The easy Chicken Parm Meatballs are made in a skillet and topped with marinara sauce and mozzarella cheese. Serve with pasta for dinner!
Ingredients and substitutions
- Olive oil – or another neutral cooking oil of your choice like avocado or canola oil.
- Jarred pasta sauce – use your favourite store-bought variety or make your own homemade sauce.
- Mozzarella cheese – freshly shredded mozzarella is best. You could also use another kind of cheese like Swiss.
- Pasta – use your favourite pasta. Gluten-free pasta or zucchini noodles would also work.
- Zucchini – you can leave this out or swap out for another veggie of your choice like mushrooms.
- Fresh basil – fresh parsley would also be good here.
Meatballs
- Ground chicken – ground turkey would also work. You could also use ground pork or beef for a different flavour.
- Breadcrumbs – panko can be used instead.
- Yellow onion – you can also white onion or shallots.
- Parmesan cheese – nutritional yeast is a good dairy-free substitute.
- Dijon mustard – stone-ground mustard will work but it has a slightly different flavour.
- Garlic – freshly minced garlic is best. Jarred minced garlic can be used in a pinch.
- Salt & pepper – to taste.
How to make chicken parmesan meatballs
Step 1: Make the meatballs.
Mix together the ground chicken, breadcrumbs, yellow onion, parmesan, dijon, garlic and salt and pepper.
Step 2: Form and cook the meatballs.
Roll the meatball mixture into 18 round balls, then cook in a pan until browned and cooked through.
Step 3: Cook the pasta.
Cook pasta in a pot of boiling water until al dente, adding the zucchini in the last 2 minutes of cooking time. Drain and set aside.
Step 4: Pour the sauce into the skillet.
Step 5: Top with cheese.
Sprinkle the cheese over the pasta sauce and meatballs, then broil for 1-2 minutes until the cheese has melted.
Step 6: Garnish and serve!
Garnish with fresh basil or parsley, then serve over the pasta and zucchini. Dig in!
Chicken meatball tips & tricks
Here are some expert tricks for making these chicken parm meatballs:
- Wet your hands: Ground chicken can get quite sticky, so dampen your hands with water before rolling the meatballs to ensure the mixture doesn't stick to your hands.
- Don't over-roll: Make sure you're not overhandling the meatballs and roll them just until they've formed into a ball. If you overhandle them, the meatballs could turn out mushy and fall apart.
- Try another protein: You can swap out the ground chicken for ground turkey, pork or even beef.
- Use homemade sauce: Using jarred pasta sauce is easier, but if you'd like, you can use a homemade tomato sauce.
Frequently Asked Questions
If you're prepping these meatballs for a party or potluck, you can roll them then store them on a parchment-lined baking sheet covered in plastic wrap in the fridge for up to 24 hours. When you're ready to enjoy, cook them as normal in the skillet!
Yes! You can make these meatballs with another variety of ground meat like ground turkey, ground pork or ground beef. Ground turkey would offer you the closest flavour to chicken parm, but you could use pork or beef too (just remember it won't taste as much like chicken parm).
I personally haven't tested these meatballs in the air fryer, and since you'll need to heat up the sauce in the skillet anyways, there isn't any real benefit to making them in the air fryer. That being said, you can feel free to test it out – the meatballs will likely need to cook for about 12-14 minutes at 400°F.
I like to serve these chicken parm meatballs with my favourite pasta noodles and zucchini, but you can serve them with any sides of your choice like garlic bread or Caesar salad. For a low-carb option, serve them with zucchini noodles. You could even turn them into a meatball sub by serving them on a roll or baguette!
If you want to make this recipe in the oven instead, bake the meatballs for 20 minutes at 425°F on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
Storing and reheating
You can store these chicken parm meatballs in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. When you're ready to enjoy, reheat the meatballs with the sauce in a pan on the stovetop, or sprinkle a bit of water over top and microwave for 1-2 minutes until heated through.
Can you freeze chicken meatballs?
Yes, you can! These chicken meatballs are definitely freezer-friendly, and can be frozen either raw or cooked in an airtight container or Ziploc bag for up to 3 months. If you're freezing them raw, make sure to flash freeze them on a baking sheet first so they don't stick together.
When you're ready to enjoy your meatballs, let them defrost in the fridge overnight then reheat as normal. If you froze raw meatballs, you can cook them directly in the sauce – just bring a jar of pasta sauce to a simmer on the stovetop, then add the meatballs and simmer them in the sauce for 20-30 minutes until cooked through.
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Chicken Parm Meatballs
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 (650mL) jar pasta sauce
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese
- 1/2 lb pasta any shape
- 1 zucchini cut into moons
- Fresh basil or parsley optional, to garnish
Meatballs
- 1 lb ground chicken
- 1/3 cup breadcrumbs
- 1 yellow onion grated
- 1/3 cup parmesan cheese
- 1 tsp dijon mustard
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1/2 tsp each salt & pepper
Instructions
- Mix ground chicken, breadcrumbs, yellow onion, parmesan cheese, dijon, garlic and salt and pepper together in a large bowl.
- Preheat oven to broil on high. Heat a large heat safe skillet with olive oil over med-high heat. Divide meat mixture into 18 round balls, then cook for 10-12 minutes, tossing often, until browned and cooked through.
- Meanwhile, heat a large pot of water on the stove with a pinch of salt until boiling, then add pasta. Cook for 10 minutes until al dente, adding zucchini in last 2 minutes of cook time before draining and setting aside.
- Pour pasta sauce in skillet then top with cheese. Broil for 1-2 minutes until cheese has melted, watching closely so it doesn't burn. Remove from oven, garnish with fresh basil or parsley, then serve 3 meatballs overtop of pasta and zucchini. Enjoy!
Comments & Reviews
Jeanne Paderofsky says
I made the chicken parmesan meatballs and used them for sub sandwiches. I omitted the Dijon mustard as I don’t like it but I added a little red pepper flakes to the breadcrumb mixture. These held together very well and we’re very tasty. I have some in the freezer for a spaghetti meal later in the week.
Taylor Stinson says
I’m so happy you enjoyed!