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 meatball soup, grape jelly meatballs, Italian meatballs, slow cooker meatballs, sweet and sour meatballs, and this lighter chicken version.

Chicken meatballs in a skillet of garlic butter.

My family loves dinner recipes that involve 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.

Chicken Meatball Ingredients

To make this recipe, you will need ground chicken, an egg, panko breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese, olive oil, garlic, salt, black pepper, Italian seasoning and fresh parsley.

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 baking 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 chicken balls 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 homemade marinara sauce or with tomato sauce for dipping.
  • Be sure to offer some great side dishes such as Hasselback sweet potatoes, sauteed broccolini or fennel salad.
  • 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 balls.
  • You can store leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 4 days, or put them in the freezer for 2 months.
  • No parsley on hand? Try a different herb such as oregano or basil.

Quick Tip

Be careful not to pack the meatballs too tightly in your hands, or they can become tough.

Ground chicken with herbs and spices, rolled into balls.

Recipe FAQs

How do you keep meatballs moist?

There are a few tricks to keep your meatballs moist. Be sure to use ground chicken that is 93-96% lean, that extra fat along with the olive oil in the recipe will keep the meat from getting dry. In addition, be careful not to over bake the meatballs. They are ready as soon as they are done and the tops are brown.

What are chicken meatballs made of?

Chicken meatballs are made with ground chicken, breadcrumbs, egg, cheese, olive oil, herbs and spices.

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Baked meatballs on a sheet pan.

Chicken Meatball Variations

These chicken meatballs are fantastic in so many different ways. Here are some changes you can try.

  • Greek style: Add 1/2 cup chopped cooked spinach and use feta cheese for the parmesan cheese. You can also add a tablespoon of minced onions.
  • 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 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, then bake.
A serving plate of chicken meatballs served with marinara sauce.

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

More Meatball Recipes You’ll Love

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5 from 69 votes

Chicken Meatballs

AuthorSara Welch
Chicken meatballs in a skillet of garlic butter.
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.
Time
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Total Time30 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine Italian
Serves 6

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.

Notes

  1. You can use ground turkey instead of ground chicken with great results.
  2. When you select your ground chicken, pick 93-96% lean ground chicken. Avoid 99% lean ground chicken breast.
  3. 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.

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

Hello! I’m Sara!

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5 from 69 votes (34 ratings without comment)

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Comments

  1. 5 stars
    I made two batches of these because I have a big family and I put about 10 balls not cooked in the freezer. Got Her them out a week later and put them in the air fryer. They are so good they reminded me of a really good chicken sausage. So I ordered sausage casings the size for breakfast sausages, handmade chicken, sausage links for in the morning and everybody loved it. Also I grind the chicken myself and add chicken thighs for some fat .

  2. 5 stars
    Easy and I had all the ingredients. I added some Tabasco for a kick in flavor and they came out great. I donโ€™t think my spouse realized they were chicken๐Ÿคฃ. I will make again.

  3. 5 stars
    I can’t express enough how much my family adores these chicken meatballs! Baked to a perfect golden brown, they’re bursting with flavors of garlic, herbs, and spices. Whether served as an appetizer or atop a steaming plate of spaghetti, they never fail to impress.

  4. 5 stars
    This was such a delicious and lighter twist on our regular meatballs that we serve with spaghetti! Our whole family loved this recipe!

  5. I made the meatballs twice as large and only ended up with 13 but thatโ€™s ok. I like larger meatballs. I used crushed pork rinds instead of pinko bread crumbs to make this a keto meatball. The meatballs are amazing. I made the butter, garlic and chopped parsley sauce to drizzle over the meatballs and had a side of steamed broccoli and cauliflower with a simple home made cheese sauce. This meal is totally keto and very nice. I will definitely do this again. Thank you for this healthy and tasty recipe.

  6. Just checking on the amount of ground chicken. The recipe says 2-pounds, but the accompanying ingredients, seems better suited for 1-pound of ground chicken. Thanks.

  7. 5 stars
    Iโ€™ve made these for a long time. I get the 4 packs of ground chicken at Costco! They are really easy to make with ingredients I can actually find at Costco as well. Iโ€™ve ate these for probably 3-4 months while going to the gym. They are so good

  8. Really good and easy I did add more parsley and used 1 fresh garlic clove – cookie scoop made it fast and easy. baked then put in homemade sauce for 30 min. I combined the egg and olive oil in one bowl and the herbs cheese and breadcrumbs in another bowl mixed them together then added to the ground chicken this made it easy to mix in and not over work the meat.

  9. Two comments/questions. How many meatballs does this recipe make? 1 tablespoon of parsley for 2 pounds of ground meat seems a bit light. I realize that more or less parsley may be used, but what range of quantities do you typically decide on? Also, what size sheet pan do you use? I have several different sizes. Knowing what you find suitable would be helpful.
    Thanks for the recipe and the requested info!

    1. It should make bout 24 meatballs. You can add more parsley if prefer, it won’t be a problem! I use an 18×13 pan. You just need to make sure you have room for the meatballs without them touching.

  10. These sound really nice but if serving with pasta would they need a sauce ? If so what would you suggest? A creamy sauce maybe ?

  11. My husband doesnโ€™t like cheese (I know, CRAZY!). What can I use to bind the meatballs together other than cheese? ๐Ÿ™

  12. All prepped and in fridge ; serving tonight with rice and sautรฉed spinach. My stomach is growling.

      1. If I want to freeze it, should I cook it and freeze it or should I freeze it raw after rolling it into balls?