Light and lean, everyone loves this chicken meatball recipe.
They’re made with ground chicken, seasoned breadcrumbs, and parmesan cheese for tasty meatballs perfect for appetizers or pasta!
Holly’s Highlights For Chicken Meatballs
- Flavor: These meatballs are seasoned with Italian-style seasoning, making them perfect for pasta or meatball subs. Swap out the seasoning (and cheese) to change the flavor.
- Technique: When mixing meatballs, including beef meatballs, mix the meat and seasonings gently—almost tossing them together. If you overmix it can pack the meat together making the meatballs less tender.
- Prep note: These can be frozen before or after baking. I prefer to bake before freezing for easy meals.
What You’ll Need To Make Chicken Meatballs
- Ground chicken is available at most grocery stores. If using extra lean, add about a teaspoon or so of olive oil. Swap ground chicken for turkey with no other changes needed.
- Seasoned breadcrumbs add flavor, and they also soak up the juices, keeping the meatballs nice and tender.
- Parmesan cheese adds salt and flavor. It can be replaced with other varieties of cheese, like crumbled feta.
- Egg helps to bind the meatballs together.
How to Make Chicken Meatballs
- Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl (recipe below.)
- Shape into 1-inch meatballs and place on a prepared baking sheet.
- Bake until meatballs are just cooked through.
Ways to Use Chicken Meatballs
Serve chicken meatballs in hearty Buffalo chicken subs, try a new twist on chicken parmesan, or simply smother them in teriyaki or BBQ sauce for a delicious game-day appetizer. For a protein-packed lunch, enjoy them cold on top of a hearty salad or roll them into a chicken Caesar wrap.
Storing Chicken Meatballs
- Keep leftover chicken meatballs in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Freeze leftovers in zippered bags for up to 4 months and bake from frozen for 18-20 minutes.
- Make a batch of uncooked meatballs and freeze them in a single layer before transferring them to zippered bags for up to 4 months. Bake from frozen for 25-28 minutes.
More Ground Chicken Recipes
Did your family love these Chicken Meatballs? Be sure to leave a rating and a comment below!
Chicken Meatballs
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground chicken
- ½ cup seasoned bread crumbs
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 egg
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon dried basil
- ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- In a large bowl, combine all of the ingredients together. Mix until just combined.
- Line a baking pan with parchment paper. Roll the meat mixture into 1-inch meatballs (you should have 24 total) and place them on the baking sheet.
- Bake for 20-22 minutes or until the meatballs are just cooked through. Do not overbake.
Notes
- Use a meat thermometer to check that the internal temperature reaches 165°F. Avoid overbaking so they stay juicy.
- Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days, or in the freezer for up to 4 months.
- Bake raw meatballs from frozen for 25 to 28 minutes.
- Bake cooked meatballs from frozen for 18 to 20 minutes.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Appetizer, Chicken, Dinner, Main Course, Party Food, Snack
Cuisine American© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
Weird, I know, but I’d not heard of ground chicken before. Coinicdentally there I was at the market after seeing this recipe and looking straight at it. I decided to try it and made it exactly as described. Well, i did add a dash of worcestershire, but otherwise no substitutions. It was fabulous! I used it in subs and they were devoured. This is a super simple yet unique meal. Thanks.
John, that’s awesome! It’s always fun to try something new, especially when it turns out so well. The dash of Worcestershire sounds like a great touch! I’m so glad it was a hit in the subs—thanks for giving the recipe a try and sharing your experience!
Not only these easy to make, but healthier as well…Good way to start my new year off!!! Thanks for recipe—DELISH!!
So glad you’re loving the recipes Mary, Happy New Year!
Can these be baked in an air fryer?
I haven’t made these in the air fryer, I’d suggest that you follow the method in this recipe for cooking in the air fryer.
Thank you for your prompt reply. I’ll give these a try today.
Better than my ground-beef meatballs!
Okay, that’s not saying much. But really, they’re very good. 4 1/2 star
Better than my ground-beef meatballs!
Okay, that’s not saying much. But really, they’re very good. 4 1/2 stars.
So glad you enjoyed them!
First time making these and they came out pretty good, well seasoned. I used plain bread crumbs, increased salt to 1/2 tsp. And used dried parsley because I didn’t have fresh on hand. My only issue was adding some milk which made bread crumbs clump into hard pellets. But I feel milk was necessary for moisture. Maybe next time I’ll add more, 1/2 cup or so. I would also like to try these with fresh onions and garlic (sautéed in butter) for enhanced texture and flavor. Otherwise this recipe is good as it is, with simple ingredients. Thank you.
I’m glad you enjoyed the recipe! You can increase the milk if you’d like however, I don’t mix the milk with the crumbs first. I place it all in a bowl with the chicken and mix it together. The crumbs will soften further as they absorb juices from the chicken.
Wonderful. I made these meatballs, but I also included a mozzarella stuffed pepper in the interior. Wow, delicious.
That sounds delicious, Maggie!
YUMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMY cannot wait to try this
but is it possible to use **panko instead of
bread crumbs?
**beats oats, bread crumbs etc. for my turkey meatloaf which
is to die for.
Yes, you can use Panko in place of seasoned bread crumbs.
Love these meatballs. So flavorful and moist. Thank you for my new go to recipe.
So happy you enjoyed them, Linda!
Hello,
I made the chicken meatballs. We enjoyed them.
thank You,
Brett
So glad you enjoyed them Brett!
Thanks Holly,
I love your recipes
I am so glad you are enjoying the recipes Lawrence!
I used my Ninja Air Roast on 375 for 16 minutes. Fantastic!
I am so glad you enjoyed this recipe Maggie!
Delicious. Used gluten-free bread crumbs & dairy-free cheese. Easy to make.
Served with marinara & gluten-free pasta.
I am so happy to hear you loved this recipe Linda!
Great. Recipe! One question, nutrition information does noot say how many meatballs per serving. Is it 4 servings of 6?
Hi Chris, this recipe makes 24 meatballs and the nutrition information is for 1 meatball.
I’m realizing I’ve made this great recipe a few times and never left a review. These are so flavorful. I don’t miss beef and the whole family loves them, kids included. I have used both ground turkey and chicken. Worked great with both. No changes except a bit more salt.
I finally paid better attention this time and used parchment paper, as the recipe states, instead of aluminum foil. No more sticking to the foil. ;) Thank you for another great recipe!! Husband says “They’re amazing.”
So happy to hear that, Joanne! Thanks for letting us know :)
Great recipe, Holly. I love that they’re nice & healthy, so I’m looking forward to making them. They sound scrumptious! I will however, make them larger, to yield 1 doz. Thanks
This looks yummy! Are they suitable for the airfryer? Would you know time and temp?
Thanks for all your wonderful recipes, Holly!
You’re welcome Judith! While I haven’t made these in the air fryer, I’d suggest that you follow the method in this recipe for cooking in the air fryer.