My Chicken Parmesan obsession runs deep. We kicked off the week with a classic chicken parmesan recipe and today we’re getting fancy with Chicken Parmesan Meatballs!!
My cooking skills were somewhat limited in college. If you came over for dinner it was either chicken parm or a roasted chicken with salad. That’s it. The only options you got! You could say I’ve expanded my repertoire a bit since then (with over 1000 recipes on this site I think culinary school has officially paid off), but I always come back to chicken parm. My classic chicken parm recipe is a winner, but I wanted to jazz things up a bit today.
So I took each and every ingredient from the chicken parm recipe, and turned it into mozzarella stuffed chicken parmesan meatballs. So all those herbs – into the meatballs! The parmesan and breadcrumbs – into the meatballs. The mozzarella, well, you get the point! There’s even a bit of flour on the outside of every meatball to give it a bit of a crust.
I kinda of hate myself for not making these earlier, because to say I’m obsessed would be an understatement. I practically licked the skillet clean when I made these. You absolutely, positively, must try these!
Stuck in a dinner rut? Looking for new delicious dinner ideas? Check out my roundup of 50+ easy dinner ideas here.
Chicken Parmesan Meatballs
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground chicken
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan
- 1/3 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1 egg
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1/2 cups flour
- bocconcini mozzarella balls
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1 jar marinara sauce
- handful of basil leaves torn
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the chicken, parmesan, breadcrumbs, egg, salt, pepper, oregano, parsley and red pepper flakes. Carefully combine everything with your hands until the ingredients are evenly mixed.
- Form the ground chicken mixture into small meatballs, each the size of a golf ball.
- Insert a small bocconcini ball in the center of each meatball, taking care to reform the meatball around the cheese once it’s been inserted. The mozzarella should be completely hidden from sight.
- Dredge each meatball in the flour to lightly coat it and gently tap off any excess flour.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Heat the olive oil in a large heavy bottom skillet over medium high heat. Once the oil is hot, add half of the meatballs and sauté for a 3-4 minutes, turning every so often to brown the outside.
- Once the meatballs are browned, remove them from the oil and repeat the process with the remaining meatballs.
- Once all meatballs are browned, add the tomato sauce to the skillet and place the browned meatballs on top of the sauce.
- Transfer the skillet, meatballs and all, into the oven and let the meatballs continue to bake for 15-20 minutes until cooked through.
- Remove the skillet from the oven and dusting with salt, pepper, freshly chopped basil and extra bocconcini if desired. Serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition Information
Photo by Matt Armendariz / Food Styling by Adam Pearson / Recipe from What’s Gaby Cooking
I made these last night and they were delicious ! I didn’t have a skillet so I just browned them and moved them to the sauce in a baking dish to cook (and sprinkled a little more mozzarella on top) and that worked perfectly ! Thanks Gaby!
These were amazing! They came together quickly and we’re just as quickly gone. I will be making these again
Can the meatballs be baked?
sure can! skip the dredging in flour step
Made this for my birthday dinner and it was great! The entire family loved it. Will be making it again!!
Another favorite! Love your recipes!
This was SO good. Very quick and easy to make. Each one of my kids (8, 10, 11) said they thought it was really good. Love it when you can make an easy weeknight dinner to please the entire family. It will most definitely be in our rotation.
My whole family loved this!!! It was easy, fast, and most importantly delicious! Thank you so much for sharing. My only regret was not doubling the recipe.
Simple & so delicious! A new favorite — this recipe is perfect for chicken parmigiana lovers.
These are wonderful!!!
Such a great twist on the traditional chicken parm!
Gaby…I think I have a new recipe for you. I had all of the ingredients in my cart at the store and when I got to the ground chicken I decided it was just unappetizing looking. Sooo, I got ground sausage and made the same recipe and YUM!
I get it. These are amazing. They were fun to make. Make these!!
My family and I love this recipe! Is it an option to use ground Turkey if I ran out of ground chicken?
absolutely
Definitely one of my favorite/go to Gaby recipe. So yummy!!
OMG!!! Just made these tonight…and this was insanely so good!!! I will be making this again!!! Love your recipes!!!
Please suggest how to make ahead and finish in oven. Better to brown meatballs, freeze, defrost or make day ahead and reheat?
I bake them, add extra sauce, let them cool and then freeze. To re-heat, let thaw in the fridge the day before and then reheat in a non stick skillet over medium low heat
I make this recipe often as it’s one of my family’s favorites. I always double the recipe so I can give a pan to my daughter and SIL. I buy a block of mozzarella and cut it into small cubes instead of buying bocconcini mozzarella balls. This recipe is absolutely delicious!
Can I make and flour these the night before, then cook them the next day?
I could flour them right before you sear rather than the night before!
Has become part of frequent rotation in our house.
I made these meatballs last night for dinner.
They were a very big hit.
I sent my pic of them to my daughter.
They were the bomb!
These are delicious, but take WAY more than 5 minutes to prepare. It’s worth it though. Trust me! They are so so so good. Also serves way more than four. Six hearty servings easily.
My daughter just sent me this recipe and told me that I have to make them, she said they’re amazing!!! You said they can be served with pasta but what kind of pasta is your favorite with them?
Can’t express how much I loved these. Family agreed. There will never be any other chicken meatball in this home. Love how easy they are to prepare too!! I’m totally a fan Gaby
I need to and the gluten-free for a friend. Will using gluten free panko & flour effect the taste/texture. I never use gluten-free products so not sure
Thanks!
no prob! still perf
Thank you so much for this absolutely easy & delicious recipe. I was a bit skeptical at first drenching the meatballs in flour, & adding mozzarella, kept them so moist and delicious, love all of your recipes, and this is going to be another favorite to add to my collection ✌️
My American cousin recommended this recipe so we thought we’d give it a go over in the UK!
The whole family loved it. My son has autism and usually “hates” chicken apart from processed nuggets. He loved these even more than regular meatballs which are one of his favourite dinners – t’was a miracle to see him eating chicken! Thank you so much.
P.S. subbed a slice of crumbled up gluten free bread for the panko which was fine.
Absolutely Amazing! I baked my meatballs for 10 minutes at 400 degrees and then added the sauce. I baked them for an additional 12 minutes at 350 degrees. It was so good and so easy. I skipped stuffing each meatball with cheese and spread the mozzarella on the top. So good!
I made this for my family and they loved it! Such a yummy recepie! I will definetly be making it again!
I’ll never use a different recipe for meatballs! I’ve never made it with the chicken because I always have ground beef in the freezer. But it’s the best meatball recipe. The Rao’s sauce is a must! And my family likes sub rolls to make sandwiches. This is an easy recipe but with so much flavor! One day I’ll try it with ground chicken, lol. I’ve made them 3x this month!!
So, so good! I just put on a cookie sheet and baked after browning and it was perfect! Paired with Italian salad, bread and spaghetti/Rao’s marinara.
SO GOOD! Do not sleep on this recipe. We serve it over spaghetti and it’s quickly become my families favorite.
DYING to make!!! Can I “mostly” make day ahead and simply finish off in oven day of???? Or should I fully bake the day ahead and then leave it in the pan and reheat in the oven day of?
fully bake and then gently re-heat in some extra sauce
Has anyone tried freezing these?? Does it work? I love them but want faster prep
Wondering if anyone has tried to make these for meal prep by making ahead of time but not cooking until ready to eat? Thanks 🙂
yes – me! works
Fantastic and super easy! This dish was a hit tonight and I’ve already gotten requests to make it again but double the recipe next time for lunch leftovers!
I’m excited to try this as my friend raves about it! What size jar of sauce?
Has anyone cooked these on the stovetop only? My oven is broken! I was thinking I’d just cover and simmer until the meatballs are cooked through. Thoughts???
totally works!!
I have made these with beef and my family loves them. I made them with ground chicken today and Wow! They are so good! I don’t get how they can taste like chicken parm but they do!! And so easy! No chopping etc!!! Thanks for this awesome recipe!