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Healthy juicy Italian chicken meatballs with parsley, parmigiano-reggiano, and panko on a plate.
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Healthy Italian Chicken Meatballs

Healthy Italian Chicken Meatballs are juicy, tender, and packed with herbaceous flavor. Not only are they delicious, they also require minimal effort and go well in a soup, pasta, meatball sandwich, and more!
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time25 minutes
Total Time30 minutes
Course: Main Course, Side Dish
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: baked chicken meatballs, chicken balls recipe, chicken meatball recipe, chicken meatballs, chicken meatballs soup, healthy chicken meatballs, Italian chicken meatballs
Servings: 24 meatballs
Calories: 41kcal

Equipment

  • mixing bowl
  • knife
  • dutch oven
  • baking sheet
  • parchment paper

Ingredients

  • 1 lb ground chicken
  • 1 egg
  • ½ cup panko
  • ½ cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • ¼ cup flat-leaf parsley minced
  • ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • ½ teaspoon ground pepper
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil for stovetop cooking

Instructions

  • Mix ingredients – In a large mixing bowl, combine ground chicken, egg, 2 minced garlic cloves, panko, cheese, parsley, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper.
    1 lb ground chicken, 1 egg, ½ cup panko, ½ cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, 2 cloves garlic, ¼ cup flat-leaf parsley, ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, ½ teaspoon ground pepper
  • Form meatballs – Gently toss with your hands and break up the meat until evenly mixed. Then use your hands to roll and shape 1-inch meatballs.

Stovetop Instructions

  • In a large pot or dutch oven, add oil and warm on medium heat. Add meatballs to the pot, leaving some space between them. Cook on one side until browned, about 3-5 minutes, then use a spoon to gently flip over. You’ll know the meatballs are done on one side when they detach from the pot easily. Allow the meatballs to cook on the other side for an additional 3-5 minutes until browned. Enjoy in soup, with pasta, or on their own.
    1 tablespoon olive oil

Baking Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a baking sheet with oil or line with parchment paper, place raw meatballs on the baking sheet, and cook in the oven for 25 minutes. Remove the meatballs then serve.

Notes

Cooking Tips
  • If you pan fry the meatballs, you will know they are done and ready to flip when the meatballs easily release from the pan.
  • The size of your meatballs will depend on how you want to serve them. For soups, make the meatballs bite size, about 1 inch. But for spaghetti or when meatballs are the main course, make them 1½ inches.
    Sear the meatballs before you add them to a soup or sauce. This ensures the meatballs will have a crispy outside texture and juicy inside.
  • Make the meatballs gluten-free with gluten-free panko.
Storage
  • Refrigerate leftover meatballs in an air-tight container for up to 3 days. After 3 days, you need to freeze the meatballs and they can be frozen for up to 3 months. In order to reheat them, heat the oven to 300°F, then reheat meatballs for 10 minutes or until heated through. You can also reheat them in a pan over low heat. If frozen, let the meatballs thaw before reheating them.

Nutrition

Calories: 41kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 23mg | Sodium: 72mg | Potassium: 109mg | Fiber: 0.1g | Sugar: 0.1g | Vitamin A: 64IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 7mg | Iron: 0.3mg
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