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This chicken parmesan meatballs recipe is a creative twist on chicken parm that your family is going to devour! It’s cheesy, satisfying, and straightforward to make.
Got ground chicken to use up? Try my Chicken and Spinach Meatballs or Ranch Chicken Meatballs after this.
Why you’ll love it
I have yet to meet someone that didn’t love a plate of my Classic Chicken Parmesan, so I decided to do a fun spin on it with this tasty meatball recipe, chicken parm style. We’ve got irresistible Italian-inspired flavors combined with the affordability of tender ground chicken.
I’m all for any meal with marinara sauce and golden, melty cheese. It’s a delicious, tried and true combo that’s family friendly and comforting (much like in my Easiest Baked Meatballs). We’re also not using any fancy ingredients in these cheesy ground chicken meatballs!
What you’ll need
- Ground chicken – it’s light, lean, and protein packed
- Egg – to help bind everything
- Breadcrumbs – we’re using panko, which are Japanese-style breadcrumbs that are less dense than the regular variety
- Parmesan cheese – for that classic chicken parm taste. We’re also using it right in the meatballs to add even more flavor.
- Italian seasoning – this perfect dried herb blend comes in a single convenient jar
- Garlic powder and onion powder – two aromatic pantry staples to amp up the savory taste
- Olive oil – for frying the meatballs
- Marinara sauce – since it plays a starring role, grab a jar you really enjoy the taste of. I like Mezzetta. Rao’s and DeLallo are great options too.
- Mozzarella cheese – the best melting cheese to top it all off with
Helpful tips
- Ground chicken can be a bit wet and sticky, so it’s best to take your time making these. A little patience goes a long way. You can put a little olive oil on your hands to help keep the mixture from sticking to them as you’re forming the meatballs.
- It’s important to add enough salt to these to bring out all the wonderful flavors.
Can I make it ahead?
- Sort of! For food safety reasons, the chicken meatballs need to be fully cooked first.
- If you want to make the meatballs ahead, I recommend transferring the skillet to the oven after searing them until they’re cooked through to 165F. That’ll be about 5-10 minutes at 375F.
- After that, store them in the fridge for a few days or freezer up to 3 months until needed, and thaw before proceeding with the rest of the recipe.
Tools for this recipe
Check out Natasha’s favorite kitchen essentials, gadgets, and cookware!
- I used this grater for the parmesan cheese.
- My trusty oven proof skillet makes it effortless for these meatballs to go from the stovetop straight into the oven.
- These kitchen tongs are useful for turning the meatballs as they’re frying.
How to make chicken parmesan meatballs
This is an overview with step-by-step photos. Full ingredients & instructions are in the recipe card below.
Preheat the oven. In a large prep bowl, add the meatball ingredients. Gently combine with your hands, taking care to not overwork the mixture. It’ll be quite a bit sticky. Form into approximately 1″ thick meatballs, and place on parchment paper for easy cleanup.
In an oven safe skillet, working in two batches, fry the meatballs until browned. Transfer to a plate. Drain any excess grease, but don’t wipe the pan. After letting it cool a bit, pour in the marinara sauce. Return the meatballs to the skillet.
Sprinkle on the other half of the parmesan, and then top with the mozzarella. Transfer to the oven, and bake to finish cooking the meatballs through. Broil to brown the cheese if desired, and serve right away!
Substitutions and variations
- You could swap the ground chicken for ground turkey if you like.
- Our kitchen used a jar of marinara sauce for convenience, but you’re welcome to use Homemade Marinara Sauce. Just make sure to cook enough to make the quantity required in this recipe.
- Swapping regular breadcrumbs if you can’t find panko is fine.
What to serve with chicken parmesan meatballs
- The obvious choice is using pasta for making spaghetti and meatballs, but it’s awesome with a number of other side dishes. Try making it a meal with Mashed Potatoes or even rice to change it up.
- For a punch of freshness, top with fresh basil and serve with a side salad as well. Go all out and make a big Caesar salad with my 10-minute, no blender Caesar Dressing, or use this Olive Garden Dressing from scratch.
- I love a big slice of my Extra Cheesy Garlic Bread with this one.
Leftovers and storage
- For any leftovers of these meatballs, store in an airtight container for 3-4 days.
- Reheat over a low heat on the stove until warmed through, or microwave in short increments.
- I don’t recommend freezing leftovers since the texture of the cheese will change.
Talk to me in the comments below to leave me a review! I’d love to hear if you made these chicken parmesan meatballs. You can also tag me #saltandlavender on Instagram.
Chicken Parmesan Meatballs
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground chicken
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese divided
- 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- Pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons olive oil for frying
- 1 (24 ounce) jar marinara sauce
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 375F and move the rack to the top third of the oven.
- To a prep bowl, add the meatball ingredients (chicken, egg, panko, half of the parmesan, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, salt & pepper). With your hands, mix everything together well, but don't overwork the mixture. The mixture will be quite wet. Form 1" meatballs (it'll make around 20 or so). Place them on a parchment paper lined baking sheet for easy clean-up.
- Add the olive oil to an oven-safe skillet and heat it up for a few minutes over medium-high heat. Fry the meatballs in 2 batches until they're browned all over (about 5 min/batch). I use tongs to turn them quickly and easily. They will brown quite fast, so turn them often. If needed, add another splash of olive oil to the skillet for the second batch. Transfer meatballs to a plate once they're browned.
- If there's a lot of excess oil in the skillet, drain it, but leave the browned pieces (don't wipe out the pan). Take the skillet off the heat for a couple of minutes to let it cool a bit so the marinara sauce doesn't splatter everywhere when you add it in.
- Pour the marinara sauce into the skillet, and then add the meatballs back (spread them around the skillet fairly evenly). Sprinkle the remaining parmesan cheese and the mozzarella over top.
- Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake for 15 minutes to finish cooking the meatballs, and then broil if desired to brown the cheese (watch it carefully so it doesn't burn).
Notes
- Meatballs will cook at a different rate depending on how big/small you make them, so I recommend using an instant read meat thermometer if in doubt. Chicken meatballs are safe when they’re 165F in the middle.
- You can also find this recipe in chapter 3 of the Salt & Lavender: Everyday Essentials hardcover cookbook.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Outstanding. Made this last night and didn’t change a thing. The entire family loved it. Definitely a keeper
Wonderful!! 😀 Thanks so much for your review, Judy!
Made the chicken parmesan meatballs and they were great. Very light and easy to make. I loved the mozzarella and the finishing in the oven. They looked beautiful in the pan and a 5 star recipe in my opinion. I followed the directions no deviation. Loved them.
That’s great to hear, Katherine!! 😀 Thank you so much!
Made this for the first time last night, hubby went crazy over it. Thanks again for another fantastic meal.
You are very welcome, Lee!! 😀
I found the recipe somewhat hard to follow. I love love love cheese but I actually found this recipe way too over powered with cheese, maybe it was the mozzarella I don’t know. I’m also not a huge fan a ground chicken (prefer turkey or vegetarian) and so the taste/texture for me was a bit different.
Hi Becky. Sorry this wasn’t a new favorite! I am not sure why you’d make it with ground chicken if it’s not something you enjoy, however. I do mention in the blog post you can use ground turkey if you prefer. Did you read through the blog post and look at the step-by-step photos to help you follow the recipe better?
Hi Natasha, I am so happy I bumped into your site. I made several of the easy chicken recipes, i.e. marsala, borsin, easy chicken, picata. I have loved them all. I purchased the book. I have told several of my friends and have sent them a picture of the finished products before digging in. Love your work!
Hi Katherine! That makes me so happy!! 😀 Thank you so much for your support. XO
Are these nutrition facts done as the whole recipe? A serving of the recipe? What is the usual serving? I’ve love everything from your blog so far!
Hi! I’m so happy you’ve been enjoying my recipes, Rhiannon! It’s for 1/4 of the recipe (see the # of serving at the top of the recipe card).
My family LOVES this recipe!! I make them with your homemade marinara sauce which is my go to sauce for everything. Absolutly amazing! Thank you!
I’m thrilled to hear that, Julia!! 😀 Thank you so much!!
These meatballs are delicious and easy !! Thank you!
You’re very welcome, Niki!
Second time making this today. It is so easy to do the prep in the morning when I have time. Both times though, I made patties (like hamburgers) and broiled. Then I transfer to a baking dish and follow the rest of the receipe. It is the same, just different shape and I do this because I get 5 patties out of 1lb and my family of 3 likes to use the leftover patties to make a sandwich. Another great Salt & Lavender easy but delicious and foolproof recipe.
Love that!! Thank you so much, Dee!
As usual, another huge hit from Salt and Lavender! I happened to have a container of marinated mozzarella balls so I formed the meatballs around one and the were stuffed which was incredible! Love this dish and already making it for a 2nd time!
Oooh that’s a great idea!!! Thanks for your review, Leanne!