My entire family begs for these CHICKEN MEATBALLS stuffed with cheddar, bacon, and ranch! They’re so flavorful and the best part is that they bake in a hot oven in about 10 minutes! So quick and perfect for a busy weeknight or as an appetizer at your next get-together.
I’ve always been a huge fan of the meatball.
Well, that’s not exactly true…I never even tried a meatball until I was a full blown adult, married with children of my own. My mama hates meatballs, so she never made them for us and I was never brave enough to try them on my own.
But that first meatball? Love at first bite.
I have a few fun variations I make, including these buffalo chicken meatballs, mozzarella stuffed meatballs, and keto meatballs with the simplest bbq sauce ever.
I’m working on a jalapeno popper version and I’ll share that as soon as it’s perfected.
Today, though, we’ve got these juicy cheddar bacon and ranch chicken meatballs. I LOVE all the flavors going on in here – reminds me a bit of my chicken bacon ranch pizza that’s such a hit!
How to make low carb chicken meatballs:
You’ll need ground chicken, fried and crumbled bacon, cheddar cheese, egg, garlic, and ranch seasoning.
For the binder, we’ll be using almond flour. I like this brand (affiliate link) , but whatever you have on hand will work fine.
Combine all of those ingredients and then scoop out the meatballs into equal sized portions. I use a medium cookie scoop for this. This is the one I use (affiliate link), and it’s one of my favorite kitchen tools. Gets a lot of use in my house!
I like using a cookie scoop because it means that all of your meatballs will be the same size so they’ll all cook evenly.
Pop the meatballs on a baking sheet and put them in a 500 degree oven – no that’s not a typo. 500 degrees means they’ll cook quickly and the outsides get browned a bit, similar to if you’d fried them.
We like to serve these cheddar bacon ranch chicken meatballs with an extra side of my keto ranch dressing. It’s way better than the stuff you buy in a bottle and it’s easy to prepare too! Check the reviews on that recipe!
How to serve these low carb meatballs:
We like to serve these up as an easy and fun dinner with the kiddos. A side of ranch dressing, a pile o’ meatballs, steamed veggies or a side salad, and some of my cauliflower mac and cheese is always a hit with the kids.
They also make a great appetizer or snack! Serve with toothpicks and a little bowl of ranch or sugar free BBQ sauce for dunking!
No matter how you serve them, I think you’re going to love the flavors in these chicken meatballs!
Cheddar Bacon Ranch Chicken Meatballs
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground chicken
- 4 slices bacon fried and crumbled
- 1/3 cup almond flour
- ¼ cup grated cheddar
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 large egg
- 2 tablespoons ranch dip powder
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Spray a large baking sheet with non-stick spray.
- Add the ground chicken, bacon, almond flour, cheddar, garlic, egg, and ranch seasoning to a mixing bowl and mix with your hands until combined.
- Use a large cookie scoop to scoop out 12 evenly sized meatballs and place on the prepared baking sheet.
- Bake for 13 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.
- Serve meatballs with ranch dressing or sugar free BBQ sauce for dipping.
Shumaila says
My hubby made these tonight and they were yummy!
Lisa says
Anyone tried to make these using an air fryer?
Debs says
I’m sure there are air fryer recipes online. I won’t be putting the oven on to 500 degrees.
christine says
When do I add the cooked bacon? To the chicken mixture?
Karly Campbell says
Yep! 🙂
Kera Penney says
Can you make it with ground beef? Husband is allergic to poultry but otherwise sounds awesome.
Karly Campbell says
Yes, I think that would be fine. Use lean beef, though.
Kristine Anderson says
Could you use ground turkey instead? If so would you need to change cook temp and time?
Karly Campbell says
Ground turkey works just the same. 🙂
Janet says
Hi
I can’t seem to find ranch dip can I replace with something else. Thank
Karly Campbell says
You can make your own with the recipe for my ranch dressing. Just skip the liquid ingredients and use the spices: ranch dressing recipe
Jan says
I can’t find ranch dip powder can I use something else like parm cheese that is grated.
Karly Campbell says
Hi Jan! I would recommend using the spice mix from my ranch dressing recipe. Parm won’t have the same flavor as ranch. You can find my recipe here.
Blossom Smith says
These are absolutely delicious! So good that my husband requests them for his lunch everyday. I make a batch on Sunday, package them up in 5 containers and he is one happy guy. Love all of your recipes!
Karly Campbell says
That’s awesome! Glad to hear he loves them and thanks for sharing how you make them ahead for lunches. Really smart! 🙂
trisa says
Could I make that into meatloaf and if so how long would I cook it for and still on 500 degrees?
Karly Campbell says
Hi there! I’m sure you could make this into a meatloaf, but you’d want to reduce the heat to 350 and cook for longer. Not sure how long it will take…close to an hour maybe?
Graeme Barnes says
What can I substitute Armando flour with as I have a nut allergy
Karly Campbell says
You could likely use crushed pork rinds as the binder. It may require more/less than the almond flour, but just add it until it holds together well enough for you.
Lanace Davis says
Do you have to use Almond Flour or can you use breadcrumbs as a binder? I know that would add carbs but I’m ok with that
Karly Campbell says
You could use breadcrumbs, but you’ll just have to estimate the right amount. Might be a bit more or less than the almond flour.
Yvonne Huff says
How are these so high in calories? They sound delicious but 400 calories for 3 meatballs? Any suggestions on how to make them lower in calories?
Karly Campbell says
Reduce the bacon and cheese. 🙂
Susan says
Love these! They are easy to prepare and very tasty – especially with your Ranch dressing!! Thanks for the recpies.
J says
Hi Karly!
Yes to more meatballs! It’s always great to have a variety of meatballs bc they’re great to bring to potlucks, family outings and for kids it’s a fun finger food!
Have a fun filled weekend Karly!
Jenniffer says
This might be a dumb question but, can I use parchment paper to line the baking sheet instead of spraying the sheet with nonstick spray? Or will that make the texture come out differently?
Karly Campbell says
Parchment should be fine if it’s rated up to 500 degrees, but be sure to not have any overhang at all or it could catch fire. Ask me how I know. 😉
Tara says
Hi there, I love your website. I’ve been doing keto for the past 6 months now and lost quite a bit of weight. I decided to make it a lifestyle change. I was wondering if the almond flour is a must? Could finely ground pork rinds suffice? I used in them for my ground beef meatballs and they worked perfectly…
Karly Campbell says
You can use pork rinds! You might need to adjust the amount – just enough to help it all hold together. 🙂
Tara says
Thanks!