Enjoy your favorite chicken parmesan in meatball form!
Chicken Parmesan Meatballs are easy to make with lean ground chicken, simmered in a flavorful tomato sauce, and smothered with a generous amount of melty mozzarella cheese.
If you love chicken parmesan, you are going to really love this take on the classic recipe!
Ground chicken is mixed with parmesan cheese and seasonings to create large, delicious chicken parmesan meatballs.
To keep them moist and juicy, we’re cooking them on the stovetop, simmered in marinara sauce. Then we’re topping the whole skillet with so much shredded mozzarella cheese.
Seriously, any more cheese and you might not be able to lift the pan out from under the broiler!
Your family is going to love this easy, cheesy, chicken meatball dinner.
This. This is exactly what I need in my life. Seriously my new favorite recipe EVER!!! So creative and different yet classic and delicious! Love it!!!!
Andie
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Easier than Traditional Chicken Parm – Classic chicken parmesan involves frying chicken cutlets, which is a messy and time-consuming process. The prep time for chicken parm meatballs is only about 20 minutes!
- Cooked in One Skillet– Use an oven-safe skillet that has a lid for this recipe. That way, you can simmer the meatballs and broil the cheese all in the same pan. This method is less messy than baking or frying meatballs, and it’s quick as well.
- A Versatile Recipe– These chicken meatballs make a tasty dinner with a side of pasta, but they can just as easily work as a sharable appetizer if you make them a bit smaller, like my Firecracker Chicken Meatballs or Asian Chicken Meatballs recipe.
Ingredients In Chicken Parmesan Meatballs
Here’s what you need to make these cheesy chicken meatballs:
- Ground Chicken: Lean ground chicken makes these meatballs healthy! You can also use ground turkey if you like.
- Breadcrumbs and an Egg: These help to hold the chicken together and create structure in meatball recipes.
- Onion and Garlic: Fresh veggies add both flavor and moisture to the recipe. The onions are technically optional, so leave them out if you don’t enjoy pieces of onion in your meatballs.
- Parmesan Cheese: Use freshly grated parmesan rather than pre-grated, pre-packaged cheese.
- Marinara Sauce: The chicken meatballs will simmer in tomato sauce to make them extra delicious! Use your favorite jarred or homemade sauce.
- Mozzarella Cheese: To make chicken parm meatballs just like your favorite chicken parmesan, a layer of melted cheese over top is a must!
Complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
How To Make Chicken Parmesan Meatballs
- Mix the Meatballs: In a large bowl, combine ground chicken, onion, garlic, breadcrumbs, half of the parmesan cheese, an egg, chopped parsley, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Mix well with your hands or a spatula until well combined, but not overmixed.
- Portion: Heat marinara in a large skillet over low heat. Use a large cookie scoop to portion the meatballs, rolling them gently in your hands to make them round and smooth. Drop each meatball gently into the simmering marinara sauce.
- Cook: Cover the pan with a lid and simmer over low heat for 15 minutes, flipping the meatballs over halfway through. Cook until the internal temperature of the meatballs is 165°F/74°C.
- Add Cheese: Preheat the broiler, then sprinkle the remaining parmesan cheese and shredded mozzarella cheese all over the meatballs. Broil for 3-5 minutes, or until the top is bubbling and browned.
Tip!
To keep the meatballs from sticking to your hands, moisten your hands with a small amount of cold water in between each portion.
Recipe Tips
- Use the right skillet. This recipe is super simple if you use a large skillet that is both oven-safe and has a lid. You’ll use the lid to simmer the meatballs (without any splattering), then remove it before putting the whole skillet under the broiler to melt the cheese.
- Adjust the size. This recipe makes large chicken parmesan meatballs that are perfect for dinner portions, they’re tasty made into smaller appetizer portions too. Put this cheesy skillet out at your next party along with some toothpicks!
- To make this recipe gluten-free, use gluten-free breadcrumbs instead of regular ones. I tested the recipe with both types, and it was perfect each time.
- Dice the onions very small, so that they aren’t too obvious in your meatball mixture. You can also leave them out if you aren’t a fan of the texture that they add.
- For even more flavor, saute the diced onions in olive oil before adding them to the chicken parm meatball mixture.
Storing Tips
Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. These reheat wonderfully in the microwave and make for a delicious lunch the next day.
Try using the leftover chicken parmesan meatballs to make meatball bombers! Warm up the meatballs and add them to fresh rolls. Top with more cheese and melt under the broiler. Yum!
What To Serve With These Chicken Parm Meatballs
Serve this meal with pasta! Try my buttered noodles or garlic butter pasta recipe to create a side that will pair perfectly with chicken parmesan meatballs.
Garlic Bread and a Caesar Salad will round out this Italian feast wonderfully.
Recipe FAQs
I think that simmering them in marinara is the best way to make sure the chicken stays juicy and doesn’t dry out, but you can bake these if you prefer. It’s easier to bake smaller meatballs, so make them about 1½ tablespoon sized, and bake on a sheet pan topped with a wire rack, at 375°F/190°C for 10-12 minutes, or until fully cooked.
overmixing the ground chicken mixture can cause it to break down too much, which will result in tough meatballs. Be sure not to overmix! I prefer to mix the ingredients with my hands so that I can do it gently.
All of the people from Italy who I’ve spoken to have told me that chicken parmesan is not a common meal at home. Fried chicken cutlets topped with melted cheese are an Italian-American creation.
Yes! Use my turkey meatballs recipe or beef meatballs recipe. Top with cheese and broil until you reach cheesy perfection.
More Tasty Italian Recipes
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Juicy and flavorful Chicken Parmesan Meatballs are just so good, topped with melted cheese and nestled into a skillet of marinara sauce. Your family is going to love this easy dinner recipe.
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!
Chicken Parmesan Meatballs
Equipment
- Skillet or saute pan oven safe, with a lid
- Large cookie scoop
Ingredients
- 1 pound (450 grams) ground chicken
- 1 small yellow onion finely diced, about ½ cup, optional
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- ½ cup breadcrumbs use gluten free if needed
- 1 cup (85 grams) grated parmesan cheese divided
- 1 large egg
- ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
For the Sauce:
- 2 cups (480 ml) marinara sauce
- 1 ½ cups (180 grams) shredded mozzarella cheese
- Fresh basil for garnish
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine all of the meatball ingredients (ground chicken, onion, garlic, breadcrumbs, ½ cup parmesan, egg, chopped parsley, italian seasoning, salt and pepper). To mix everything, best to use your hands but you can also use a spatula if you like, and mix everything together until just combined. Do not over mix.
- Add marinara to a pan (that has a lid), and heat it over gentle heat as you portion out the meatballs.
- Use a 3 tablespoon cookie scoop to portion out meatballs, to make them round you can roll them between your hands (wet your hands as needed with a little bit of water so the meatball mixture does not stick to your hands).
- And immediately drop the meatballs into the simmering marinara sauce.
- Cover with a lid, and simmer over low heat for 15 minutes flipping the meatballs halfway through. The internal temp of the meatballs must reach 165°F/74°C.
- Preheat the broiler, then sprinkle the remaining parmesan all over the meatballs followed by all the mozzarella. Place under the broiler for 3-5 minutes or until the top is bubbling and browned. Garnish with fresh basil and serve over pasta, rice, or garlic bread.
Notes:
- Use the right skillet. This recipe is super simple if you use a large skillet that is both oven-safe and has a lid. You’ll use the lid to simmer the meatballs (without any splattering), then remove it before putting the whole skillet under the broiler to melt the cheese.
- Adjust the size. This recipe makes large chicken parmesan meatballs that are perfect for dinner portions, they’re tasty made into smaller appetizer portions too. Put this cheesy skillet out at your next party along with some toothpicks!
- You can use gluten-free breadcrumbs instead of regular ones. I tested the recipe with both types, and it was perfect each time.
- Dice the onions very small, so that they aren’t too obvious in your meatball mixture. You can also leave them out if you aren’t a fan of the texture that they add.
- For even more flavor, saute the diced onions in olive oil before adding them to the chicken parm meatball mixture.
- To Store: Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. These reheat wonderfully in the microwave and make for a delicious lunch the next day.
Nutrition Information
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
© Little Sunny Kitchen
Rose says
I’m looking to prep these for a trip. Have you prepped and froze a batch to cook at a later time? I was wondering if I should still sauté the onions if I plan to freeze them.
Little Sunny Kitchen says
Yes, you can prep these and freeze to cook later. I’d suggest sauteeing the onions for the flavor.
Joe says
Quick cook. Thinking about changing up to turkey vs chicken.
Little Sunny Kitchen says
I’m glad you enjoyed the recipe Joe! You can certainly make this with ground turkey instead of chicken.
Sadie says
This recipe was absolutely delicious! I substituted the diced onion for 1/2tbsp of onion powder and the meatballs turned out fantastic. The entire family liked them. Will definitely be making them again.
Little Sunny Kitchen says
Thanks so much for sharing your tip, Sadie!