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Home » Dinner » Baked Chicken Meatballs

November 2, 2019 By Sara 45 Comments

Baked Chicken Meatballs

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The best chicken meatballs baked until golden brown and flavored with garlic, herbs and spices. These meatballs are great served as an appetizer, or over a big plate of spaghetti.

My family loves meatballs, I often make their favorite versions including slow cooker meatballs, sweet and sour meatballs, and this lighter chicken version.

Chicken Meatballs Recipe | Baked Meatballs #chicken #meatballs #dinner #dinneratthezoo #comfortfood Chicken Meatballs Recipe | Baked Meatballs #chicken #meatballs #dinner #dinneratthezoo #comfortfood

Chicken meatballs in a skillet of garlic butter.

My family loves meatballs, and these tender and juicy chicken meatballs are their all-time favorite. Chicken meatballs are a little lighter than their beef counterparts, but they’re still plenty flavorful and are super easy to prepare.

How do you make chicken meatballs?

To make chicken meatballs, place ground chicken, eggs, breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, olive oil and seasonings in a large bowl. Mix everything thoroughly, then roll 1 inch balls out of the mixture.

Place the uncooked meatballs on a foil lined sheet pan and they are ready to bake. Put them in the oven until the meatballs are golden brown and cooked through. Add a sprinkle of parsley, then serve and enjoy.

Ground chicken, herbs, breadcrumbs and cheese in a mixing bowl.

Tips for chicken meatballs

  • You can use ground turkey instead of ground chicken with great results.
  • When you select your ground chicken, pick 93-96% lean ground chicken. Avoid 99% lean ground chicken breast.
  • I like to serve these meatballs in garlic butter sauce. To make garlic butter sauce, simply cook in a pan 4 tablespoons of butter, 1 teaspoon of garlic, 2 tablespoons of fresh chopped parsley and a little salt and pepper to taste. You can also serve these meatballs in marinara sauce or with marinara sauce for dipping.
  • Try putting a little cooking oil on your hands when you form the meatballs. That helps keep the meat from sticking to you and gives you smoother meatballs.

Ground chicken with herbs and spices, rolled into balls.

How do you keep meatballs moist?

There are a few tricks to keep your meatballs moist.

  • Make sure you add the olive oil indicated in this recipe.
  • Mix the meatballs thoroughly so the eggs and bread crumbs are evenly distributed.
  • Use chicken meat that is 93-95% lean so that the meat has moisture.
  • Don’t over bake the meatballs. Take them out of the oven when they are cooked through and the tops are browned.

Baked meatballs on a sheet pan.

Chicken meatball variations

These chicken meatballs are fantastic because they can be used in practically any sauce or modified as you like. Here are some changes you can try.

  • Greek style: Add 1/2 cup chopped cooked spinach and substitute feta cheese for the parmesan cheese.
  • Cheese lovers: Add 1/2 cup each of shredded mozzarella and cheddar cheese to the meatballs.
  • Mexican: Omit the Italian seasoning, instead use 1 tablespoon of chili powder. Use shredded cheddar cheese instead of parmesan cheese. Sprinkle a little cilantro over the top of the meatballs when serving them instead of parsley.
  • Bacon: Try adding 1/2 cup of cooked crumbled bacon to the meatballs.
  • Stuffed meatballs: Put a 1/2 inch cube of mozzarella cheese inside each meatball. The cheese will be melted and gooey when you cut the meatballs open.

A serving plate of chicken meatballs served with marinara sauce.

These chicken meatballs bake up browned on the outside and moist on the inside. They work perfectly in pasta, as a pizza topping, in a meatball sandwich, or as a party snack. The possibilities are endless!

More meatball recipes you’ll love

  • Greek Meatballs with Lemon Dill Rice
  • Turkey Meatballs (Slow Cooker)
  • Asian Meatballs and Carrot Rice
  • Cranberry Meatballs (Slow Cooker)
  • Teriyaki Meatballs
Chicken meatballs in a skillet of garlic butter.
Print Pin
5 from 21 votes

Chicken Meatballs

The best chicken meatballs baked until golden brown and flavored with garlic, herbs and spices. These meatballs are great served as an appetizer, or over a big plate of spaghetti.
Course Main Course
Cuisine Italian
Keyword chicken meatballs
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings 6
Calories 310kcal
Author Sara Welch

Ingredients

  • 2 pounds ground chicken 96% lean
  • 1 egg
  • 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
  • 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon minced garlic
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  • 1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
  • cooking spray
  • 1 tablespoon chopped parsley

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a sheet pan with foil, and coat the foil with cooking spray.
  • Place the ground chicken, eggs, breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese, olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper and Italian seasoning in a bowl. Mix until thoroughly combined.
  • Roll 1 inch sized meatballs, and place the meatballs in a single layer on the baking pan.
  • Bake for 20 minutes, or until meatballs are browned and cooked through. Sprinkle with parsley, then serve.

Nutrition

Calories: 310kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 29g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 185mg | Sodium: 554mg | Potassium: 824mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 80IU | Vitamin C: 0.2mg | Calcium: 36mg | Iron: 2mg

Filed Under: Appetizers, Dinner Tagged With: Chicken, Meatballs

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Comments

  1. Lori says

    March 7, 2021 at 2:58 pm

    I accidentally got turkey meat instead 🤦🏻‍♀️. Can I use that instead?

    Reply
    • Sara says

      March 7, 2021 at 6:45 pm

      Yes that’s fine!

      Reply
  2. Tamiko Davis-West says

    March 5, 2021 at 4:09 am

    I’m looking forward to making this dish

    Reply
  3. Daniela says

    January 31, 2021 at 10:29 am

    Can I freeze after cooking? Thanks;

    Reply
    • Sara says

      January 31, 2021 at 9:02 pm

      Yes that should be fine!

      Reply
  4. Marissa Crockett says

    January 11, 2021 at 3:25 am

    5 stars
    How many meatballs do you consider a serving? Love these! They are a great healthy snack we prep for our week!

    Reply
    • Sara says

      January 11, 2021 at 8:32 pm

      It should be 4-5 meatballs!

      Reply
  5. Onic says

    December 23, 2020 at 8:47 am

    5 stars
    I just made this chicken meatballs and my husband said it was the best chicken meatballs he has ever had!

    Reply
  6. Treasure says

    November 24, 2020 at 10:16 am

    Can you substitute the cheese with something else? My son is allergic to dairy.

    Reply
    • Sara says

      November 24, 2020 at 11:42 am

      I’d just omit it!

      Reply
    • Kris says

      December 7, 2020 at 9:08 pm

      I can’t have dairy either; I used nutritional yeast in place of the cheese – it worked very well

      Reply
  7. Susan says

    October 30, 2020 at 7:35 am

    5 stars
    I usually make turkey meatballs and have to add more spices because its so bland but these chicken meatballs are delicious! Followed recipe as is and it was perfect.

    Reply
  8. joanne says

    October 14, 2020 at 3:01 pm

    Wow..made up a big batch of your Chicken Meetmeat Balls. We used a Bocatini pastas. It was fabulous, accompanied with a sourdough loaf of bread and green salad

    Thank you so much
    Joanne Smith
    Poulsbo Wa

    Reply
  9. Melody Moore says

    October 1, 2020 at 3:20 pm

    5 stars
    This turned exactly as I wanted and hoped for. Definitely my go-to meatball recipe for the future. Freezing a bunch to have on hand. I use tzatziki sauce in a pita for a middle eastern/Greek twist,

    Reply
  10. Darcy says

    September 19, 2020 at 6:19 pm

    5 stars
    I ended up making these with ground turkey as thats all I had and they were delicious.

    Reply
  11. Blair says

    August 29, 2020 at 3:03 pm

    5 stars
    These turned out SO deliciously! How do you get that amazing, burnished surface on your meatballs? Our oven sucks and I can never trust the temperature settings, so I set to broil in the final minutes, but yours are so glossy and browned! I even spritzed them with some oil to try to help…

    Reply
    • Sara says

      August 31, 2020 at 4:14 pm

      Make sure to put your meatballs on the top rack so they’re closer to the broiler heating element! Glad you enjoyed the recipe.

      Reply
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With 3 young kids, dinner can feel like feeding time at the zoo! I'm a mom on a mission to create easy, healthy and family friendly recipes ...Read More
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