Looking for a lighter alternative to traditional beef or pork meatballs without sacrificing flavor? These Chicken Meatballs are tender, savory, and packed with Parmesan, garlic, and fresh herbs. Serve them with your favorite pasta sauce, tuck them into a sandwich, or prepare a batch for easy meals throughout the week.
Ground chicken has a mild flavor that works beautifully with Italian-inspired seasonings. Parmesan adds a salty, nutty richness, while garlic, parsley, and other herbs bring freshness to every bite. Breadcrumbs help bind the mixture and retain moisture, and an egg helps the meatballs hold their shape as they bake. Mixing the ingredients just until combined is important: overworking ground chicken can make the finished meatballs dense instead of tender.
Because ground chicken must reach an internal temperature of 165°F, an instant-read meat thermometer is a useful kitchen tool for checking doneness without cutting into the meatballs and letting their juices escape.
These chicken meatballs are easy to adapt to different meals. Simmer them briefly in marinara sauce and serve over spaghetti, pair them with creamy polenta, or add them to a toasted sub roll with melted mozzarella. For a lighter meal, serve them with Make-Ahead Mashed Potatoes, roasted vegetables, a crisp green salad, or zucchini noodles. You can also make a double batch and freeze the cooked meatballs in meal-size portions for busy nights.
Whether you’re planning a family dinner or stocking your freezer with homemade convenience food, chicken meatballs are a versatile recipe worth keeping in rotation. Their mild, savory flavor pairs with a wide range of sauces and sides, making them just as useful for a cozy Sunday meal as for a quick weeknight dinner.
Not what you are looking for? Try these other excellent meatball recipes:
- Comfort Meatballs
- Tsukune Chicken Meatballs
- Cheese-Stuffed Meatballs
- Brown Rice Porcupine Meatballs
- Swedish Meatballs
- Vietnamese Chicken Meatballs
- Italian Meatballs
- Cuban Mojo Meatballs
Chicken Meatballs
- Total Time: :35
- Yield: 6 1x
Ingredients
Meatballs
- 1 pound ground chicken
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 egg, whisked
- 3 tablespoons unseasoned whole-wheat bread crumbs
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon Hungarian or hot paprika
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano leaves, about 1 small sprig
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves, about 5 sprigs
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar
- 1 lemon, zested
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
Collard Green Pesto Linguine
- 1 pound bunch collards, ribs discarded, leaves roughly chopped
- One 13-ounce box whole-wheat linguine
- 1/4 cup pecans
- 1 1/4 cups grated Parmesan, plus extra for garnish
- 1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- In a large bowl, gently mix the chicken, garlic, egg, bread crumbs, Worcestershire, paprika, onion powder, oregano, thyme, brown sugar, lemon zest, 2 healthy pinches of salt and a few grinds of pepper in a bowl.
- Form into mini meatballs, slightly smaller than a golf ball; it should make 28 to 30 meatballs.
- Warm the butter and oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Transfer the meatballs to the pan and do not disturb for 3 minutes to brown well. Turn, cooking another 3 minutes without disturbing. Keep cooking until browned and cooked on all sides, but still juicy and plump with a spring to the touch.
- Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain.
Collard Green Pesto Linguine
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over medium heat. Blanch collards until bright green, about 1 minute. Transfer immediately to an ice bath to shock, saving the boiling water for cooking the pasta. Remove the collards from the ice water and pat dry with paper towels before transferring them to a food processor.
- Add the linguine to the pot of salted boiling water and cook according to package instructions.
- Meanwhile, in a dry skillet, over low heat, toast the pecans until fragrant. Transfer to the food processor with Parmesan, olives and garlic. With food processor running, slowly drizzle in olive oil until pesto comes together. Taste for seasoning, and add salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste.
- To serve, put enough pesto to coat the pasta into a large serving bowl. Drain the pasta and quickly add it to the bowl. The water still clinging to the pasta will loosen up the pesto. Toss to coat. Add more pesto, if needed. Transfer the pasta to a serving bowl and garnish with Parmesan sprinkled over the top.
Notes
Meatball Tips
- Be Gentle – If the meatballs are packed too tightly and compactly, they’ll turn out tough, rubbery, and chewy. Oil your hands so that the mixture won’t stick to them and gently and quickly form the meatballs.
- Keep Things Cold – You want to keep the fat from melting and breaking down before you cook the meatballs, so keep your meat and ingredients as cold as possible. Make the mixture in a chilled bowl, and if you are adding precooked ingredients like onions, let them cool down completely before adding.
- Prep Time: :20
- Cook Time: :15
- Category: Entree
- Method: Stove Top