Chicken and Spinach Meatballs
These chicken meatballs with spinach are healthy, flavorful, and a fantastic alternative to beef or pork! This is bound to be your new go-to baked chicken meatballs recipe.
Servings: 4 (about 20 meatballs)
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground chicken
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice (or use less if you don't want them lemony)
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- Pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley chopped finely
- 2 cups (loosely packed) fresh spinach chopped
- 2 tablespoon olive oil for frying
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375F and move the rack to the top third of the oven.
- Add the ingredients (except for the olive oil) to a fairly large bowl. Using your hands, mix together (but don't overwork the mixture). Mixture will be quite wet. Form 1" meatballs (it'll make about 20). Add them, one-by-one, to a parchment paper lined baking sheet for easy clean-up.
- Choose from one of the cooking methods below:
Method 1 Skillet & Oven (Preferred):
- Add the olive oil to a large, oven-proof skillet over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, add half the meatballs. Fry the meatballs in 2 batches until they're browned all over (approx. 5 min/batch). Use tongs to turn them easily. They will brown quite fast, so turn them often. Add another splash of olive oil to the skillet for the second batch if needed. Transfer first batch of meatballs to a plate once they're browned.
- Once the meatballs have all been browned, add them all back into the skillet and pop it in the oven for 5 minutes or until they're cooked through (an instant read meat thermometer will indicate they're 165F in the middle).
Method 2 Oven Only:
- With this method, the meatballs won't brown as much, so they will be a bit less flavorful and much paler in color. Place the baking sheet with the meatballs in the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes or until they're 165F in the middle.
Notes
- This recipe is easiest with an oven-proof skillet if you're using method 1, but you can certainly transfer the meatballs to a baking sheet and finish them in the oven that way. Another option is to complete the skillet browning step and then finish cooking the meatballs in a sauce if you don't want to finish cooking them in the oven.
Nutrition
Calories: 332kcal | Carbohydrates: 8g | Protein: 28g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 11g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 149mg | Sodium: 649mg | Potassium: 755mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 1744IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 186mg | Iron: 2mg
