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. ;)
The recipe for these Chicken Parmesan Meatballs is one that you’ll want to memorize. 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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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!
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.