1/8 tsp ground ginger
• dash of sea salt

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Mix all ingredients together in a bowl.
3. Form into meatball shape and place on a baking sheet with parchment paper.
4. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until meatballs are fully cooked and reach 165 degrees internally (using a food thermometer).
   

Notes

*You can use your choice of flour. Oat flour makes the softest chicken meatballs. Almond flour or chickpea flour are gluten-free options.

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

• 
  Chickpea Flour 2lbs / 32oz, Stone Ground Chickpea / Garbanzo bean Flour, Batch Tested Gluten Free, Non-GMO, Vegan.
• 
  Bob's Red Mill Whole Grain Oat Flour, 18 Oz
• 
  Saferell Instant Read Meat Thermometer for Cooking, Fast & Precise Digital Food Thermometer with Backlight, Magnet, Calibration, and Foldable Probe for Deep Fry, BBQ, Grill, and Roast Turkey/Black

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

20

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 65Total Fat: 3gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 34mgSodium: 30mgCarbohydrates: 4gFiber: 0gSugar: 0gProtein: 6g

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