Chicken Parmesan Meatballs

Juicy chicken meatballs with Parmesan and herbs, baked in marinara and topped with melted mozzarella, classic chicken parm in a bite-sized, comforting dish.

Course Appetizer, Main Course, Poultry

Cuisine American, Italian Inspired, Southern

Keyword baked-chicken-meatballs-recipe, chicken-parmesan-meatballs

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 25

Total Time 40

Servings 1-inch meatballs (may vary)

Calories 55kcal

Ingredients

2 lbs ground chicken
1 cup Italian seasoned panko breadcrumbs
1 small finely diced sweet onion or white onion
1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese plus 2 Tbsp for the top
3 Tbsp whole milk
2 large eggs
4 medium garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley plus 2-3 Tbsp for garnishing
2 tsp dried Italian seasoning
1 1/2 tsp seasoned salt
1 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 24 oz jar marinara sauce i.e. Bertolli's Four Cheese or similar
2 cups shredded low moisture mozzarella cheese
olive oil for brushing the skillet

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400°F. Brush the bottom and sides of a 12-inch cast iron skillet or similar oven safe skillet with olive oil. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, mix together ground chicken, panko breadcrumbs, onion, Parmesan, milk, eggs, parsley, garlic, Italian seasoning, seasoned salt, black pepper and crushed red pepper flakes until fully combined. Cover and chill for 1 hour.
After chilling, uncover the ground chicken mixture and use a scoop to form into 1-inch balls. Place into the skillet side by side, leaving equal space between. (Pro Tip: You can make into larger 2-inch meatballs. Bake 30-35 minutes total).
Bake for 10 minutes. Use tongs to turn the meatballs, then the pour pasta sauce on top. Sprinkle top of the sauce with mozzarella cheese and 2 Tbsp Parmesan cheese.
Return to the oven and bake an additional 10-15 minutes to melt mozzarella cheese and until the sauce is bubbly. You can broil for a 3-4 minutes at the end to brown the cheese further, if desired.
Serve garnished with additional parsley along with french bread and pasta, on hoagie rolls or as an appetizer.

Notes

Protein - You could adapt this recipe using ground turkey.
Breadcrumbs - You can use classic panko breadcrumb or dried Italian breadcrumbs.
Adjust the Size - I used a 1-inch meatball scoop to make the meatballs. You can make them larger, simply adjust the baking time to accommodate.
Cheese - You can use a pre-shredded Italian blend of cheese purchased at the grocery store for a timesaver.
Herbs - You can replace parsley with fresh basil.
Sauce - You can use your favorite store-bought marinara sauce or spaghetti sauce for this recipe. These are also delicious served drizzled with barbecue sauce.
How to Serve Chicken Meatballs - Serve these meatballs over a bed of pasta with a salad, on toasted hoagie rolls or with picks as an appetizer. You could also use these in Italian soup, just bake or fry in a skillet to brown then drop into the soup to finish cooking.

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