Hailey Bieber's Chicken Meatballs Are Proteinmaxxed—And Picky Eater-Approved

Curiosity got the better of me. Often, I see cottage cheese used as a substitute for ricotta in recipes, as it tends to have less fat and fewer calories. Here, it was just one of three cheeses being featured; a garnish, not the main event. Plus, chicken meatballs have a tendency to be tough and dry. Could ricotta and the egg provide enough moisture to bind the meatballs and keep them tender?

There was just one way to find out. Given a recent Lactaid cottage cheese delivery, I was fully stocked up to give this recipe a try, and I'm so glad I did. The meatballs were fork tender with great seasoning due to the double-whammy of Italian seasoning and Italian bread crumbs (oh, and the garlic powder didn't hurt either).

The mixture comes together in minutes, and while Bieber doesn't provide a cook time (just "til crispy on the outside"), I'd recommend using a meat thermometer to check for an internal temperature of 165 degrees F, or slicing open the largest meatball to ensure that it's not at all pink in the center. Nobody wants medium-rare chicken.

While the ricotta's fat content helps with the juiciness of the meatballs, you could skip the ingredient and use cottage cheese in its place. (Whip it in a blender to mimic the texture of ricotta, if the chunkiness bothers you.) If you go that route, I'd use the money you're saving on a tub of ricotta for some fresh basil to tear and sprinkle on top; that herbaceous note will really take this dish over the top.

The Bottom Line: This Makes for an Easy, Crowd-Pleasing Weeknight Dinner

I've got to hand it to Bieber. Her chicky meatballs are legit, and they were a crowd-pleaser, even impressing my pickiest of eaters (who's known to cluck, "it's not my favorite" when trying just about anything new). This got a solid request for seconds across the board—the highest honor in my household. (Admittedly, I also served them atop a pile of pasta, which doesn't hurt.)

If the thought of going measurement-free and simply eyeballing ingredients freaks you out, here's what I went with for a four-serving meal:

For the Meatballs

• 1 pound ground chicken
• 1/2 cup gluten-free Italian bread crumbs
• 1 tbsp Italian seasoning
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup ricotta cheese (or whipped cottage cheese)
• 1 large egg
• 1 tablespoon olive oil (for cooking meatballs)
• 1 (24-0z) jar marinara

For Serving

• 1 pound cooked, drained pasta of your choice (or zoodles)
• 1 tablespoon cottage cheese (per serving)
• grated Parmesan

Directions

1. Make the Meatballs: In a large mixing bowl, combine ground chicken, bread crumbs, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Form a well in the middle of the mixture; add ricotta and the egg, using your hands to combine. Form into roughly 1.5-inch balls.
2. Drizzle 1 tablespoon of olive oil into a frying pan over medium heat. Once warm (it should look shimmery), add meatballs and cook until crispy on the outside. Add marinara sauce and simmer for about 20 to 25 minutes, or until the chicken is no longer pink in the middle (or registers 165 degrees F using a meat thermometer).
3. Serve: Divide meatballs and sauce evenly among bowls and top with cottage cheese and grated Parm.

Honestly, after trying it, I'm now lobbying for the return of her "What's in My Kitchen?" YouTube series. Or at the very least, a marinara-inspired Rhode lip tint.