Ground Chicken Meatballs Parmesan
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Ground Chicken Meatballs Parmesan is a delicious, family-friendly dinner with the flavors of classic chicken Parmesan. This recipe comes together in 20 minutes, making it perfect for dinner on a busy night.
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Why This Recipe is a Family Favorite
I first made these during a meal prep day with my best friend and let’s just say our kids couldn’t keep their hands off them so only about half made it to the freezer.
These chicken parmesan meatballs have all the flavors of classic chicken parm, but in a simpler, more flexible format.
They’re easy to pair with just about anything from pasta or salad to a rice bowl or meatball sandwiches.
They’re also great for busy nights because they’re ready to serve in about 20 minutes. If you like meal prep dinners, you can make a batch of the ground chicken meatballs ahead of time to use throughout the week!
Happy Kitchen Secrets
Here are the important mom-tested cooking tips for making the chicken parmesan meatballs. I’ve made this meal countless times to save you from a failed attempt.
- Don’t overmix the meatball mixture. Mix just until everything is combined so the meatballs stay tender instead of dense.
- Make them all the same size. A cookie scoop helps keep the meatballs the same size so they cook evenly.
- The meatball mixture is sticky, so lightly wetting your hands with water helps to prevent it from sticking to your hands.
- Use an instant-read meat thermometer to ensure that the chicken meatballs are cooked through to an internal temperature of 165°F.
Ingredients
You’ll want to add the following ingredients to your grocery list:
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
Italian breadcrumbs already include seasoning, which helps build flavor quickly. If you’re using plain breadcrumbs or panko breadcrumbs, you can add some Italian seasoning to them for flavor.
For a gluten-free meal, use gluten-free breadcrumbs, or make meatballs without breadcrumbs.
How to Make the Ground Chicken Meatballs
This is only a summary—scroll or jump to the recipe card for full instructions! ⬇️
Jump to Recipe
- Measure out your ingredients. Add the meatball ingredients to a large mixing bowl.
- Blend to combine. Use your hands or a large spoon to gently mix the ingredients together.
- Form the chicken meatballs. Use your hands or a cookie scoop to shape the mixture into 1-inch meatballs. Place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet, leaving a little space between each.
- Brush the tops with oil. This will help them to brown in the oven.
Quick Tip
If the ground chicken mixture is sticking to your hands, lightly wet your hands with water. This helps make it easier to shape the meatballs, too!
Finishing the Chicken Parmesan Meatballs
- Bake the meatballs at 400°F until their internal temperature is 165°F.
- Rest before serving. Let the meatballs rest for a few minutes before serving so they hold their shape and stay juicy.
Make it kid friendly: If your kids do better with familiar meals, serve these meatballs with buttered noodles, plain pasta or a little shredded mozzarella on the side. You can also make them slightly smaller for easier portions.
Chicken Meatball Meal Prep Instructions
The meatballs are great for easy meal prep, especially because they retain their texture well in the fridge or freezer, and they reheat easily.
Before storing them, let the meatballs cool completely after baking. This prevents them from becoming soggy. Then, divide them into portions using food storage bags or meal prep containers.
If you freeze the ground chicken meatballs raw, transfer them to the fridge to thaw before baking them.
Don't Want Oven Baked Meatballs?
See my post, How to Cook Meatballs for instructions to cook meatballs in an air fryer, in a skillet, slow cooker, or Instant Pot.
Storing and Reheating Instructions
Refrigerator: The meatballs will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Freezer: Let the meatballs cool completely, then store in freezer-safe bags or containers for up to 3 months.
Reheating ground chicken meatballs: Reheat in the microwave in 30-second intervals until heated through.
Chicken Parmesan Meatball Recipe FAQs
Yes, you can reheat frozen meatballs directly in sauce. Add them to a saucepan with marinara and warm over medium-low heat until heated through, stirring occasionally so they heat evenly.
Yes, you can mix and shape the meatballs ahead, then store them covered in the refrigerator until ready to bake.
I like to bake ground chicken meatballs to prevent them from drying out, but there are other options! See my post, How to Cook Meatballs for instructions.
After you make this recipe, please give it a star rating below and comment to let me know how it went!
Ground Chicken Meatballs Parmesan
Equipment
- large mixing bowl
- rimmed baking sheet
Ingredients
- 2 lbs ground chicken
- ½ cup Italian breadcrumbs
- 1 egg
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- ½ cup grated Parmesan
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- ½ tsp sea salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- 1 cup marinara sauce
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, combine all ingredients. Mix gently until just combined to avoid overmixing.
- Using wet hands, form mixture into 1-inch meatballs and place on the prepared baking sheet, leaving a little space between each.
- Optional: use a basting brush to brush olive oil on top of each meatball. This will help to brown/caramelize them a bit!
- Bake for 15 minutes, or until meatballs reach an internal temperature of 165°F (74°C) and are lightly browned.
- Spoon marinara sauce evenly over the ground chicken meatballs before serving, or allow to cool completely before portioning into containers for meal prep.
- Serve as desired. They're great over cooked pasta, rice, or in rolls for meatball subs.
Notes
- This recipe yields about 30 (1-inch) meatballs. Larger meatballs will take longer to cook through.
- Be sure to use an instant-read meat thermometer to ensure that the ground chicken meatballs are cooked through to an internal temperature of 165°F.
- Lightly wetting your hands with water prevents the meatball mixture from sticking to your hands.
- Fully baked meatballs will keep for up to 5 days in the fridge, or freezer for up to 3 months. Reheat meatballs to an internal temperature of 165°F. before consuming.
Nutrition
Serving Suggestions
These meatballs are easy to serve in a variety of ways depending on what you have on hand.
- Pasta: Serve with marinara sauce and your favorite pasta for a classic dinner.
- Sandwiches: Add to a toasted roll with marinara or Bolognese and melted cheese for a meatball sub.
- Bowls: Pair with rice or roasted broccoli for a simple meal prep dinner option.
