How many calories are in a chicken meatball?
Four store-bought Italian-style chicken meatballs weigh 85 g and carry 170 calories. Per 100 g they run 200 calories, close to 30 percent below the frozen Italian beef meatballs sitting in the next freezer case. A single meatball out of that pack is about 21 g and 42 calories.
You'd need to walk about 34 minutes to burn the 170 calories in a 4-meatball serving (85 g).
How long does it take to burn off 170 kcal of chicken meatball?
A 4-meatball serving (85 g) is 170 kcal. Enter your weight and the amount you ate to see how long it takes you to burn that off:
lb
| Activity | Time to burn 170 kcal |
|---|---|
| Walking, brisk | 34 min |
| Cycling, moderate | 21 min |
| Swimming, moderate | 24 min |
| Jogging | 20 min |
| Weight training, moderate | 38 min |
Times are for a 155 lb adult at a steady pace; change the weight to see yours. The amount is set to the portion in the text (85 g); change it to what you actually ate. BodyPal works this out from your steps automatically.
On this page
- Chicken meatball quick facts
- US servings from one meatball to a full plate
- Buffalo teriyaki and breast only versions
- Sodium is the row to watch
- How do chicken meatballs compare?
- Most popular chicken meatball brands
- Chicken meatball FAQs
Chicken meatball quick facts
There is no generic USDA entry for a chicken meatball. FoodData Central splits meatballs by sauce and by tradition — "NS as to type of meat," Puerto Rican, Swedish, meatless — but not by bird. So the number here comes from the product Americans actually pull out of the refrigerator case: Aidells Italian Style Chicken Meatballs, fdc_id 2666539, the category leader and the only chicken meatball record with a complete label, added sugars and potassium included.
That means the figures below describe a fully cooked, store-bought meatball as sold. Nothing has to be adjusted for shrink the way ground chicken does, where 4 oz raw comes off the pan closer to 3 oz. Reheating changes the weight of a chicken meatball by very little, so the package weight is the weight you log.
| Nutrient | Per 100 g | Per 4 meatballs (85 g) | % Daily Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Calories | 200 | 170 | — |
| Total fat | 14.12 g | 12.0 g | 15% |
| Saturated fat | 4.12 g | 3.5 g | 18% |
| Carbohydrate | 3.53 g | 3.0 g | 1% |
| Dietary fiber | 1.2 g | 1.0 g | 4% |
| Total sugars | 1.18 g | 1.0 g | — |
| Added sugars | 0 g | 0 g | 0% |
| Protein | 15.29 g | 13.0 g | 26% |
| Sodium | 682 mg | 580 mg | 25% |
% Daily Value is based on a 2,000-calorie diet.
Verified nutrition data
Numbers on this page come from USDA FoodData Central, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s food composition database, and from manufacturer labels where a branded product is named. Last verified September 2026. How we verify our data →
Two more rows are worth knowing. The same 85 g serving carries 55 mg of cholesterol, 18% of the Daily Value, and 400 mg of potassium, 9%. The added sugars line really is zero on the plain Italian style — hold that thought, because the glazed flavors are a different animal.
US servings from one meatball to a full plate
| Serving | Weight | Calories |
|---|---|---|
| 1 meatball | 21 g | 42 kcal |
| 1 oz | 28.3 g | 57 kcal |
| 4 meatballs, label serving | 85 g | 170 kcal |
| 6 meatballs | 127.5 g | 255 kcal |
| 10 meatballs, dinner plate | 212.5 g | 425 kcal |
| Per 100 g | 100 g | 200 kcal |
Only the 85 g line is a USDA serving. Everything else in that table is our own arithmetic from the USDA 100 g figure, scaled from a pack that divides 85 g among four meatballs, so one comes to roughly 21 g.
This is where most people misjudge dinner. Four meatballs looks stingy on a plate, and a family-style dish with ten of them is far more typical of how they get served. Ten is 212.5 g and 425 calories — two and a half times the label serving, before a single spoon of marinara or a strand of pasta. If you eat them out of the pan while cooking, each one you sample costs 42 calories.
Buffalo teriyaki and breast only versions
Flavor is not free, and it does not always cost calories — sometimes it costs sodium or sugar instead.
| Version | Per 100 g | Typical serving | Calories |
|---|---|---|---|
| Italian style | 200 kcal | 4 meatballs (85 g) | 170 kcal |
| Buffalo style | 203 kcal | 3 meatballs (64 g) | 130 kcal |
| Caramelized onion | 203 kcal | 3 meatballs (64 g) | 130 kcal |
| Teriyaki and pineapple | 176 kcal | 4 meatballs (85 g) | 150 kcal |
| Breast only, Amylu | 161 kcal | 4 meatballs (87 g) | 140 kcal |
| Meatless meatball | 197 kcal | 1 meatball (18 g) | 35 kcal |
Buffalo style and caramelized onion both land at 203 calories per 100 g, three above the plain Italian, and both are sold in a smaller 3-meatball, 64 g serving that makes the package number look lighter than it is. Read the serving line, not the calorie line.
The teriyaki and pineapple version is the interesting one. It is the lowest-calorie Aidells flavor at 176 per 100 g, because the glaze displaces fat — 9.41 g against 14.12 g. But it brings 7.06 g of total sugars per 100 g where the plain Italian has 1.18 g. Casual Gourmet's chicken meatballs do something similar with 6.25 g of sugars and 7.81 g of carbohydrate per 100 g.
If you want the leanest chicken meatball on the shelf, it is Amylu's Italian-style, made from breast meat with no breadcrumbs: 161 calories and 19.54 g of protein per 100 g. Foster Farms sits in between at 179 calories and 11.9 g of fat, with the lowest sodium of the group at 476 mg per 100 g.
Sodium is the row to watch
Fat is the number people expect to be the problem with a meatball. It isn't the one that bites. Four Italian-style chicken meatballs carry 580 mg of sodium, 25% of the FDA Daily Value of 2,300 mg — about a quarter teaspoon of table salt, from four bites of food.
Add marinara and a roll and a meatball sub clears half your day's sodium without feeling like a salty meal. The buffalo style makes it stark: 1,453 mg per 100 g, roughly 63% of the Daily Value in that amount, because the sauce is in the meatball rather than on it. If you're watching sodium, the plain Italian style or the Foster Farms version at 476 mg per 100 g is the better pick.
The protein side is genuinely good news. At 13.0 g per serving, four meatballs cover 26% of the Daily Value on 170 calories, which is why they show up so often as a fast protein food on a weeknight. Saturated fat stays modest too — 3.5 g, 18% of the Daily Value.
How do chicken meatballs compare?
| Meatball | Per 100 g | US serving | Calories |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken, Italian style | 200 kcal | 4 meatballs (85 g) | 170 kcal |
| Beef meatballs | 235 kcal | 3 meatballs (85 g) | 200 kcal |
| Meatballs with sauce, mixed meat | 186 kcal | 1 meatball with sauce (43 g) | 80 kcal |
| Meatless meatball | 197 kcal | 1 meatball (18 g) | 35 kcal |
Our take: chicken wins on calories but not by as much as the marketing implies. Against beef meatballs the saving is 35 calories per 100 g, and against frozen Italian-style beef meatballs at 286 per 100 g it is a genuine 86 — almost all of it fat, 14.12 g against 22.21 g, while protein barely moves, 15.29 g against 14.4 g. The mixed-meat record looks light at 186 per 100 g only because sauce is counted in the weight. For weight loss, breast-only chicken meatballs at 161 per 100 g are the cleanest swap; for a filling plate, the plain Italian style at 13.0 g of protein per serving does more for satiety than the meatless version does per meatball.
Most popular chicken meatball brands in the United States
Ranked by how widely each product appears among foods sold in the United States, from the BodyPal food database of over 3.3 million products. Calories are the figures printed on each Nutrition Facts label, checked against USDA FoodData Central.
| Product | Calories (per 100 g) |
|---|---|
| Aidells Italian Style Chicken Meatballs | 200 cal |
| Casual Gourmet Chicken Meatballs | 203 cal |
| Aidells Caramelized Onion Chicken Meatballs | 203 cal |
| Aidells Buffalo Style Chicken Meatballs | 203 cal |
| Amylu Italian-Style Chicken Meatballs | 161 cal |
| Foster Farms Chicken Meatballs | 179 cal |
Brand popularity: BodyPal food database. Nutrition: manufacturer labels / USDA FoodData Central.
Chicken meatball FAQs
How many calories are in one chicken meatball?
One chicken meatball is about 42 calories at roughly 21 g. That figure is our own arithmetic from the USDA 100 g value of 200 calories, not a listed serving, since the label counts in fours. A single meatball also carries about 3.0 g of fat and 3.3 g of protein.
How many calories are in 4 chicken meatballs?
Four meatballs, the standard 85 g label serving, come to 170 calories. That includes 13.0 g of protein, 12.0 g of fat, 3.0 g of carbohydrate and 580 mg of sodium, which is 25% of the Daily Value. Sauce, pasta or a sub roll all sit on top of that number.
Are chicken meatballs healthier than beef meatballs?
On calories, yes: 200 per 100 g against 286 for frozen Italian-style beef meatballs. The gap is almost entirely fat, 14.12 g against 22.21 g, while protein barely moves, 15.29 g against 14.4 g. Sodium is the catch — chicken meatballs run 682 mg per 100 g, no lower than beef.
How much protein is in chicken meatballs?
Four meatballs deliver 13.0 g of protein, 26% of the Daily Value, on 170 calories. Breast-only versions do better: Amylu's Italian-style meatballs carry 19.54 g per 100 g on just 161 calories, because there are no breadcrumbs and no thigh meat diluting the mix.
How much sodium is in chicken meatballs?
580 mg in four meatballs, 25% of the Daily Value, or about a quarter teaspoon of table salt. Per 100 g the Italian style is 682 mg. Buffalo style is much heavier at 1,453 mg per 100 g, roughly 63% of the Daily Value in that amount, because the sauce is mixed into the meat.
Are chicken meatballs good for weight loss?
They can work well: 170 calories for 13.0 g of protein is a strong trade, and at 3.0 g of carbohydrate per serving they suit most eating patterns. The risk is portion drift — a family-style plate of ten is 212.5 g and 425 calories, two and a half times the label serving.
How many carbs are in chicken meatballs?
Just 3.0 g of carbohydrate in four meatballs, 1% of the Daily Value, of which 1.0 g is fiber and 1.0 g is total sugars. Filler is what moves this row: breast-only meatballs drop to 1.15 g per 100 g, while a teriyaki glaze pushes it up to 8.24 g.
How many calories are in Aidells chicken meatballs?
Aidells Italian Style Chicken Meatballs are 170 calories per 4-meatball, 85 g serving, or 200 per 100 g. The buffalo and caramelized onion flavors are 203 per 100 g and 130 calories for their smaller 3-meatball, 64 g serving. Teriyaki and pineapple is 176 per 100 g and 150 per serving.
Similar foods
- Meatloaf — 215 cal per slice
- T-Bone Steak — 537 cal per steak
- Salmon — 350 cal per fillet, 6 oz cooked
- Dosa — 326 cal per large dosa
- Flat iron steak — 391 cal per steak
- Chicken Taco — 222 cal per taco
Count it without the math
Point the camera at the plate and BodyPal counts the meatballs for you, sauce and all.
