Y’all know I’m obsessed with meatballs, right? They’re just so easy, delicious, and something that I’m always in the mood for. So, when I got an unexpected pound of ground chicken in my Instacart order a couple of weeks ago, I knew exactly what to do with it—Chicken Parmesan Meatballs! While ground chicken isn’t my favorite, you can never go wrong with a meatball. Plenty of Parmesan and a few simple herbs and spices turned that lack luster ground chicken into something totally crave-worthy. Meatballs for the win!
And don’t worry, even though I did not actually order the ground chicken, I still paid for it. ;)
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If you’re a fan of the classic Chicken Parmesan, this Chicken Parmesan Meatballs recipe is one you’ll definitely want to remember. It’s just a really good, simple, basic meatball that you can use with any ground meat that you have on hand.
Can I Bake the Meatballs?
Yes, if you prefer to make the meatballs in the oven instead of a skillet, simply line a baking sheet with parchment paper and bake in a preheated 400ºF oven for about 20 minutes or until the internal temperature of the meatballs reaches 165ºF. Do keep in mind that baked meatballs will not achieve the nice browning on the outside that you get with cooking in a skillet. The browned surface does provide additional flavor.
Can I Freeze the Chicken Meatballs?
Yes, you can freeze the meatballs either cooked or uncooked. Either way, freeze the meatballs on a lined baking sheet first to prevent them from sticking together. Then, once frozen solid, transfer to a zip top freezer bag for long term storage (about 3 months).
To cook meatballs that were frozen raw, let the meatballs thaw at room temperature for about 30 minutes, then cook in a skillet just as directed below.
To cook meatballs that are frozen after cooking, simply drop them into a pot of hot pasta sauce directly from the freezer, and allow them to heat through in the sauce.
Can I Use a Different Kind of Ground Meat?
Yes. This mixture of Parmesan and herbs is so versatile that it goes great with just about any type of ground meat. Try it with pork, turkey, or even beef.
Chicken Parmesan Meatballs
Servings 4 5 meatballs eachIngredients
Chicken Parmesan Meatballs
- ½ cup breadcrumbs ($0.13)
- ⅓ cup grated Parmesan ($0.59)
- ¼ tsp garlic powder ($0.02)
- ½ tsp dried basil ($0.05)
- ½ tsp dried oregano ($0.05)
- ¼ tsp salt ($0.02)
- ¼ tsp freshly cracked black pepper ($0.02)
- 1 lb. ground chicken ($3.29)
- 1 large egg ($0.23)
- 2 Tbsp cooking oil ($0.08)
For Serving
- 12 oz. pasta ($1.00)
- 1 24oz. jar pasta sauce ($2.09)
Instructions
- Combine the breadcrumbs and seasoning first. In a small bowl, stir together the breadcrumbs, grated Parmesan, garlic powder, basil, oregano, salt, and pepper.
- Add the ground chicken to a large bowl, then add the seasoned breadcrumb mixture and the egg. Use your hands to combine the ingredients until evenly mixed.
- Shape the meat mixture into meatballs, about 1-1.5 Tbsp each. You should get around 20 meatballs.
- Heat 1 Tbsp cooking oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Once the skillet is hot and the oil is shimmering, add half of the meatballs. Cook the meatballs about one minute on each side, until all six sides are browned and the meatballs are cooked through. Transfer the cooked meatballs to a clean plate. Add the second tablespoon of cooking oil to the skillet and cook the second batch of meatballs in the same manner.
- While the meatballs are cooking, begin the pasta and sauce. Bring a large pot of water to boil for the pasta. Once boiling, add the pasta and cook until tender (7-10 minutes). Drain the pasta in a colander. Add the sauce to a medium sauce pot and heat over medium-low, stirring occasionally, until heated through.
- Once all the meatballs are finished cooking, add them to the pot of heated pasta sauce and stir to coat. If needed, allow them to heat for a few minutes in the sauce.
- Serve the cooked and drained pasta topped with sauce and meatballs.
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Equipment
- Measuring Cups Spoons
- Color Cutting Boards
- Mixing Bowls
Notes
Nutrition
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Scroll down for the step by step photos!
How to Make Chicken Parmesan Meatballs – Step by Step Photos
First mix the dry ingredients for the meatballs. In a bowl, stir together ½ cup breadcrumbs, 1/3 cup grated Parmesan, ¼ tsp garlic powder, ½ tsp dried basil, ½ tsp dried oregano, ¼ tsp salt, and ¼ tsp freshly cracked black pepper.
Next, add 1 lb. ground chicken, 1 large egg, and the seasoned breadcrumb mixture to a bowl.
Use your hands to combine the ingredients until they are evenly mixed.
Shape the chicken mixture into meatballs, about 1 to 1.5 Tbsp each, or about 20 meatballs.
Add 1 Tbsp cooking oil to a large skillet and heat over medium. Once the skillet is hot and the oil is shimmering, add half of the meatballs. Cook the meatballs for about one minute on each side, until all six sides are well browned and the meatballs are cooked through. Transfer the cooked meatballs to a clean plate, add another tablespoon of oil, and cook the second batch of meatballs in the same manner.
While the meatballs are cooking, begin the pasta and sauce. Bring a large pot of water to a boil for the pasta. Once boiling, add the pasta and continue to boil until tender. Drain the pasta in a colander. Add the sauce to a medium sauce pot and heat over medium-low, stirring occasionally, until heated through.
Add the cooked meatballs to the heated sauce and stir to combine. If needed, let the meatballs heat for a few minutes in the sauce.
Serve the cooked and drained pasta with sauce and meatballs. Enjoy!
These are fantastic and really easy! Tasted similar to chicken parm. I baked them and then put in the sauce. Next time I’ll try broiling with mozzarella over meatballs at the end of cooking
These were awesome, so easy and really did taste like chicken Parmesan! I’ll be making them again and again!
Made this tonight. Delicious! Will definitely make again. I didn’t realize my daughter had bought spaghetti noodles, so I used odds and ends of penne and some shells
I wanted the crunchy crust of chicken parmesan. I mixed and rolled as directed, then rolled in panko and quick spray of oil. It end up being 1 cup of panko. Baked on a wire rack for 20 min at 400, then a couple min broil to brown. Perfect crunch. I recommend the adjustment!
Could you bake the meatballs instead?
Yes. Please read the paragraph titled “Can I bake the meatballs.” xoxo Monti
These were fabulous. Only thing I would do differently is double the meatball portion of the recipe and freeze half for later. SO GOOD.
I thank you so much for sharing Blessings after Blessing to prepare for my family. I love to cook and now that i have so many meals to choose from I am grateful and thankful for you sharing your recipes!
Thank you for being here Lonnetta! XOXO -Monti
LOVE! The hubs and I are SOLD! It has definitely made the rotation! Inflation is hitting the pocketbook and your website is the cure.
These meatballs are delicious! I’ve made them a few times, but most recently I decided to make four burgers instead of meatballs. Topped them with some marinara and fresh mozzarella, and served over spinach on a brioche bun. We loved the meatballs, but we love the burgers more!
Does the nutrition for one serving include the pasta or is it just the nutrition for 5 meatballs?
It’s everything that is on the ingredient list, so yes, that does include the pasta and sauce. :)
Hi Beth,
Can you use Panko ? or what brand of breadcrumbs do you use?
Thanks!
I just used plain breadcrumbs. :) You may be able to use panko but you might need to adjust the amount up, since they are less dense and might absorb less liquid.
This recipe is in a regular rotation for us! I have made it in the skillet many times, but decided to try the air fryer tonight. They came out so delicious! I cooked them in a preheated air fryer at 350 for about 12 minutes after brushing with oil. I also used Italian breadcrumbs because that is what I had in hand. Thank you for so many of your delicious recipes. They make me feel like a good cook!
My meatballs fell apart in the pan. Any suggestions?
What kind of pan are you using?
I’ve made a ton of recipes from this website but this might be one of my favorites! I made a few modifications: used shredded parmesan instead of grated (as I bought it by accident), omitted the garlic powder (as boyfriend eats low FODMAP), and decided to bake then brown the meatballs (baked for 20 min at 400 then browned all sides for 5 min in butter). This was an absolutely delicious and easy dinner and was perfect for Christmas Eve and New Years Eve!
Thanks for saying that it works without garlic powder…I have to eat without onion or garlic now (not because of FODMAP issues though) and it’s a bit of a challenge. I would probably make the sauce with anchoives in the soffritto together with a pinch of asafoetida, a bay leaf and then black pepper.
My sons & husband loved these! I took a small handful of grated mozzarella and wrapped the meatball around it before I cooked them. It was tedious but delicious. Next time I’ll try a small cube of mozzarella to make it easier. So fun to have that cheese ooze out of the meatballs. And it made them feel more like chicken parm.
This was such a hit with my family of young, picky eaters! Everyone was thoroughly impressed and enjoyed the meatballs, especially me! Only recipe adjustment was to 1/2 the listed Oregano, but we didn’t miss it. Everything was wonderfully flavorful and delicious.
Would this work with vegan parmesan? I have recently gotten a lactose intolerance and have been trying to figure out what all I can do to work around it..
I’m not sure, as I’ve never cooked with vegan parmesan, but I don’t think the Parmesan has a big impact on the structure of the meatball, so you might be okay.
I made this recipe yesterday and they turned out really great!
My daughter is quite picky, but these were a win! Thanks!
I made these today, I found the meatballs nearly tasteless. I couldn’t really taste any parm or herbs. I’ll make these again, but I’ll switch the measurements for breadcrumbs and parmesan, and double the other spices.
I did much more black pepper, several shakes of the red pepper flakes, and a tablespoon of the garlic powder oregano and basil, along with some fresh garlic and shallots. Amped up the flavor, but that’s my taste; I like to be a bit more heavy handed on seasoning in general.
This was so much easier to make than I expected and really tasty.
Family favourite. I’ve been making a double batch in the oven and freezing some for later.
This has just become my new go-to for game days (whenever sports are back haha).
Turned out great! Added fresh garlic, red pepper flakes, some pesto to the marinade, and used a spicy arrabbiata sauce. So good.
Made this tonight! I followed the recipe exactly, save for swapping ground turkey as it’s what I had available. 1lb made about 28 meatballs for me using a heaping scoop from a tablespoon, rolled between my palms.
I served it with Marcella Hazan’s tomato sauce (just San Marzano tomatoes, butter, and onion simmered!! Google it!).
Important question: can we stuff them with mozzarella like chicken parm is normally smothered in it? 🤤🤤
Oh that sounds decadent and worth a try!
Absolutely! My Parmesan went bad so I subbed in mozzarella instead and it was so phenomenal. Never using Parmesan!
Ok, so I had to let you know that I made these tonight. They were outstanding. Beth you created something great again. This is perfect quarantine food. You can really stretch the meatballs an the price to make it was on point.
What’s the trick of keeping the balls upright while cooking? Maybe mine were too large, but yours in the final photo look about the same size as mine, and it took a long time for instant read thermometer to reach 165 degrees.
Mine end up looking kind of like little dice. haha! They are a little flat on each side. But if you turn them often and use tongs to kind of squeeze them back into shape as you turn, they’re a little more round.
I just made these and they were delicious!
It was perfect timing, I had the sudden and unrelenting craving for spaghetti and meatballs, but only had ground chicken.
A quick google search for chicken parm meatballs and what do you know – one of my favorite food blogs just released a recipe yesterday!
I paired it with your 5 ingredient sauce which was a first for me as well – it was great! I probably would double the garlic next time though.
I found the meat mix very wet and difficult to roll into balls, I think it might have been because my “ground” chicken was very low quality (think pink slime haha).
I browned them in a cast-iron skillet with olive oil. Very juicy on the inside, with a lovely crust on the outside. (I think the browning is key, as you said in the recipe. They were so flavourful!)
I made varying sizes and they were all great regardless of size. Finished them in the red sauce for about 15 minutes.
Will make these again for sure! Thanks for the recipe. :)
Can you use panko in place of breadcrumbs?
Most definitely!
This looks perfect. I’m adding it to my list. My family likes chicken parmesan but it’s a pain to make. This looks painless and uses all the same ingredients in the regular dish. Thanks for this hit of inspiration.
Heck yeah! I’ve been looking for a pasta idea to round out my next menu plan and this is it! Thanks, Beth!
That’s a great idea. I can’t wait to try this. I got ground chicken an I was not sure what I was going to do, but this caught my eye.
Meatballs in the freezer are like money in the bank–I often make big batches and freeze them in about 8 oz quantities for fast meals on the fly.We adore chicken Parm, and this looks perfect. I plan to put a little mozzarella over the top and run under the broiler long enough to get melty –then stand back and watch them disappear.