The best baked chicken meatballs perfectly seasoned with garlic and seasonings! This is my go-to recipe that is simple to make, easily customized and meal-prep friendly.
Want even more easy meatball recipes? Try easy homemade meatballs, spaghetti and meatballs, or crockpot grape jelly & BBQ meatballs.
Table of Contents
Baked Chicken Meatballs
If your family loves a nice comforting bowl of spaghetti with meatballs, you’re going to LOVE the lighter version of my easy homemade meatballs! These chicken meatballs will soon be on your most requested list by kids and adults alike.
Seasoned with garlic, onion powder, and Parmesan cheese then held together with Panko breadcrumbs, these baked chicken meatballs are tasty every time. Serve over cooked pasta with marinara sauce or try them on a meatball sub!
Chicken Meatball Recipe Ingredients
It takes only a handful of ingredients and a few pantry staples to make these addictive and easily customizable chicken meatballs.
Find the full printable recipe with measurements below.
- Ground chicken: I like to use 80% lean ground chicken to make these meatballs hold their shape.
- Egg: This is not only a binder but also helps add moisture to keep the chicken meatballs from getting too tough.
- Olive oil: This helps keep the ingredients together and also adds a nice richness.
- Panko crumbs: I like to use panko as a binder that holds the meat together but also adds a nice texture.
- Parmesan cheese: I love the salty, nutty flavor this adds, but also it’s cheese. I love cheese.
- Green onion: This helps balance the other flavors while adding a little extra boost.
- Garlic: I like to use freshly minced garlic, but you can use garlic powder in a pinch.
- Seasoning: You only need onion powder, Kosher salt, and black pepper to help round out the flavor of these chicken meatballs.
Substitutions and Variations
- Ground turkey. Sub ground turkey for chicken to make turkey meatballs.
- Garlic substitute. If you don’t have fresh garlic, you can substitute with 1/2 tsp of garlic powder.
- Greek chicken meatballs: Add some lemon zest, red onion, fresh dill, dried oregano, cumin and red pepper flakes.
- Stuffed meatballs. Similar to these mozzarella stuffed meatballs, put a small cube of mozzarella inside each meatball before baking.
- In a creamy gravy. Swap the beef meatballs in my Swedish meatballs with these chicken ones.
- Appetizer. These chicken meatballs are an easy pop in your mouth appetizer! Toss with buffalo sauce, BBQ sauce, sweet and sour sauce or teriyaki sauce.
How to Make Chicken Meatballs
The hardest part of this chicken meatball recipe involves shaping the meat mixture into balls. Other than that, it is simply stirring and baking.
- Prep. Heat the oven and prepare a baking sheet with foil and spray with a non-stick spray. You definitely want to spray the foil as these have a tendency to stick while baking. And we want to keep the meatballs nice and intact!
- Combine. In a bowl, combine the ground meat, egg, olive oil, Panko breadcrumbs, grated parmesan cheese, minced garlic, onion powder, salt, and pepper. In other words, combine everything. Mix together, being careful not to overmix. Doing so may cause a loss of moisture and tough meatballs.
- Scoop. Scoop out the meat and form it into 1 1/2″ balls and place them individually on the pan, leaving a bit of room in between each one.
- Bake. Bake uncovered until no longer pink in the middle. If you are worried about one side browning more than the other, feel free to turn them over halfway through.
Tips & Variations
- Lean meat. When buying your ground chicken, look for lean meat (I use 80%).
- Non-stick. When forming your chicken meatballs, try using a bit of oil on your hands to help form the balls.
- Fried version. If you want to fry the chicken meatballs instead, cook them in a pan with 2 Tbsp of oil over medium-high heat until cooked through.
- Darker meatballs. For extra browning after baking, toss them in a sauté pan.
- Keep them moist. Mix the chicken meatballs thoroughly to make sure all of the ingredients are evenly dispersed but not enough to toughen the meatballs in the end. Also, don’t overbake!
Recipe FAQs
This is typically caused by not enough moisture in the meat mix. I add egg and olive oil to help keep the meatballs moist and soft.
They will be golden brown, firm and when using a meat thermometer register an internal temperature of 160 – 165°F.
Yes! Follow these directions to make meatballs in air fryer.
I love dipping these chicken meatballs in flavorful sauces but you can use them in practically anything like meatball sliders, meatball soup, or baked ziti with meatballs.
Storing & Freezing
- Store: Store chicken meatballs in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 1 week. So you’ll have leftovers for days!
- Freeze: Freeze them in a freezer friendly bag for up to 3 months. To avoid having them freeze in a clump, flash freeze them on the baking tray first before transferring them to the bag.
- Make ahead: Meal prep easy peasy with ground chicken meatballs! These are an easy freezer meal that can be made in big batches to pull out on busy weeknights or lazy weekends.
Want even more meatball recipes? Try Hawaiian meatballs, Asian meatballs or and easy breakfast meatballs!
More Meatball Recipes to Try
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Chicken Meatballs
Ingredients
- 1 pound 80% lean ground chicken
- 1 large egg , beaten
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- ¼ cup panko crumbs
- ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
- 2 Tablespoons finely chopped green onion
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
For serving: Teriyaki or buffalo sauce
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with foil and spray with nonstick spray.
- In a large bowl, combine the meat, egg, olive oil, breadcrumbs, cheese, garlic, onion powder, salt, and pepper using your hands or a wooden spoon, being careful not to overmix.
- Use a medium cookie scoop or spoon to scoop the meat onto the baking sheet. Using your hands, form into 1 1/2-inch balls and return to the baking sheet.
- Bake uncovered 16 to 20 minutes, or until no longer pink in the cebter. Turn halfway through, if desired, so the bottoms don't brown.
- Toss in your favorite sauce or dip in teriyaki or buffalo sauce, if desired.
Notes
- Lean meat. When buying your ground chicken, look for lean meat (I use 80%).
- Ground turkey. Sub ground turkey for chicken to make turkey meatballs.
- Non-stick. When forming your meatballs, try using a bit of oil on your hands to help form the balls.
- Garlic substitute. If you don’t have fresh garlic, you can substitute with 1/2 tsp of garlic powder.
- Fried version. If you want to fry the meatballs instead, cook them in a pan with 2 Tbsp of oil over medium-high heat until cooked through.
- Darker meatballs. For extra browning after baking, toss them in a sauté pan.
- Keep them moist. Mix the meatballs thoroughly to make sure all of the ingredients are evenly dispersed but not enough to toughen the meatballs in the end. Also, don’t overbake!
- Air fryer: Follow these directions to make meatballs in air fryer.
Nutrition
Nutrition provided is an estimate. It will vary based on specific ingredients used.
Did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to give it a star rating below!
Yummy! I love chicken but have never had them in meatball form. I can’t wait to try these!
I hope you enjoy! :)
My son is going to love this recipe! So excited to give this a try! Looks so delicious and so tasty!
We loved this lightened up version of meatballs and my favourite part was baking them in the oven instead of frying. So much easier!