These instant pot chicken meatballs are the easy button when it comes to quick, healthy weeknight meals. With an instant pot cook time of 5 minutes, and only a few simple ingredients, they’re Whole30, Paleo, and gluten-free while also being full of flavor and totally delicious. This meatball recipe makes enough for the whole family, or is perfect for meal prep!
This post is in partnership with Primal Kitchen. They’re giving you 10% off any of their products using the code “PALEOBAILEY” at checkout! I’m happy to work with a company I love, use and believe in so much. Thanks for your support here on the blog and your support for Primal Kitchen!
It’s no secret I love my instant pot, but if someone asked me to name one reason why it’s so great, that reason would be these chicken meatballs. It really couldn’t get easier to make these, and it makes a big enough batch for me to freeze half for later in the month when I need a quick option for lunches or forget to plan dinner for that night.
Really, you dump the sauce ingredients into the instant pot, roll the meatballs and set them in there. Set the timer for 5 minutes, and that’s that. Anyone can do this, which also makes it a great recipe for someone who’s just beginning to get the hang of their instant pot. I will also be the first to admit I am not a fan of chicken meatballs when they’re baked on a sheet pan.
Ground chicken has a tendency to be kind of bland and boring once cooked. These meatballs are the exact opposite of bland! The secret to the best tasting Whole30 instant pot chicken meatballs lies in the seasoning and the sauce. It’s so important to season the chicken well prior to rolling into meatballs, and it’s equally important to use a flavorful marinara sauce because that’s what the meatballs will cook in! The high pressure of the instant pot helps to really infuse that flavor.
That’s where Primal Kitchen‘s new Whole30 Approved and Paleo marinaras come in! Made with avocado oil, no sugar or junky additives, it’s almost unbelievable that they were able to pack so much flavor into a jar! And, it’s my new favorite! The two marinara flavors are Roasted Garlic and Tomato Basil. Tomato Basil has been my go-to this month for easy weeknight meals just like this one.
You can stock up on these healthy, Whole30 marinaras on Primal Kitchen’s website, and make sure to check out their cashew based, dairy-free Alfredo sauces too (another favorite around here)! The code PALEOBAILEY will take 10% off your order as well! Another way I love using this marinara is browning some ground beef with diced carrots, onion and celery, dumping in the marinara and having a 15 minute meat sauce to use over zoodles, butternut squash noodles, baked potatoes, you name it!
For these instant pot chicken meatballs, the most time consuming part is just rolling the meatballs, and that really doesn’t take long at all. What you want to do first is just lightly spray the bottom of the instant pot with oil, such as avocado oil or olive oil. This will help prevent your instant pot from showing a “burn” notice if you have a newer model. They tend to do that even when nothing is burning, but there’s food sitting on the sensors.
Next, you’re going to pour in the marinara, and 1/3 cup water. Then after you’ve combined the ground chicken and spices, as you roll the meatballs you’re going to place the formed chicken meatballs directly into the instant pot. Layer them on the bottom first. Touching is fine, just don’t smoosh or force them. Once the bottom is covered, you’ll just gently set the rest on top for a second layer.
Once the meatballs are in the instant pot, it’s important to just leave them without stirring or the meatballs will lose their shape and break apart. Close the lid, set the valve to sealing and turn the instant pot high pressure for 5 minutes. After you do a quick release, you can stir away because your meatballs and marinara are done!
Don’t forget to grab your Whole30 marinara sauce HERE!
Other Instant Pot Recipes
Whole30 Sweet and Sour Chicken
40 Whole30 Instant Pot Recipes
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Instant Pot Chicken Meatballs and Marinara: Whole30, Paleo, 5 Minutes
These instant pot chicken meatballs are the easy button when it comes to quick, healthy weeknight meals. With an instant pot cook time of 5 minutes, and only a few simple ingredients, they’re Whole30, Paleo, and gluten-free while also being full of flavor and totally delicious. This meatball recipe makes enough for the whole family, or is perfect for meal prep!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 15 minutes 1x
- Category: Meatballs
- Method: Instant Pot
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 2 pounds ground chicken
- 1 cup almond flour
- 1.5 tsp salt
- 1.5 tsp onion powder
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tsp parsley flakes
- 1/2 tsp oregano
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1 24-oz. jar Primal Kitchen Tomato Basil Marinara
- 1/3 cup water
Instructions
- Spray the bottom of the instant pot with a thin coating of oil (avocado or olive are fine)
- Add the marinara sauce and water into the instant pot
- In a large bowl, combine the chicken, almond flour and seasonings. Use your hands to mix together well. Roll into 1-inch meatballs, and directly place the meatballs into the instant pot and sauce, layering the bottom. They can be touching each other, but don’t cram them
- Once the bottom is covered in meatballs, add a second layer by gently placing the remaining meatballs on top of the bottom layer. Do this until all of the meatballs are in the instant pot
- Close the lid, and set for 5 minutes on high pressure and the valve on “sealing”
- Once done, do a quick release. Serve the meatballs with the marinara!
Notes
- If your chicken is too “wet” to form into meatballs, you may need to add an additional 1/2 cup almond flour.
- You can also add 1 can diced tomatoes (undrained) to the instant pot if you would like to for some extra veggies in the sauce
Keywords: Whole30, Paleo, Instant Pot, Chicken, Meatballs
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Jill says
We made these tonight and they were a huge hit with my whole family (kids from 2-14!) will be a constant from now on! Thank you!!
★★★★★
paleobailey says
Awesome!! I’m so happy to hear this! Thank you for coming back and letting me know! <3 - B
Liz says
This looks so good! What can I use in place of almond flour, for someone who has a nut allergy?
paleobailey says
If they can have coconut flour, I’d use that. Otherwise if you’re not concerned with it being paleo/whole30, regular breadcrumbs
Sarah says
Hi! I want to make these for dinner this week. I have frozen turkey so I’d like to use that instead of chicken. Will 5 minutes be enough or should I add more time?
paleobailey says
That should still be fine! If they’re not quite done after you open the lid, you can press “simmer” and let them simmer in the sauce until they’re done, but I think 5 minutes should work okay 🙂
Keri says
Wow I really can’t believe how good these are for how simple and fast they are!! Thank you for sharing your recipes!!!
★★★★★
paleobailey says
You are so welcome! Thank you!
Sarah says
We made these for supper tonight and had them over mashed potatoes. So good and lots of leftovers for lunches. Thank you for this recipe!!
paleobailey says
I am thrilled to hear this!! Thank you SO much for coming back and letting me know! <3 - B
Morgan says
These are SO good! Made them last week, and going to the store to buy more chicken to make them tonight! Quick question, if I were to double the recipe, would I need to add time to the instant pot cooking? If so, how much?
paleobailey says
Hi! I’d probably double the time as well, 10 minutes should do it!
Cody Moore says
Made these tonight after a quick search for something new (and easy) and they were awesome. Simple ingredients, simple to make, and freaking delicious! These will be a new staple in my house.
★★★★★
paleobailey says
Thank you, Cody!! I’m so happy you enjoyed them! <3 - B
Gloria Rasimas says
Could I substitute italian bread crumbs for the flour
paleobailey says
I’m sure that would be fine!
Amy says
Can’t believe how easy this was. Now the only way I’ll ever make meatballs
★★★★★
paleobailey says
Yes!! We LOVE this recipe too – thank you so much for letting me know! <3 - B
CJ Gomez says
These are SO unbelievably good!!! My picky kids devoured them. And I have to admit I was skeptical about chicken meatballs, but they were so flavorful. These are going into our dinner rotation for sure. Have you tried freezing these? Any recommendations for that?
Lindsay says
Hi! Any recommendation on how to cook these meatballs in the oven instead of the IP?
paleobailey says
I would just add them to a casserole dish, add the marinara and bake for 40ish minutes on 350 (you may need a bit more time, but I haven’t tried so I can’t say for sure! 🙂 )
Amanda says
We’ve made these like 10 times now. Seriously, like once a week! Perfect every time. And SO freakin quick too!
★★★★★
paleobailey says
Amazing!! I LOVE to hear this! Thank you so much for letting me know!
Jenna says
Just made these tonight! Was nervous about only 5 minutes cooking (still getting used to my new instapot). Meatballs were perfectly cooked, not dry, and well seasoned. I served with some zoodles!
★★★★★
paleobailey says
Oh I am SO happy to hear this! Isn’t the IP amazing haha! Thank you so much for coming back and letting me know 🙂 – B
June Sherman says
This is a ten star recipe! These chicken meatballs are easy to make, few ingredients, quick to cook and are delicious! My son and grandson love them, oh, and i do too. I have made them a day ahead and heated up in a crockpot to take to parties; but they are best eaten right from the Instant pot after cooking. I plan on making several more of you recipes, Bailey! Keep up the great work!
★★★★★
paleobailey says
This is amazing! Thank you so much, June. I really appreciate you coming back and sharing your thoughts! Thank you! – B
Ashley says
This recipe was so easy and delicious! I usually buy frozen meatballs which are filled with who knows what. Well, not anymore! These meatballs are juicy, full of flavor, and something that can please both kids and adults! Also, I think it’s a good base for any other kind of meatball. Bailey, you knocked this one out of the park!
★★★★★
paleobailey says
Oh thank you SO much! This is so awesome to hear!! Thank you for taking the time to come back and let me know – it’s so appreciated! <3 - B
Callie says
This recipe has been life changing for me for weeknights or meal prep. It’s so freakin easy and simple but so delicious I never get sick of them!
★★★★★
paleobailey says
Amazing!! I’m so thrilled to hear this! Thank you!
Laura says
Love this recipe as even my daughter who is on a bariatric diet can eat it. Pinning it and definitely going to make it. I can probably make my own marinara sauce for it too.
★★★★★
paleobailey says
I’m so happy to hear this! Thank you so much!!
Ashley says
I just made this with Turkey instead of Chicken (I live in a small town and they didn’t have ground chicken) and I used arrowroot powder instead of flour. It was sooooo good! 10/10 would recommend!
★★★★★
paleobailey says
I am SO happy to hear this, Ashley! Thank you so much for making it, and for taking the time to come back and let me know how you liked it! It’s super appreciated! <3 - B
Jacey says
Best meatballs. I thought they might be meh because ground chicken can be, but nope! So so so tasty!!
★★★★★
Neha says
So I made these for my Indian fam that normally does not like chicken meatballs (we tried them from a place once before and they were dry and just didn’t have any flavor) so I was a little hesitant about making these. BUT OH MY GOD. These came out soooo good. They were juicy and so full of flavor – we can’t stop eating them! It was so quick and easy to make, I’m honestly shocked at how good these came out. Also if you want a bit of kick to it, I added red chili flakes to the meat mix and in the sauce for some extra spice. I also added a small cube of mozzarella into the middle of the meatball so it oozes with cheese when you bite in. Also added a bit of turmeric to the meat mix as a good anti inflammatory. HIGHLY RECOMMEND! 🙂
★★★★★
Laura says
My husband & I are trying to eat healthy, but not super strict & we probably also gained the Covid 19, LOL. I actually made these with 1 pound ground chicken & 1 pound chicken sausage (slightly more naughty). They turned out fabulous, thx for the recipe!
Lexi says
Do you know what the macros are?
★★★★★
Linh says
Hey I just wanted to know could I use alfredo sauce instead of marinara? Thanks!
paleobailey says
Hey! I would think that would work out the same! I haven’t tried it personally, but I don’t foresee an issue with swapping that sauce in!
Olivia says
What would be the cook time if using a slow cooker as opposed to the Instant Pot?
paleobailey says
I’d probably say 3 hours on high, 4 on low!
Zina says
Great recipe, we loved it very much. Healthy, easy and very quick. How long do you think i will need to cook meatballs made with beef?
paleobailey says
I would probably do it about 6-7 minutes!
Krista Volkman says
Great recipe! My husband and son both prefer this version now instead of my other recipe that was far more time consuming!! Thank you!
★★★★★
paleobailey says
So glad to hear it! Thank you so much for taking the time to let me know – it’s really appreciated! 🙂 – B
Becky says
I have a pound of ground chicken and a pound of ground turkey. Do you think I can come by and how long would you cook them for?? These look just delicious!
paleobailey says
I think that would be fine! I’d cook for the same amount of time. Ground turkey and chicken cook really similarly 🙂
Noelle says
I love these. Just found out i have a reaction to almond flour so tried subbing rice flour. Turned out okay, not as good. A little bread doughish. Have you tried any other alternatives, maybe coconut flour.
★★★★★
paleobailey says
Hi! I’d use coconut or cassava flour 🙂
Maggie says
All 5 family members loved this! I loved how quick and easy it was. Great idea and great recipe!
★★★★★
paleobailey says
I’m so glad you love them!! Thank you!
Abigail Hillson says
These are a game changer for busy weeknights or even an easy meal prep! I make them at least once a month if not more. They are super simple and taste so good! My fiancé likes pizza on Friday nights and I’ve slowly been phasing out grains (pizza crust). When I don’t feel like making a cauliflower crust I whip these up and throw some extra veggies in and makes me feel somewhat pizza ish!
★★★★★
paleobailey says
Ohh that’s such a great idea! Thank you for sharing! And I’m so glad you enjoy these. They’re one of my favorite things to make for easy weeknights, too! <3 - B
Abby says
I make these often but always get the food burn error on my instant pot. I follow the recipe above but use Raos Arrabbiata sauce. Any suggestions? Delicious by the way!
★★★★★
paleobailey says
Newer IP models have a way more “touchy” and sensitive sensors in the bottom of the IP than the older models. I’ve learned from other’s who make this recipe a lot, that even if it says “burn” you can just leave it alone and it keeps cooking and is just fine. It’ll give that notice when things are sitting on the sensors, but it’s not actually burning the food.
Vivian says
If I made these and froze them raw for cooking at a later date, how long do you recommend cooking in the instant pot?
paleobailey says
I’d increase the cook time to 15 minutes