Chicken Parmesan Meatballs smothered in sauce and cheese and baked until bubbly hot. This healthy chicken meatball recipe is a new low-carb twist on an Italian classic that’s easy to make and will quickly become a family favorite! You can add it to your meal prep rotation for an easy make-ahead dinner during the busy work week.
If you’ve been wondering what to make with ground chicken, I have a recipe for you – chicken parmesan meatballs! This is a 5-star ground chicken recipe you need to add to the weekly menu!
Looking around my blog, you’ll see that I’m a huge meatball fan. Our favorites include baked turkey meatballs, spinach turkey feta meatballs, zucchini turkey meatballs, mozzarella stuffed turkey meatballs, and chicken parm meatballs.
All of those healthy meatball recipes are amazing, but these chicken meatballs are next level! It’s everything you love about Italian chicken parmesan but rolled into a tasty meatball.
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Reasons You’ll Love This Recipe
- Easy to make. Mix everything, roll into balls, and bake. Done!
- Healthy. High in protein and fits nicely into a low-carb lifestyle. And with an easy swap can also be gluten-free.
- Versatile. Think beyond spaghetti! Enjoy these healthy meatballs with salad or veggies. I’ll give more suggestions below.
- Make-ahead! You can make these chicken meatballs on Sunday for the week or make a few batches to freeze.
Ingredients
Here are the ingredients you need to make delicious ground chicken parm meatballs! See the recipe card for the full recipe.
- Ground chicken. For best results, purchase high-quality organic ground chicken breast, and you can find it in the meat section near the ground turkey breast and ground beef. You can also buy delicious organic ground chicken breast online at Butcher Box.
- Egg. This is used as a binder for the rest of the ingredients.
- Seasoning. I use garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper, and homemade Italian seasoning to flavor the meatballs. If you don’t have homemade Italian seasoning then use store-bought or a blend of dried basil, dried oregano, and parsley.
- Worcestershire sauce. As with my ground turkey recipes, Worcestershire is the secret ingredient I use to give more flavor and meatiness to ground chicken recipes. If you don’t have Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce or tamari will work.
- Grated parmesan. For the best flavor, grate the parmesan cheese fresh. A quick shopping tip; head to your local wholesale store for great prices on chunks of fresh parmesan.
- Unseasoned bread crumbs. Since I add seasoning to the meatballs, I prefer to purchase unseasoned bread crumbs for this recipe. This also keeps the bread crumbs free of additives and preservatives.
- Marinara sauce. To keep this chicken meatball recipe easy, I suggest grabbing a jar of high-quality sauce; Rao’s or the Thrive Market Brand are my favorites. Of course, you can also use this easy marinara sauce or spice it up with an arrabiata sauce.
- Shredded mozzarella cheese. For extra ooey gooey cheesiness, I recommend shredding the mozzarella cheese fresh. However, grabbing a pre-shredded bag of cheese will also work if you’re short on time.
How to Make Chicken Parmesan Meatballs
- Start by preheating the oven to 375 degrees.
- In a large bowl, add the ground chicken, egg, garlic powder, onion powder, Italian seasoning, salt, black pepper, Worcestershire sauce, grated cheese, breadcrumbs, and 1/4 cup of the sauce.
- Using your hands, slowly mix until just combined.
- Using a medium scoop, form the meatball mixture into 18 small meatballs and place onto a lined baking sheet or baking sheet coated with cooking spray.
- Bake the meatballs for 20 minutes.
- As the meatballs cook, cover the bottom of a 9 x 13 casserole baking dish with 1/2 cup of the sauce.
- After the meatballs are done, place them in the baking dish. Pour the rest of the sauce over the chicken meatballs and sprinkle the mozzarella cheese over the top.
- Cover the baking dish with foil and bake for another 20 minutes. Serve hot. Sprinkle with fresh basil or any fresh herbs, if you like.
Serving suggestions
- You can eat these tasty meatballs with pasta and extra sauce.
- Or keep it low-carb and enjoy it with zoodles, Caesar salad, or roasted Italian vegetables.
Cooking Tips
- If the ground chicken has extra liquid, drain it before mixing it with the rest of the ingredients so the meatball mixture isn’t mushy and you can form it into balls.
- If the chicken mixture is too mushy and challenging to form meatballs, add in extra breadcrumbs a little at a time until you can form a ball. Please note this mixture is on the wetter side, so as long as you can form a ball, that’s fine; the meatballs will firm up as they cook.
- This chicken mixture will be wet, so it’s helpful to have some water close by to wet your hands. This keeps the meat from sticking to your hands and helps to roll the meatballs.
- Use a medium cookie scoop to create uniform-sized meatballs.
Variations
- You can swap in ground turkey for the chicken.
- For more flavor add Italian sausage or ground pork.
- Prefer a creamy white sauce? Serve these chicken meatballs with this delicious gluten-free alfredo sauce.
- For an extra crunch, roll the meatballs in 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs before baking. You can also shallow fry in olive oil using a skillet and continue the rest of the recipe in the skillet or assemble the casserole.
- Swap in equal amounts of gluten-free breadcrumbs if you have gluten sensitivity.
- Spice it up with a pinch of red pepper flakes.
Tools to Make This Recipe
- Large Mixing Bowl
- Large-rimmed Baking Sheet
- 9 x 13 Casserole Dish
Make-ahead & Storage Tips
These healthy chicken parmesan meatballs store and reheat well, making them perfect for meal prep.
For the week:
- Cook the ground chicken meatball recipe completely, and after it cools, place it in glass meal prep containers to heat and eat during the week. It’s also helpful to divide the meatballs into individual containers if you’re looking for a grab-and-go lunch or dinner.
- Bake the meatballs, assemble the recipe into a casserole dish, cover, and refrigerate for 3 to 4 days. On cooking day, continue with the recipe.
- Bake and store the meatballs in an airtight container or storage bag and refrigerate for 3 to 4 days. On cooking day, assemble the rest of the ingredients and continue with the recipe.
To freeze:
- The easiest way to free this recipe is to cook the chicken meatballs, cool them, and freeze them in freezer bags. Take the meatballs out of the freezer the night before to thaw in the refrigerator. Assemble the meatballs and the rest of the ingredients into the casserole dish and continue with the recipe.
- Assemble the ingredients into a disposable casserole dish, cover, label, and freeze. Take out of the freezer the day before to thaw in the fridge. Continue with the cooking instructions; you might need to add more cooking time if it’s still cold.
- For heat and eat freezer meal, cook the chicken meatball parm thoroughly, let the recipe cool, and then portion out into individual containers and freeze. Taking the portion out the day before to thaw in the refrigerator is helpful. However, you can reheat it from frozen. Use a microwave dish and reheat for 3-4 minutes until hot.
Other Healthy Italian Dinner Recipes
Chicken Parmesan Meatballs
Chicken Parmesan Meatballs smothered in sauce and cheese and baked until bubbly hot. This healthy chicken meatball recipe is a new low-carb twist on an Italian classic that's easy to make and will quickly become a family favorite! You can add it to your meal prep rotation for an easy make-ahead dinner during the busy work week.
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Servings: 6 people
Calories: 253kcal
Equipment
- Mixing Bowls
- Large baking sheet
- 9 x13 casserole dish
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground chicken
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan or romano cheese
- 1/2 cup unseasoned bread crumbs
- 2 cups marinarai sauce divided
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- Start by preheating the oven to 375 degrees.
- In a large bowl, add the ground chicken, egg, garlic powder, onion powder, Italian seasoning, salt, black pepper, Worcestershire sauce, grated cheese, breadcrumbs, and 1/4 cup of the sauce.
- Using your hands, slowly mix until just combined.
- Using a medium scoop, form the meatball mixture into 18 small meatballs and place onto a lined baking sheet or baking sheet coated with cooking spray.
- Bake the meatballs for 20 minutes.
- As the meatballs cook, cover the bottom of a 9 x 13 casserole baking dish with 1/2 cup of the sauce.
- After the meatballs are done, place them in the baking dish.
- Pour the rest of the sauce over the chicken meatballs and sprinkle the mozzarella cheese over the top.
- Cover the baking dish with foil and bake for another 20 minutes.
- Serve hot. Sprinkle with fresh basil or any fresh herbs, if you like.
Video
Notes
Make-ahead & Storage Tips
These healthy chicken parmesan meatballs store and reheat well, making them perfect for meal prep.
For the week:
Cook the ground chicken meatball recipe completely, and after it cools, place it in glass meal prep containers to heat and eat during the week. It’s also helpful to divide the meatballs into individual containers if you’re looking for a grab-and-go lunch or dinner.
Bake the meatballs, assemble the recipe into a casserole dish, cover, and refrigerate for 3 to 4 days. On cooking day, continue with the recipe.
Bake and store the meatballs in an airtight container or storage bag and refrigerate for 3 to 4 days. On cooking day, assemble the rest of the ingredients and continue with the recipe.
To freeze:
The easiest way to free this recipe is to Cook the chicken meatballs, cool them, and freeze them in freezer bags. Take the meatballs out of the freezer the night before to thaw in the refrigerator. Assemble the meatballs and the rest of the ingredients into the casserole dish and continue with the recipe.
Assemble the ingredients into a disposable casserole dish, cover, label, and freeze. Take out of the freezer the day before to thaw in the fridge. Continue with the cooking instructions; you might need to add more cooking time if it’s still cold.
For heat and eat freezer meal, cook the chicken meatball parm thoroughly, let the recipe cool, and then portion out into individual containers and freeze. Taking the portion out the day before to thaw in the refrigerator is helpful. However, you can reheat it from frozen. Use a microwave dish and reheat for 3-4 minutes until hot.
Nutrition
Serving: 3meatballs | Calories: 253kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 24g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g
Did you make this recipe?
Have you tried this Chicken Parmesan Meatballs recipe? If so, I’d love for you to rate this recipe and leave a comment below. We all learn from each other’s experiences.
Helen says
This is such a versatile recipe and deliciously filling. I found two meatballs per serving are more than filling. I’ve added these frozen to marinara & Alfredo sauce. Makes a quick lunch or dinner with a side of fruit. I have this recipe in the front of other ones as a staple to keep in the freezer. Love, love, love it!
Tammy Overhoff says
That’s great so happy you love these meatballs.
Maria says
This is the best meatball recipe I have found that is so easy and simple. I do it with ground beef 95% of the time as that is what I have in stock. The only thing I change is I use Italian Breadcrumbs as I like the extra flavor. Note, you can make the meatballs up to step 6 (cooked – not in the baking dish with marinara) and freeze in ziploc bags. I like to double the recipe for just that reason). Just thaw, and do the last steps with the marinara and cheese in the baking dish when you are ready to eat. It is a great go-to for a covered dish event or making food for a sick friend.
Tammy Overhoff says
Thanks Maria for your comment. I’m so happy you love these meatballs. I make them quite a bit because they are so tasty and everyone loves them.
Shannon says
Made these tonight and they were delicious. They were not as firm as I anticipated though. They were very delicate and fell apart easily. I followed the directions exactly including the use of Raos sauce. Just wondering if this is the normal texture.
Megan says
We make this recipe all the time!! One of the best foods to meal prep for the week. Thank you so much for this recipe!!
Tammy Overhoff says
I’m so happy you love this. This is one of our favorites!
Molly says
Very good! If you’re looking to cut back on calories at all, I don’t think adding the mozzarella on top the meatballs is necessary. I also opted to use fresh Parmesan Romano that I grated myself for inside the meatballs, so that gave it an extra cheesey taste. I ate these by themselves and also with pasta; it was great both ways! Will be making again.
Tammy Overhoff says
Those are great tips! Thanks so much for your review and leaving a rating!
Cindy Andrews says
My family and I absolutely love this recipe. I think they thought I stole a recipe from Olive Garden. 😊 My family loves pasta but I agree, you do not miss the noodles at all with this recipe. Thanks for making me look like a good cook, Tammy 😊
Tammy Kresge says
That’s awesome! We are obsessed with this recipe so I’m so happy your family loves it too.
Ashley Berg says
I made a huge batch of these for a party and they were a hit! Easy to make them gluten free by replacing the bread crumbs with GF bread crumbs. Absolutely loved this dish and will make it again! Thanks for the recipe!
Tammy Kresge says
That’s great! I’m so glad everyone loved them!
Christina says
I was thrilled with how delicious these were! Adding to my regular rotation of recipes 🙂 I had never used ground chicken before, but the local farmer who I buy chicken & beef from accidentally gave me a pound of ground chicken with Italian herbs added instead of ground beef. I decided to use this as an opportunity to try a new recipe and am so glad I did.
Tammy Kresge says
Yay!! I’m so happy you loved these meatballs!
Brittany says
Came across this recipe on Pinterest and made them last night. So good!! Will definitely make again!
Tammy Kresge says
That’s great! So glad you enjoyed them.
Liz says
A family favorite. I agree If using a jared sauce, gotta splurge on the Raos, or if you have time make your own (used a Trader Joe’s marinara once and the meatballs just didn’t taste all that good.). My 2.5 yr old gobbles these up which is an extra plus.
Chrissy says
Omg , so funny I was going they the comments and while making these I saw Rao’s . Lol I am making them right now with that sauce . I remember they were in Sams club promoting their sauce a few years ago, and she said if she sells enough that they will sell in their store and she will continue to expand to other stores . Good for her, now she is everywhere.
Michelle says
I have made this twice now, once with chicken and once with turkey by mistake. Both were delicious! So easy and yummy thank you for sharing 💕
Tammy Kresge says
We love this recipe too! So happy you love it!
P C says
We LOVE this meatball recipe. I like that we can eat it just as the meatballs, add them to pasta, or turn them into sandwiches. It’s quick, easy to make and the flavor is great! We always save the leftovers (if we have any) and it’s great for lunch the next day.
Lindsay says
I have made this recipe multiple times, and the whole family loves it! This is definitely one of those easy go-to meals that never disappoints.
Tammy Kresge says
So glad you like this recipe. It’s a favorite of ours too.
Arlene says
This sounds like a great chicken meatball dish..going to try it.
Marissa says
These are my go-to meatball for my 1yo! We both love them. I always double the recipe and throw them in the freezer. Perfect for grab-and-go nights. Thank you for these!
Tammy Kresge says
That’s great! SO happy you love them!
LaTisha Webb says
these are so super yummy, I’ve made them a few times already and will be making
them again this weekend.
Emily says
I made this last night and it was a hit with my hubs and 3 yr. old. My 3 yr. old is going through a picky stage, but he ate a full plate and asked for more! We will definitely make this again!
Tammy Kresge says
Yay!! That’s awesome!
Ali says
Made these tonight… absolutely delicious!!! New weekly staple– thanks so much!!!!
pavitra says
Wow, Its looking delicious. i love this recipe. I would try it by this weekend. Your recipes are superb. Thanks for sharing.
Tammy Kresge says
Thank you! I hope you love it!
Tammy Kresge says
will do so sorry about that!