Chicken Parmesan Meatballs
Fall in love with the flavors of Chicken Parmesan Meatballs! Made with ground chicken, breadcrumbs, and parmesan cheese, this dish is a delicious twist on a classic favorite.
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Why we love this recipe
Chicken Parmesan is always a favorite, and so is good old Spaghetti with Meatballs, so when you put the two of them together you are guaranteed to have a happy supper table.
This easy recipe calls for making chicken meatballs out of ground chicken instead of the usual ground beef. You’ll mix up some parmesan cheese along with a few other ingredients into your ground chicken, roll them up into meatballs and cook them up in a simple tomato sauce.
And since chicken parm almost always comes with pasta, we are going to stir in some cooked pasta and top the whole thing with shredded mozzarella, and you will have a Chicken Parm version of spaghetti with meatballs that will have them asking for seconds!
Ingredients you need
Ingredient notes and substitutions
- Ground Chicken: You can find ground chicken next to the regular chicken in your supermarket (and if you prefer ground turkey, go for it!).
- Bread Crumbs: Either fresh or dried will work just fine.
- Crushed Tomatoes: Look for these with the canned whole tomatoes in the canned vegetable aisle.
- Pasta: We like spaghetti and linguine for this recipe, but any pasta you like will work just fine. And you can also serve up your chicken meatballs without pasta if you prefer.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities and nutritional information.
How to make this recipe
STEP 1: Put some ground chicken, breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, parsley, garlic and egg in a large bowl and add a pinch each of salt and pepper. Mix it all up with a spatula (or clean hands) until everything is all combined.
STEP 2: Roll them into meatballs about 1 inch in diameter (if you have any kiddos in your kitchen, they love to help with this part!).
PRO TIP: A cookie scoop is great for making meatballs! Scoop out the meatball mixture, give it a little roll in your hands to firm it up and there you have it!
STEP 3: Put the oil in a large skillet (nonstick if you’ve got one!) and heat over medium high. Add meatballs and cook for 6 minutes or until they are browned, turning them once so they brown on both sides. Loosen them with a spatula before turning if they are sticking to the pan.
STEP 4: Add some garlic, tomatoes, oregano and butter to the skillet and bring it to a simmer. Simmer over medium heat until the meatballs are cooked through, about 10 minutes (cut into one and make sure there is no pink inside).
Meantime, cook some pasta according to package directions and drain.
STEP 5: When the meatballs are done, add the cooked pasta to the skillet and toss carefully, trying to keep the meatballs intact and spread across the skillet.
Sprinkle the mozzarella cheese on top and cover the skillet. Turn heat to medium low and let the pasta mixture sit until the cheese is melty, about 5 minutes.
STEP 6: Divide among plates, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and parsley and serve!
Recipe FAQs
Ground chicken is typically made from various parts of the chicken, including both white and dark meat and sometimes the skin. It is all ground together to make a smooth consistency that is similar to ground beef. You can find it next to the regular chicken in your grocery store.
Crushed tomatoes are a mixture of, yep, crushed tomatoes that contains both liquid and small chunks of tomato. Crushed tomatoes are smoother than diced tomatoes but thicker than tomato sauce. Look for it in the canned vegetable section of your grocery store.
Just like any other kind of chicken, chicken meatballs need to be cooked ALL the way through. You can cut into one to make sure there is no pink left in the middle, or you can check them with a thermometer (they should read 165 degrees).
Pop your question in the comments section below and I will answer pronto!
Want to round out your meal?
Other meatball recipes we love!
We want to know what you think! 🤔
If you try this recipe, we would love to hear how it came out for you! I’d be super grateful if you could leave a star rating (you pick how many stars! 🌟 ) and your thoughts in the Comments section.
Chicken Parmesan Meatballs
This kid-friendly recipe for chicken parmesan meatballs will put some fun into your pasta supper!
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground chicken
- 1/2 cup bread crumbs
- ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese, plus extra for garnish
- 1/8 cup chopped fresh parsley, plus extra for garnish (optional)
- 1 egg
- Pinch each of sea salt and pepper
- ¼ cup canola oil
- 1 clove garlic, peeled and chopped
- 1 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon oregano
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 8 ounces shredded mozzarella
- 12 ounces of spaghetti or linguine
Instructions
- Put the ground chicken, breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, parsley, garlic and egg in a large bowl and add a pinch each of salt and pepper. Mix it all up with clean hands until everything is all combined, and then roll them into meatballs about 1 inch in diameter (a cookie scoop works great for this).
- Put the oil in a large skillet (nonstick if you’ve got one!) and heat over medium high. Add meatballs and cook for 6 minutes or until they are browned, turning them once so they brown on both sides. Loosen them with a spatula before turning if they are sticking to the pan.
- Add the garlic, tomatoes, oregano and butter to the skillet and bring it to a simmer. Simmer over medium heat until the meatballs are cooked through, about 10 minutes (cut into one and make sure there is no pink inside).
- Meantime, cook the pasta according to package directions and drain.
- When the meatballs are done, add the cooked pasta to the skillet and toss carefully, trying to keep the meatballs intact and spread across the skillet.
- Sprinkle the mozzarella cheese on top and cover the skillet. Turn heat to medium low and let the pasta mixture sit until the cheese is melty, about 5 minutes.
- Divide among plates, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and parsley and serve!
Notes
- Ground Chicken: You can find ground chicken next to the regular chicken in your supermarket (and if you prefer ground turkey, go for it!).
- Bread Crumbs: Either fresh or dried will work just fine.
- Crushed Tomatoes: Look for these with the canned whole tomatoes in the canned vegetable aisle.
- Pasta: We like spaghetti and linguine for this recipe, but any pasta you like will work just fine. And you can also serve up your chicken meatballs without pasta if you prefer.
So yummy!! I have never used ground chicken and was nervous about making sure the meatballs cooked all the way through but everything turned out perfect!!
Hurray! Sounds like you made them just perfectly. Hurray for meatballs! :)
Love this unique combo of recipes! It was easy to make and came out absolutely delicious. Even the picky eaters loved it!
Thanks Phoebe! I love the picky eater seal of approval! :)