Perfectly tender chicken meatballs with an Italian flare! Easy to prep and let simmer, this is a definite crowd-pleasing meal. The best part, this is a meal prep meal!
If I had to choose one cuisine to eat for one week straight, it would be Italian food. I love everything about it: the flavors, aromas, and combinations of ingredients. There is something about a large pot of sauce simmering on the stove, with basil and garlic wafting throughout the kitchen that makes my grin from ear to ear.
These meatballs also helped to inspire my Italian baked turkey meatballs (link), my buffalo chicken meatballs (link), and my mouthwatering french onion chicken meatballs (link).
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What do I need to make this meatball recipe?
These Italian style chicken meatballs are the perfect recipe. These chicken meatballs incorporate classic Italian seasonings, bake in just 30 minutes, and pair with just about every side dish imaginable. Here's what you'll need to get this meatball party started:
- Ground Chicken: I have fallen in love with combination ground chicken. Essentially an even mix of light and dark meat ground chicken. It makes a world of a difference.
- Egg: This will help bind the meatballs together
- Grated Parmesan Cheese
- Breadcrumbs: You can always opt for a gluten-free bread crumb if you wish.
- Garlic powder
- Dried basil
- Dried oregano
- Salt
- Pepper
How do I make these Italian meatballs?
Making these meatballs couldn't be any easier! Start by preheat your oven to 375º and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
Mix the egg, breadcrumbs, parmesan, seasonings, and ground chicken together in a bowl until fully combined. The balls should be sticky but form a solid circle approximately the size of your palm. This mixture should form 14 meatballs.
Spray some non-stick oil spray onto a aluminum foil lined baking sheet. Place each meatball on the sheet with space in between. Bake for 30 minutes. In the meantime, begin to heat your marinara of choice.
Once the meatballs are done baking, add them to the sauce and simmer for another hour. Serve with choice of side, a little parsley as garnish, and a dash of parmesan cheese.
HINT: Do not overmix the meat mixture: Use a raking method with your four fingers (tucking the thumb into your palm) to mix the meat and ingredients together just until the ingredients combine. Overmixing the meat will cause the texture to get tough when baking or frying.
Swaps and Substitutions
Meatballs come in all different forms, so if the base recipe is something you're looking to adapt for your liking, here's what I suggest:
- Gluten Free: Use gluten free breadcrumbs instead of the regular kind.
- Dairy Free: Add in a little nutritional yeast or leave out the parmesan entirely.
- Paleo/Keto: Leave out both the breadcrumbs and the parmesan, and swap in some ground up almonds (think almond flour or almond meal) or ground cashews. This will act similarly to help bind the meatballs. It won't be the exact same, but it'll work!
Meatball Variations
Another reason that meatballs are a staple in my home is that they can be as simple or as elegant (more like extra, but I digress) as you want them to be!
- Spicy - Throw in a dash of red pepper flakes into the meat mixture before forming the meatballs.
- Pan Fry - Meatballs can either be pan fried or baked. I tend to bake mine, but if you'd like to pan fry, you're welcome to do so. See the notes below for directions on how to do this!
- Secret Veggies - trying to get kiddos to get more veggies, add in grated carrots or celery, or even zucchini! They won't even know it's in there.
Kitchen Equipment and Tools
Most recipes for meatballs don't call for much kitchen equipment, so here's what you'll need, which you already have in the kitchen!
- Baking sheet
- Aluminum Foil
- Large Pot: I love using my Staub cocotte for this, as it's easy to clean, and if you wanted to pan fry
- Large mixing bowl
- Measuring spoons
Storing the meatballs
Meatballs are excellent for freezers! You can make a double batch and freeze half for another day. Remember to defrost them the day before or in the morning of the day you'd like to cook them.
These chicken meatballs stand up well to freezing for 1-2 months. Remember to label the date and the baking time!
PRO TIP:
Be generous with seasoning: A sprinkle of something won’t cut it when it comes to making meatballs. You want to be generous when seasoning the meat, but not heavy handed when adding garlic powder, etc. There’s a delicate balance you’re trying to play with here, so if you're not used to "eyeballing"the measurements, use the tablespoon to help.
Hungry for More?
Craving more meal prep meals? These are perfect!
If you loved this recipe, which I know you will, please leave a ⭐️ star rating on the recipe card and comment below! These reviews go a long way, and I love connecting with you with my recipes!
Italian Style Chicken Meatballs
Equipment
- 1 baking sheet full size
- aluminum foil
- 1 large pot
- measuring spoons tablespoons to measure the seasoning
- wooden spoon
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground chicken
- 1 large egg
- ¼ cup parmesan cheese
- ⅓ cup breadcrumbs
- 1 ½ tablespoon dried oregano
- 1 ½ tablespoon dried basil
- 1 ½ tablespoon garlic powder
- salt
- pepper
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 375º and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
- Mix the egg, breadcrumbs, parmesan, seasonings, and ground chicken together in a bowl until fully combined. The balls should be sticky but form a solid circle approximately the size of your palm. This mixture should form 14 meatballs.
- Spray some non-stick oil spray onto an aluminum foil lined baking sheet. Place each meatball on the sheet with space in between.
- Bake for 30 minutes. In the meantime, begin to heat your marinara of choice.
- Once the meatballs are done baking, add them to the sauce and simmer for another half. Serve with choice of side, a little parsley as garnish, and a dash of parmesan cheese.
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