Chicken Parmesan Meatballs
These Chicken Parmesan Meatballs are an Italian dinner that’s ready in no time at all. Seasoned meatballs with Panko crumbs for that crunch you crave when you eat Chicken Parmesan. Serve these over noodles with garlic bread and a salad for a delicious dinner.
CHICKEN PARMESAN MEATBALLS
Earlier this week I had a run in with death. I was waiting at the gate of the airport getting ready to take off. It was stormy and dark as Florida most often is at least one time a day. I was on my laptop when an older lady next to me motioned out the window and said, “Is it snowing? What is that?”
What she was looking at and mistaking for snow was debris flying around in a tornado coming straight towards us at the gate. It was as wide as the the window making it hard to depict what it was. I couldn’t see the sides, but immediate terror struck me and I grabbed my stuff and started running.
I grew up watching the Wizard of Oz on repeat and tornadoes are one of my absolute worst fears. I’ve had nightmares about them since I was little.
There were papers and dust flying all around the terminal making it hard to see. Somehow, I managed to call my husband while running. He told me to get to a bathroom and to a lower level. By now the tornado sirens were sounding and the lights were flickering on and off. I turned the corner to the bathroom to see bodies on bodies of people overflowing out of the bathroom entrance like sardines. Obviously not an option.
I kept running to the center of the building by security and ended up in a little inlet in the wall huddled with a couple from Indiana who said they are used to this and do it all the time where they’re from. The tornado passed in a couple of minutes and luckily no major damage except for cargo tossed all over the tarmac (including my suitcase which was completely soaked with stuff hanging out).
I’ve never been so scared in my life and still get shaky thinking about what happened.
My last meal before I left for the airport were these Chicken Parmesan Meatballs. I’ve made them a couple of times to get them just right.
There are a few chicken recipes I always have on repeat just because my family loves them and they’re easy: this One-Pan Broccoli Chicken and Rice, these Baked Chicken Chimichangas, and Kimi’s Parmesan Chicken. So these Chicken Parmesan Meatballs are a great way to switch up one of our favorite meals.
What everyone loves about Chicken Parmesan is the crunchy outside. Panko breadcrumbs gives it that crunchy bite and helps give the meatballs and little more structure inside. I didn’t want to cover these with cheese because they’re so pretty by themselves.
WHERE CAN I FIND PANKO BREADCRUMBS?
Panko Breadcrumbs are Japanese style breadcrumbs and are crunchier than regular breadcrumbs. They are made from bread without the crust and have a light and airy texture great for frying foods or in this case faux-frying our Chicken Parmesan Meatballs so they have that crunchy texture. They can be found right next to the regular breadcrumbs at your grocery store.
I use this Calphalon 12-inch pan for most of my one-pan dishes and it’s oven safe. If you don’t have an oven-safe skillet you can brown the meatballs and then transfer it to an oven safe baking dish.
HOW TO MAKE CHICKEN PARMESAN MEATBALLS
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In a large bowl, mix together the chicken, egg, Parmesan cheese, breadcrumbs, garlic powder, Italian seasonings, salt, pepper, and red pepper. Roll into 1 1/2 inch balls.
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Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large oven-safe skillet over medium heat. Roll half of the meatballs in Panko breadcrumbs and brown them on each side in the oil. Remove from the pan and set aside. Wipe out any Panko breadcrumbs and heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Roll the remaining meatballs in Panko breadcrumbs and brown on each side. Remove from pan.
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pour marinara sauce in the skillet and place the meatballs on top of the sauce. Bake meatballs for 20 minutes sprinkling the mozzarella on top for the last 5 minutes of baking. Garnish with basil and serve over pasta.
OTHER RECIPES:
- Chicken Salad recipe
- Italian Meatball Recipe
- Chicken Pot Pie
- Chicken Parmesan Casserole
- Easy Baked Ziti
- Chicken Parmesan Roll Ups
- Pioneer Woman Meatloaf
- Chicken Parmesan Stuffed Shells
- Oven Fried Chicken
- Italian Meatballs
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground chicken
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/2 cup Panko breadcrumbs, (and about 3/4 cup more breadcrumbs for rolling later)
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasonings
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 1/4 cup olive oil, , divided
- 1 (26 ounce) jar marinara sauce
- 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella
- 2 tablespoons basil, torn, (optional)
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mix together the chicken, egg, Parmesan cheese, breadcrumbs, garlic powder, Italian seasonings, salt, pepper, and red pepper. Roll into 1 1/2 inch balls.
- Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large oven-safe skillet over medium heat. Roll half of the meatballs in Panko breadcrumbs and brown them on each side in the oil. Add more oil if needed as you go. Remove from the pan and set aside. Wipe out any Panko breadcrumbs and heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Roll the remaining meatballs in Panko breadcrumbs and brown on each side. Remove from pan.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pour marinara sauce in the oven-safe skillet (or any baking dish will do) and place the meatballs on top of the sauce. Bake meatballs for 20 minutes sprinkling the mozzarella on top for the last 5 minutes of baking. Garnish with basil and serve over pasta.
Since we’ve had an abundant crop of grape tomatoes, I substituted my own sauce instead of jar marinara: sautéed sliced garlic, whole grape tomatoes and some seasoning in olive oil, till tomatoes soften/burst and garlic is soft, great stuff! Followed the rest of recipe, and wowza! Definitely a keeper!
Keep’m coming Christie
So glad to hear that!
Since I first discovered this recipe, it has been a fan favorite at our home. It tastes great, comes together quickly, and there is rarely a drop left. I highly recommend this no matter the age of the eaters in your family…kids to teenagers to adults all give it two thumbs up!
Thank you!
Just made this for my 2-year old twins, each of them devoured 7 meatballs and I wasn’t fast enough to fill up their plates 😅 huge success! I used turkey minced meat instead and replaced some missing grams of parmesan cheese with breadcrumbs and baked them in the ovenfor about 15-20 min and they came out great. Thank you, will be doing this again! 😋
You’re welcome!
I don’t have the right words! This is sooooo good! I’m definitely making this again and will often!! Thanks for this great recipe!
Thank you!
Great recipe.
Cups and spoons are ok (except for butter – for that I need grams) but could you give temperatures in Celsius as well as Fahrenheit, please?
This is the best recipe! Most requested in our family!
FYI…. I just oven baked them in some olive oil at 400 degrees…. Same crispiness, baked all at once and less messy from oil splatter!
LOVE this recipe!! So easy to make, the chicken meatballs were flavorful, I will be making these again.
Thank you!
Stumbled on this recipe awhile ago, but with just my husband (who doesn’t like meatballs) and I at home, I didn’t have an occasion to make them. Saved the recipe and made them when some of our kids were in town visiting and they were a major hit – with the kids, grand kids, and picky hubby! Going on a family vacation this week and making ahead and freezing these for a quick and easy meatball sub night for when it’s my turn to cook. Just when I think I’ve cooked everything in the world, I stumble on a great new recipe like this! Thanks Christy!
Aw that makes me happy!
I have been making this for a few years now & it’s so delicious! My family LOVES IT! Let’s be honest, more then most of Christy’s recipes are fabulous & easy to make!! ☺️☺️
Awww thanks Amy!
One of my new “go-to” recipes! LOVE IT!
AWesome!
Would love to make some in advance for my daughter who is expecting her first child. Would I g be e able to freeze this dish?
Yes! It freezes great.
Would these work with Alfredo with Angel hair pasta?? They sound amazing!!
Absolutely!
This was absolutely delicious ! I had to get up from the table to leave a review so I wouldn’t forget! 10/10, it’s incredible.
That’s very kind of you. Thank you.
Christiel! I have been following you for many years! Our family lives in Abbotsford B.C. ( close to Vancouver) Canada! These Chicken Parmesan meatballs were Amazing!! I have your Cookbook as well!, so many recipes I make for company! We Love Your recipes, thank you for sharing all of your wins with us🥰
Cathy
Aw thank you Cathy! That means the world to me.
Thank you for posting such a crowd-pleasing recipe!
Thank yoU!
Sounds delicious. We try to avoid fried foods. Is it possible to bake the meatballs
These are not “fried”. Two tablespoons of olive oil just gives them a sear then they are finished in the oven to bake.
These meatballs were delicious! Can’t wait to make again.
Thank you!
How long would you cook these in an air fryer for before putting them in the oven?
I haven’t tried it but I would think you could just finish them in the air fryer. No need to go to the oven.
These are delicious! My toddlers and husband loved them. That’s hard to do in my house!
Awesome to hear!
Really good, kids gave the thumbs up!
Yay! I love this one too!
This was the first time I made this and they were a hit with my family. Will definitely make it again
Thank you!
These look so yummy. Can you use premade meatballs and then roll them in the breadcrumbs?
I don’t know if the breadcrumbs would stick. Premade meatballs usually have breadcrumbs in them.
These were amazing! I served with fettuccini and it was a hit with the whole family. I followed the directions exactly and used a cast iron skillet. It came out perfect in the time allotted in the recipe.
Good to hear!
Just curious how many meatballs would this recipe make?
It makes around 20 meatballs.
I don’t comment normally on recipes but this is phenomenal. I used same recipe to makes these with barbecue sauce. I made both for my daughter & her family and the meatballs never made it to her home … they ate them on way home!!!
Thank you! I’m so happy!
Great recipe! My family loves these meatballs. I will be making them time and time again.
I did freeze a batch the last time I made them. I skipped coating the outside with Panko before I froze them. I coated them after I thawed them out and it worked perfectly!
I have made these several times using egg whites and putting them in my air fryer to cut down on calories..they are a huge hit in my family!!
We love these too!
Recipe was super simple and delish! I preheated my cast iron skillet in an oven at 425 and then put some evoo in and the meatballs and cooked, flipping halfway through! I broiled on low for the last few mins and topped w shredded mozz cheese and served w pasta and sauce! Loved being able to bake these they came out super crispy even still! Thank you!
You are welcome!
DO YOU KNOW THE CALORIE COUNT FOR THE MEATBALLS?
I’m thinking of trying to put these in the air fryer first to get the crispy browning without the extra fat. Then transfer to dish for oven. Hope it works
Hi Christy,
I need to make these meatballs the day before serving them. Would it work to roll them in the panko and fry them and then refrigerate the meatballs and the next day bake them in the sauce?
Thank you so much for your help!
Yes, that’s what I would do! My friend made them all the way to the end 3 days ahead of time and then just threw them in a slow cooker. They didn’t have that crisp but were still good.
This is our new family fav! It was SO easy! It usually takes me a few tries to perfect a new recipe…this one was perfect on the 1st try! We have a little guy who has to do Gluten Free, so I use GF Panko & made it a meal we could all have!
Awesome to know that gluten free panko can be used.
Thanks for your recipe and well-written instructions. So easy to follow. My 10-year old son has found his passion in cooking, so we are trying new recipes together. We made this one last night. He even urged our use of the crushed red pepper! This was our first time using Panko (let alone ground chicken). Loved the crunch. Most time-consuming part for us was browning the meatballs. The sides were easy to sear, but getting the edges to brown (without the meatball falling over) was tricky. We probably didn’t need to strive for perfection, but we really wanted to achieve that lovely, uniform browning. Ultimately we did through persistence and adding more oil, per your suggestion, as we went. Glad you lived to tell about the tornado and share this recipe with us!
Kerry,
That makes me so happy to hear you cooked with your son! Yes, it can be a little time intensive to sear them all but it’s worth it.
Was recommended this recipe by a good friend. I wasn’t disappointed. I left out the chili flakes but otherwise followed the recipe as written. I served it with fresh pasta. Was enough for 3 adults and 1 child plus I had leftovers for lunch the next day. Will definitely make this again. Was the first time I have ever used Panko (where have these been my whole life?). Thank you for the great recipe!
You’re welcome!
So good..whole family loved it. I didn’t put red pepper flakes in it
This recipe is delicious
Thank yoU!
I made these for dinner tonight and they were delicious! Thanks so much for a great recipe.
You’re welcome!
Awesome recipe Christy! Thank you for sharing with us. My family LOVED these tonight! We all went back for seconds! This will definitely be in our top 5 rotation!
Awesome to hear that Ashley!
Tried these last night and they were a big hit. The only thing I did differently was cut down a little bit on the red pepper flakes for personal taste and I didn’t have quite enough panko breadcrumbs so I had to mix a little bit of regular Italian breadcrumbs in with the panko. I served the meatballs over linguni noodles with extra marinara.
Sounds delicious! Glad you liked them.
Could I use Ground Turkey?
Sure!
This was absolutely delicious!! Thank you for sharing your wonderful recipes!
Thank you Kelly!
I’m an armature cook and these turned out delicious!
Yes!! You’re definitely not an amateur then! Glad you liked them.
I very rarely leave comments on recipes, but I just had to say that as with all of your recipes (and I’ve made a LOT of them), this one is absolutely amazing. I made it exactly as written, and it turned out perfectly. Thank you for always explaining everything in detail, it’s one of the many reasons why I love your website! PS – I really enjoyed the story, and love that you share your life with us. Thanks for being my go-to for anything food related!
Kaylee,
Oh my gosh you’re going to make me cry. That’s the nicest thing you could have said to me. I’ve been really uninspired lately wondering why I even do this blog and needed to hear that.
Love these! I’ve made them twice now. I served them over zoodles! THanks!
Thank you! Great idea to serve them over zoodles!
Your recipe isn’t very clear. It says to mix everything including bread crumbs in the mixture at the beginning but later says to save half and roll the outsides… so I used the breadcrumbs in the meatball mixture and have no coating.
The ingredient lists breadcrumbs and then says in the notes more for rolling. Sorry if it wasn’t clear to you.
I rarely ever leave comments but I had to take a minute to do so because these might just be the best meatballs ever!! Thank you for a great recipe!
The best comment ever. Thank you!
Have you tried freezing these after they’re baked? I’m wondering if the panko on the outside would get mushy from the moisture. Making them tonight! 😊
Thanks!!
I have not tried freezing them but I think you have a valid point.
One of our favorite meals we’ve had in a long time!
Thank you!
I made these. They are delicious! Daughter said “this is the best recipe you’ve ever made”! I doubled the amount of parm cheese that went into the meatballs, and I used Prego Farmers’ Market classic marinara sauce.
So glad you liked it!
I made this for dinner last night and it was fabulous! I love chicken parmigiana and this had all the taste and more. I’ve never used ground chicken before so I was surprised at how mooshie it was but once I rolled it in the panko crumbs it firmed up. The leftovers today we’re even tastier!
So glad you liked it!
I am currently trying this! The only thing I did different is Italian breadcrumbs because I’m not a fan of Panko but everything is amazing! Thank you for sharing the recipe!
Next time try the Panko. I promise it gives a crunch that breadcrumbs can’t.
Best meatballs I’ve made by far!
Ok . These are fantastic! I may never make actual chicken parm again !! My family devoured these. They never eat leftovers and all asked to have them the next day! These went into our monthly rotation ! Thanks for a great recipe!
You’re welcome!
Omg!!!! This was delish!!! This will definitely be a monthly meal in my house! Family loved it!!
So happy to heat that. We love it!
Hey Christi
First time looking at your awesome recipes!
John is an “AH” Period!!!
What a miserable waste of time!
Looking forward to making these delicious looking Parmesan meatballs tomorrow!
Keep doing what you love!
Most importantly Be You❤️
Oh Patti. You made me laugh out loud! Thank you.
These were FREAKING AMAZING. My 4 year old (after she stopped crying that they weren’t the “brown meatballs she wanted” and 10 month old gobbled them up. They had a great crunch and I’ll definitely add these to our regular rotation.
Also, I enjoy your stories before the recipes. I’m sorry you were in such a scary situation. I’m also sorry some of the previous commenters were such jerks!
Hahaha. I’m sorry they weren’t brown. HAHAHA
I came to comment on these meatballs and tell you they were delicious. My 8 year old son even took the leftovers to school per his request. Mine didn’t look as great as yours, of course.
After reading the comments of people who didn’t like your story, I should tell you that I too have been in a tornado alone (well, except for the cat). It chewed up some homes less than a block from me and somehow missed our house. I felt, as I always do, that your story was very relatable. People are so harsh and say such rude things on blogs. I visit your blog a couple times per week just to see if you have any recipes I should try and I ALWAYS read your little story too. I feel like we are friends and I’ve never even met you.
Thanks for having thick skin to keep posting your “useless stories”. As an ER nurse, I know a thing or two about thick skin. Mamas have forgotten to teach their kids that if they don’t have anything nice to say, they should say nothing.
Thanks Rebekah. First, I feel honored that your 8-yr-old would take them to school. Wow. And thanks for commenting. We are totally friends since you stood up for me. Thank you! I’m sure being a nurse you have heard it all!
These were fantastic! My family loved this! Thank you for sharing the recipe. Ignore the haters 😉
Thank you. I try to. Sometimes it’s hard.
Sorry, but I have to say that you sound pretty selfcentered when an older lady next to you thinks it’s snowing, you recognize that it is in fact a tornado, and you “grabbed your stuff and started running”. My first thought was, why didn’t you tell the woman what was happening and try to take her to safety with you? All I could think about while reading your story was, I hope that poor old lady was ok.
Oh Marie. By older she was probably 60 and had her family with her. The sirens sounded and everyone was running. I assure you I’m not heartless and wouldn’t have left an old lady to fend for herself.
Tomato sauce, cheese, and chicken, it’s an amazing combination.
4 TBS of Olive Oil equals 1/4 C….so why does your recipe call for 1/2 C. of Olive Oil??
That tornado story…wow, I have never exerienced one before, but I think I would have cried!! anyway, these chicken meatballs do sound delicious, love the panko breadcrumbs for that added crunch
It was so terrifying. And I was crying.
Perfect dinner meal. I’m so much hungrier now though 😉
Ha. Make them now!
This was delicious!!! And quick to make..
So glad you loved it!
I mad a double batch of these today and they are delicious!!! I’m going to freeze the rest for another dinner!
So awesome to hear!!
Can’t wait to try this one! I love a good variation on chicken and tomato sauce!
thank you! We really like it!
Excuse the ignorance of some people. I’m glad everything turned out ok and thanks for the delicious recipe.
Thank you Larry!
Could you put a little pat of mozzarella cheese in the middle of the chicken? I do this with my beef meatballs. I freeze sliced mozzarella sticks and stick it in the ball and then sear/bake. I wonder if that would work with this. I don’t see why not if the meatball was firm enough.
I bet that would be amazing and now I’m kicking myself for not thinking of it!
Found this recipe linked on Bloglovin’ and made the meatballs last night exactly as-written, and they were AMAZING. I ended up baking them a bit longer than 20 minutes, my oven is wonky; but it’s so rare that I make a recipe as-written from a website and don’t find at least one thing I want to tweak. Other than a few extra minutes for baking (in my oven), these are PERFECT! So delicious served with salad and garlic bread. Thanks!
Ooh! Yes!! I love hearing that.
My husband LOVES chicken parm I am just kinda a so-so fan! To be honest the only thing I really like about it are the crispy edges!! So tonight I made this recipe and not only did he LOVE it, I did too!! The balls (hehe) were the perfect size and best way to keep the crispness! I didn’t have to cut off the edges and leave only the middle part for whoever would eat it. I’m actually looking forward to my leftovers tomorrow, and they may not survive the afternoon!!
Spring. Wow. That totally made my day!! Thank you for leaving a comment.
These sound heavenly. I’m currently in my first trimester of pregnancy and nothing ever sounds good so believe that these will be on my meal plan this week! Yum!!
Congrats on your pregnancy! I know what it’s like when nothing sounds good. Hope these hit the spot!
Those look delicious! And dang girl – that’s insane!!! Glad you’re okay. I can’t even imagine! Too bad John didn’t get swept up in that tornado tho. lol (and not your John lol) #justsayin
Can’t wait to try these. 🙂
Hahahaha. Muwahh!
Ok, so I just had to comment. I have been reading your blog since a friend told me about it back in 2009 or 2010, but I have never commented before. It’s my favorite food blog for many reasons. Besides having great recipes, I love your personal life stories before your recipes. It makes you relatable. I am not a fan of the blogs that sing praises to every recipe they have ever posted before putting the recipe. So please, Christy, ignore the haters and keep doing your blog your way. I love it!
Thank you Sarah. I’m glad you are commenting today 🙂 I know most people couldn’t care less about the stories before the recipe but I can’t help but share my life. Thank you for your kind words.
I enjoy your stories (and recipes!) too! I actually loved this little story so much I read it a couple times…just because tornadoes freak me out too. I always watch the weather channel specials on them…fascinating…scary…hope I never have to deal with that. Glad you are ok, keep posting your stories AND recipes! Love your blog just the way it is 🙂
P.S. These look amazing…will be making them next week!
Thank you Liz. I appreciate that.
Yum! These look amazing! I wish I had these to eat right now.
Kari
http://sweetteasweetie.com/passion-fruit-colada/
Thanks Kari.
Jonn must have gotten up on the wrong side of the bed this morning!!
Yes. I think so.
It’s so ridiculous I’m having a hard time believing this wasn’t made up as purposely ridiculous. She talks about being scared for her life and ends it with, “this would’ve been my last meal of my life if I died that day. Oh, here’s the recipe.” It’s so absurd.
You’re right – it’s hard to tie in a story of me almost dying to any recipe. However, it happened. This is my blog and I share stories of my life while sharing recipes. I’ve always done it that way and I’m sorry you don’t like it. Hope you have a better day tomorrow and can find a recipe blog that suits your needs more.
no John…YOU are absurd!
Could you just brown the meat balls in the oven?
Maybe? I don’t feel like you get that good sear and crunch from the oven though.
Dude it’s just a story. If you don’t have something nice to say don’t say anything. You’re a guest here….act like it. Geesh.
Thanks Reid.
Wow. This wins the award for most useless story to accompany a recipe, ever.
Ouch. A bit harsh. Feel free to scroll on down.
Instead of trolling, just try scrolling. She was sharing something that happened in her life, meaningful to her. No need to put her down like that.
Thanks Nathan.