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Cheesy baked Chicken Parmesan Meatballs have the flavors of chicken Parm neatly packaged into meatballs. It's an easy dinner or appetizer.

Cheesy baked chicken parmesan meatball dipped in marinara on a toothpick with a plate of more meatballs below it.

This healthy recipe combines ground chicken with mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses, marinara, seasonings, and Panko breadcrumbs. Yes, indeed! These meatballs really do have all the flavors you expect in Italian Chicken Parmagiana.

But this twist on the traditional preparation is so much easier to make! Just mix the ingredients together, shape them into balls, and cook them in the oven. Or make muffin tin meatballs!

Chicken parm meatballs are sure to become a family favorite:

It takes about 30 minutes to make them. Most of the time is hands-off cooking time.
They're healthy and lower in carbs.
You can freeze them before or after you cook them.
They're versatile! See the list below of ways to serve them.

Jump to:

Ingredients
Directions
What to Serve With Chicken Parmesan Meatballs
Storage
More Ground Chicken Recipes
📋 Recipe

Ingredients

Here's what you need to make these easy Chicken Parmesan Meatballs:

Ground chicken - Use chicken breast ground from lean white meat or darker meat.
Marinara - You may not like your meatballs if you don't love your sauce. So use one you love! If you're eating low-carb, make sure to use a low-sugar one.
Breadcrumbs - We used seasoned panko breadcrumbs to impart extra flavor. Any type can be used. This ingredient helps absorb the juices and keep the meatballs moist.
Mozzarella cheese - any type, shredded.
Parmesan cheese - grated. Nutritional yeast can be substituted for Parmesan cheese.
Basil - Fresh or dried.
Egg - Binds the ingredients.

Please refer to the recipe card below for the full list of ingredients and detailed instructions.

You might also like Eggplant Parmesan Stacks! They share many of the same ingredients and have a similar flavor profile!

Directions

Here's how to make the best chicken parmesan meatballs:

Collage of pictures to make Parmesan chicken meatballs: 1) Ingredients mixed in bowl except chicken 2) chicken being mixed into base 3) uncooked meatballs in baking dish 4) cooked meatballs with extra cheese in baking dish.

Add breadcrumbs, mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses, basil, and egg to a bowl and combine. Wait to add the ground chicken so that the handling of meat is kept to a minimum.
Mix ground chicken into the combined base. Don't overmix, or else the chicken will get tough.
Spread the remaining marinara sauce over the bottom of a baking dish. Form the mixture into balls (see size options below.) Top with sauce and additional cheese, if desired.
Bake uncovered until chicken is no longer pink and reaches an internal temperature of 165 °F.

Chicken parm meatballs in a glass baking dish on top of marinara sauce.

Meatball Size Variations

Chicken Parmesan meatballs can be shaped into different sizes, depending on your preference and how you will use them. They also can be baked in the sauce or separately on a baking sheet.

The yield will differ, as will the cooking time. Use a meat thermometer so you don't overcook them.

Tablespoon-sized portions make about 30 meatballs.
Heaping teaspoon-sized balls yield about 50.
¼ cup will make 12 large meatballs or muffins and can be cooked on a baking sheet or in a cupcake tin.
The base can even be turned into chicken meatloaf.

What to Serve With Chicken Parmesan Meatballs

You have lots of options!

For a traditional spaghetti and meatball dinner, bake ground chicken meatballs on top of the sauce right in the baking dish and serve with pasta.
For a low-carb version, serve over zucchini noodles.
Need a fun appetizer? Serve meatballs with a side of sauce for dipping. I also call this my kid-friendly version because who doesn't like eating dinner with toothpicks?!
Make a meatball sub sandwich. Top with pasta sauce and mozzarella cheese.
Add to Italian-inspired soup, like pasta fagioli.
Use them as a pizza topping.
Make this Chicken Parmesan Meatball Casserole from Buns in My Oven.

I hope you get the picture...there are lots of ways to enjoy this recipe.

Chicken Parmesan meatballs in a bowl over zucchini noodles coated with spaghetti sauce and topped with more cheese.

Storage

Store chicken meatballs in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

There's nothing more satisfying than having a bag of tasty meatballs in the freezer! There are two options for freezing chicken parmesan meatballs:

Prepare and bake. Freeze the cooked meatballs in a baking tin and then transfer them to a plastic bag that seals. When ready to enjoy the meatballs, lift the amount you want out of the bag and reheat.
- To Reheat: Place them on a microwave-safe plate and cook on high for about 2 minutes. Check and turn them slightly and cook at additional 30-second intervals until heated through.
Prepare the meatballs, but don't cook them. Place them on a baking sheet in a single layer until solid, then move them to a plastic bag. When you are ready to cook them, remove the amount needed and defrost them overnight in the refrigerator.
- To Cook: Place them on a baking sheet or glass baking dish and then cook the meatballs as you normally would.

Cheesy baked ground chicken parmesan meatballs in a glass baking dish.

More Ground Chicken Recipes

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📋 Recipe

Baked Chicken Parmesan Meatballs

Cheesy baked Chicken Parmesan Meatballs have the flavors of chicken Parm neatly packaged into meatballs. Easy dinner or appetizer recipe.

5 from 3 votes

Print Pin Rate

Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 20

Total Time: 30

Servings: servings

Author: Marjory Pilley

Ingredients

▢ 1 Egg slightly beaten
▢ ½ cup Panko breadcrumbs, seasoned any type including gluten-free
▢ 1 cup Mozzarella Cheese shredded
▢ ½ cup Parmesan Cheese grated
▢ ¼ cup fresh basil, chopped or 1 Tablespoon dried
▢ 24 ounces marinara sauce divided; ⅓ cup for meatball mixture and the remaining sauce for serving
▢ 1 pound ground chicken breast

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 °F.
Add egg, breadcrumbs, mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese, basil, and ⅓ cup of marinara sauce to a large bowl and thoroughly combine.
Add ground chicken and combine with the base ingredients. Don't overmix, or the meatballs will become tough.
Shape the mixture into tablespoon-sized balls.
Pour the remaining marinara sauce into the bottom of a glass baking dish and place formed meatballs on top. Spoon some sauce from the baking dish over each meatball.
Optional: Top with additional cheese.
Note: Meatballs may also be cooked without additional sauce on a greased baking sheet.
Bake uncovered for 15-20 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink and reaches an internal temperature of 165 °F

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Notes

Meatballs can be made ahead of time and frozen raw. Or cook and freeze.
Meatballs can be made larger. However, the cook time will be longer. Internal temperature should reach 165 °F.
They can also be baked on a cookie sheet coated with cooking spray.
If desired, brown meatballs in a skillet before baking. Add about 1 Tablespoon of oil to a pan and brown on all sides.
Make this recipe lower-carb by using low-sugar marinara.
Note: The meatballs use ⅓ cup of marinara. The rest of the jar is used for dipping or on the side. The nutritional estimate assumes all marinara is consumed.

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Nutrition

Nutritional and Food Safety Disclaimer

This recipe was originally published on 10/28/14 and has been updated to improve the reader experience.

Ingredients