Baked Chicken Meatballs

Hand eating ground chicken meatballs with a fork

These baked chicken parm meatballs are an easy, versatile dinner! Serve them over pasta, tuck them inside hoagie rolls, or offer them alongside a green salad and garlic bread.

Course Dinner

Cuisine American, Italian

Keyword baked chicken meatballs, chicken meatballs, chicken parm meatballs, ground chicken meatballs

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 25

Chilling Time 1

Total Time 1 40

Servings - 6 people (about 20 total meatballs)

Calories 232kcal

Author Blair Lonergan

Ingredients

FOR THE MEATBALLS:

½ lb. ground chicken (or ground turkey)
½ lb. ground Italian chicken sausage, casings removed (or regular Italian sausage or Italian turkey sausage)
¼ cup Italian-style bread crumbs
1 egg, beaten
2 tablespoons milk
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil (or sub with ½ teaspoon dried basil)
1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes
1 teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

FOR SERVING:

1 (24 ounce) jar marinara sauce
Optional garnish: chopped fresh parsley or basil; grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions

In a large bowl, use your hands or a fork to gently combine all of the meatball ingredients, being careful not to over-mix. If time allows, cover the bowl and chill for about 1 hour (this is optional, but will make the meatballs easier to shape).
Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
Use a scoop to shape the meat mixture into 1 ½-inch balls. Tip: rub your hands with a little bit of oil to prevent the meatballs from sticking. Arrange the meatballs in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet.
Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the meatballs reach an internal temperature of 165°F on an instant-read thermometer.
While the meatballs are in the oven, warm the marinara sauce in a large skillet over medium heat.
Transfer the cooked meatballs to the skillet with the sauce. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 2-3 more minutes so that the meatballs can absorb the flavors from the sauce.
Serve over pasta, in sub rolls, or with rice. Garnish with grated Parmesan and chopped fresh herbs, if desired.

Notes

Combine the meatball mixture with your hands -- not with a wooden spoon. The more gentle you can be, the more light and tender your meatballs will stay. Don't overmix, or you'll end up with tough, dense, and dry meatballs.
If you have some extra time, chill the meatball mixture for at least 1 hour before shaping. I don't always do this (it's not necessary), but it does make the shaping easier if the mixture is more firm.
A cookie dough scoop helps form even meatballs that cook in about the same amount of time. Scoop, roll gently in your hands, and then bake!
Coat your hands with a little bit of olive oil periodically as you're shaping the meatballs. The oil prevents the meat from sticking to your hands, and also helps the outside of the meatballs brown when they're in the oven.
Double the Recipe. Using 1 lb. of meat yields about 20 meatballs. If you'd like to prepare a larger batch to feed a group or to save leftovers in the freezer for another meal, just double all of the ingredients (using 1 lb. of ground chicken and 1 lb. of sausage).
Use other Meats. I prefer the combination of ground chicken and ground Italian chicken sausage because the blend yields meatballs with so much flavor! That said, you can substitute with a ground turkey, ground beef, or ground pork, or use a "meatloaf mix" that includes beef, pork, and veal.
Instead of using store-bought marinara sauce shown here, you can make your own sauce from scratch (using this recipe or these instructions).
Include ½ cup finely-minced or grated fresh onion for moisture and flavor in the meatballs.
Add crushed red pepper flakes for spicy chicken meatballs.

Nutrition