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 recipes I always have on repeat just because my family loves them and they’re easy: this One-Pan Broccoli Chicken and Rice, this Panera Broccoli Cheese Soup, 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

• 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. 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 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 Pot Pie
• Chicken Parmesan Casserole
• Easy Baked Ziti
• Chicken Parmesan Roll Ups
• Pioneer Woman Meatloaf
• Oven Fried Chicken
• Italian Meatballs
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4.83 from 28 votes

Yield: 20 meatballs

Chicken Parmesan Meatballs

Prep Time:

10 mins

Cook Time:

25 mins

Total Time:

35 mins

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

1. 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.

2. 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.

3. 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. 

Recipe Notes

If you don't have an oven-safe skillet, brown meatballs in a skillet then transfer to an oven safe baking dish.

Sometimes bits of the Panko can fall off when browning and start too burn which is why we brown the meatballs in batches, wiping out the pan in between batches.

Author: Christy Denney

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Italian