Baked Chicken Parmesan Meatball Recipe
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Who says comfort food can’t be easy and delicious? These Baked Chicken Parmesan Meatballs are the perfect twist on a classic favorite!
Juicy, tender meatballs made with lean ground chicken are baked to golden perfection, smothered in marinara sauce, and topped with melted mozzarella and Parmesan cheese.
Every bite is packed with Italian-inspired flavors you love but with a lighter, guilt-free spin.
Whether you’re serving them over pasta, in a sub, or as an easy appetizer, these meatballs are guaranteed to be a crowd-pleaser. Plus, they’re so easy to make, you’ll want to add them to your weekly dinner rotation! This chicken meatball recipe is so quick and easy to make. Baking them ensures that they’re never over or undercooked. We’ll show you two of our favorite ways to make them.
There are so many ways you can flavor meatballs. These Baked Italian chicken meatballs are way up there on our love list along with our Mexican meatballs, Turkey meatballs, and these amazing Cheddar-stuffed Meatballs.
Even though we are so busy, it makes it all that more important to get together with friends or to sit down together with each other at the end of the day. That is why I love baking up a big batch of chicken meatballs.
It’s just as easy to cook twice as much as we need and have leftovers the next night or put the extra food in serving size containers and freeze it.
Then we’re prepared when we need a quick meal or appetizer for impromptu entertaining.
Please note, that the printable recipe card has the full list of ingredients, quantities, complete instructions, and nutritional information. The following is a quick overview of the recipe.
Easy Parmesan Chicken Meatball Ingredients
Ground Chicken is so easy to substitute into your ground beef recipes. It does require a little more seasoning, and can be dry. We’ll show you how to keep these meatballs flavorful and juicy.
We use Grade A large eggs for consistency in our recipes.
Italian bread crumbs add flavor without drying out our meatballs like oats can. you can substitute plain as well.
Panko Bread Crumbs add a delicious crunch to the ground chicken meatballs. We use these Japanese-style bread crumbs in the breading of the meatballs but not in the meatball because they would change the texture.
Everything is better with cheese right? We used grated Parmesan in the meatball and Mozzarella on top. You could use all shredded or grated Pecorino or Mozzarella too.
We kept the Seasonings simple with garlic powder, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. You could use oregano or thyme any combination you prefer instead of the Italian seasoning.
Making your own marinara using diced tomatoes. It’s really easy. We made our own simple marinara for our chicken meatball sub recipe. You could use ready-made marinara for convenience.
How to make Easy Chicken Parmesan Meatballs
- In a medium bowl, combine ground chicken, bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, egg, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning.
- Roll chicken mixture into 1-1/2″ meatballs and put on prepared pan. (I used a 1-1/2 Tbl scoop)
- Combine the egg with 1 tablespoon of water, and whip together with a fork. In a separate shallow bowl combine the panko, Italian breadcrumbs, Italian seasoning, and salt. Glaze the meatballs with the egg mixture and then roll them in the breading mix.
- Bake in a preheated oven.
- Make the marinara by putting a can of diced tomatoes into to a 9 to 10-inch saucepan. Add garlic powder and Italian seasoning. Cook until most of the liquid has cooked off. About 10 minutes.
- Add mozzarella to the top of each meatball for a sub sandwich. Broil until melted.
Other ideas for Chicken Meatballs Recipe
Serving Suggestions
like our easy parmesan chicken pasta recipe over pasta, this recipe can be served over pasta or stuffed into a meatball sub like shown in some of our images.
We also like to stuff them into a bun for a meatball sub that makes a complete meal.
Instead of baking them put them in a slow cooker covered with sauce for an easy meal or for entertaining. Guests can help themselves.
For Meatball fondue, serve with picks and provide several sauces such as marinara, cheese sauce, or pesto.
Hostess Tips
The best way to know when your meatballs are done is to test them with an Instant Read Thermometer. I personally use this thermometer for everything that I cook by temperature even my bread! Chicken meatballs are done when they reach a temperature of 165° F.
When I make meatballs or cookies or anything that I want to be a similar size, I use scoops.
They not only look better but they cook evenly too. You can make a larger scoop when serving these meatballs over pasta or a smaller one when serving them as appetizers.
One thing that I am picky about when I have a sandwich is the bread, roll, or bun. I used my Simple Ciabatta Bread Recipe for these rolls. They’re definitely perfect for this Chicken Parmesan Meatball sandwich!
I hope you enjoyed this delicious recipe as much as we do. Drop me a comment below, and don’t forget to give it a star rating. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐. Your comments and ratings help others decide if this recipe is for them too.
Baked Chicken Parmesan Meatball Recipe
Ingredients
Meatballs
- 1 lb ground chicken
- 1 large egg
- ¼ cup Italian bread crumbs
- ½ cup Parmesan cheese grated
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- 1½ tsp Italian seasoning
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- ⅛ tsp ground black pepper
Breading
- 1 large egg
- ¼ cup Italian bread crumbs
- ¼ cup panko bread crumbs
- ½ tsp Italian seasoning
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
Homemade Marinara
- 14 oz can of diced tomatoes don’t drain
- ¼ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp Italian seasoning
Remaining Ingredients
- 4 oz fresh mozzarella
- fresh parsley optional
- hoagie rolls or pasta optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F400 °F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and spray with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, combine ground chicken, bread crumbs, pecorino romano cheese, egg, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning.
- Roll chicken mixture into 1½-inch meatballs and put them on a prepared baking sheet. (I used a 1-1/2 Tbl scoop). You can roll them larger if serving as a sandwich.
- Combine the egg with 1 tablespoon of water and whip together with a fork. In a separate bowl combine panko, breadcrumbs, Italian seasoning, and salt. Glaze the meatballs with the egg mixture and then roll them in the breading mix.
- Bake for 20 minutes or until the register an internal temperature of 165°F.
- While meatballs bake, add a can of diced tomatoes to a 9 to 10-inch saucepan. Add garlic powder and Italian seasoning. Cook until most of the liquid has cooked off. About 10 minutes.
Assembly
- Turn the oven to broil and put the oven rack in the top 1/4 of the oven or about 10 inches from the top. Add mozzarella to the top of each meatball. Broil until melted. Watch carefully this will only take about 5 minutes.
- Place meatballs in a hoagie roll (if using) and top with sauce. Garnish with fresh parsley.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
This recipe was calculated using the exact brands and measurements I used to make this recipe. If you are following a strict diet please note changing anything will cause the nutritional info to change. My calculations are intended as a guide only.
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These look so delicious, can’t wait to try them!
Thank you, Amy!
I love meatballs in my pasta and I love the idea of using chicken instead of beef! Can’t wait to make meatballs subs this week with your recipe!
Thank you, Kathryn!
this was wonderful! Thank you for sharing all these tips and recipes..really helps those of us without the create gene;)
Regards Hannah Flack
Thank you, Hannah! You’re so sweet!
I love cooking with my kids. We typically make cookies or muffins but my oldest daughter (11yrs) has begun to help me with making dinner. She loves chopping vegetables.
Regards Hannah Flack
I love getting kids in the kitchen Hannah! Thanks for stopping by!
I’ve been looking for a great chicken meatball recipe, and this looks like it! I love the classic flavors you’ve incorporated, and that they’re baked instead of pan-fried. So easy, convenient, and lighter than the beef versions. I would definitely make a meatball sub out of these, and I love the fondue idea with different sauces to choose from!
Thank you, Amanda!
What a great idea to make the chicken Parmesan into a meatball! A great party appetizer for the game on Monday!
Thank you Michele!
Hooray for quick and easy, but amazingly delicious dinners! Loving this combo of chicken parmesan and meatballs together. I don’t usually make meatballs, so my husband would be over the moon if I surprised him with this for dinner. Thanks for the amazing recipe!
Thank you, Trish!
Never thought that you could make a meatball out of chicken meat. Everybody loves chicken I must say. Gonna try this recipe and have the chicken meatballs in spaghetti . Thank you for sharing. 🙂
Thank you so much! Let me know how it goes!
I am loving everything about this sub! Deliciousness!
Thank you, Jennifer!
I love a good saucy meatball sub. I mean, who doesn’t? But I tend to avoid them in general because… well, they’re usually a little on the over-indulgent side. But this is not only delightfully doable, but also leaner! I should really use ground chicken more often – I always enjoy it when I do, but I tend to largely confine my efforts to East Asian recipes. Fantastic stuff. Pass me a napkin!
Thank you, Sean! I love how creative your recipes are and definitely love the Asian flair!
Love chicken meatballs and that sandwich looks terrific.
Thank you!
This is a fun twist on the classic chicken parm. Oh, chicken parm you taste so good!
Thank you, Debi!
Oh gosh. Hello. This is amazing. Love the fact that you’ve brought two classic Italian comfort foods into one glorious monster of a sandwich. I also love how simple the marinara is, too. It’s so nice to make your own when doing recipes like this, but when there are so many other steps, ya gotta keep it simple! This recipe is the best of ALL worlds.
Thank you, Dana! Simple and yummy just go together in our busy households!
The sub sandwich is perfect for my husband and I’ll eat the meatballs over zoodles. Perfect mid-week meal and looks like this will warm up nicely for lunch too!
Thank you, Sandra! Meatballs fit into about every food category fo meal, snack appetizer at our house!
Chicken Parmesan is one of our favorite meals so this is a HUGE hit at our house!!!!
Thank you, Brandi!
This is a great recipe idea! My family loves chicken parmesan…I never thought to make it as meatballs!
Thank you, Michelle! I imagine protein is the name of the game for your active family!
Love this! Such a great recipe to knock out a ton of calories you’d find in a traditional meatball parm. Cant wait to try this!
Thank you, Angela!
My son loves meatballs, but beef upsets his stomach, so these would be perfect for him! Thanks for the recipe.
Thank you, Ann! So happy you stopped by!
Great recipe! and I love that chicken is used… YUM!
Thank you, Diane!
These chicken Parmesan meatballs look so good! I would love to make them for a potluck or a party, and I think your idea for a meatball fondue is just genius! It sounds like so much fun!
Thank you, Daniela!
These subs look incredible!! My hubby is a HUGE meatball sub lover – can’t wait to try them!
Thank you, Michaela! They do make yummy subs.
Love how simple these are. That crispy outside is definitely a plus. I could easily see the kids loving these in a small size with toothpicks and some marinara dipping sauce.
Thank you Debra! They are versatile!
I think ground chicken is underused. Love the sound of these meatballs. A great change of pace from red meat. I would devour a meatball sub right now.
Thank you, Gloria! I loke changing this up too!
Chicken parmesan is a popular dish in my family but I’ve never made it in meatball form. Meatballs are a favorite and there is always some variety in my freezer. Will have to try Julie…
These meatballs look so good, I just had dinner and I’m getting hungry again.
Thank you, Jeff!