The Best (And Worst) Cut Of Chicken To Use For Extra Juicy Meatballs

Chicken meatballs make a scrumptious light alternative to polpettes, which are made with fatty cuts of ground beef, pork, or veal. No matter whether you serve them Swedish style with creamy gravy or poach them in a herby marinara tomato sauce, chicken meatballs can take on an abundance of flavors when properly seasoned. However, as white meat contains less fat than red meat, chicken meatballs are unfortunately prone to drying out when seared and simmered. We asked expert yacht chef-turned-carnivore-homecook Courtney Luna, author of the international bestselling cookbook "Carnivore in the Kitchen: A Fresh and Fun Approach to Meat-Based Meals," to fill us in on the best and worst cuts of chicken to use for extra juicy meatballs.

"Thigh meat would be the best choice because it has more fat, which will give you juicier meatballs," Luna explains. Skinless chicken thighs contain almost five times more fat than skinless chicken breasts, which is why they are so tender and flavorsome. As chicken meatballs bake, the fat in the ground thigh meat melts down, keeping them moist and succulent. Chicken thighs are described as dark meat because they have a richer color than chicken breasts. This is because they contain more myoglobin – a protein that carries oxygen to the muscles. Luna concurs that paler-colored chicken breast is the worst cut for making meatballs, adding that: "Ground breast meat can be too dry unless mixed with a fat such as egg or cheese."

The ground chicken at the supermarket can vary from store to store with some options made of almost 100% lean breast meat and others made from a combination of breast and thigh. Courtney Luna notes that "if you're getting ground chicken at the store, be sure to check the fat content and look for blends with thigh meat. Grinding your own or having a butcher do it will give you exactly what you want and possibly an even better texture."

The great thing about going to a butcher is that the staff will have heaps of expertise for selecting the best cuts. They'll happily create a customized blend with the perfect fat content so you can rustle up your favorite French onion chicken meatball recipe back at home. (Quick FYI — the mixture you use to make your meatballs doubles as the best type of ground chicken for burgers too.)

Another simple way to maximize the juiciness of your chicken meatballs is to mix a panade into your ground meat. A binder made of bread and milk, this little addition will lend your meatballs oodles of moisture and a characterful texture. Plus, you'll likely have the ingredients at home already.