Easy Chicken Parmesan Meatballs
These chicken parmesan meatballs are seared until golden, simmered in a rich pan sauce, topped with melty mozzarella, and finished with a crispy panko-pistachio topping. It’s chicken parm, but elevated and in meatball form. Perfect for a busy weeknight!
The only chicken parm recipe you’ll ever need.
- Mix, roll, sear, sauce. This one comes together in under an hour, and it’s worth every single minute – promise!
- Deeply golden meatballs. A garlicky, tomato pan sauce built from the drippings. Melty mozzarella. A crispy, nutty topping that takes the whole thing over the edge. Yes, it’s as good as it sounds. Maybe even better!
Here’s what you’ll need.
Here’s how it all comes together.
MIX MEATBALLS. Combine ground chicken, Parmesan, breadcrumbs, ricotta, garlic, Italian seasoning, Worcestershire, salt, and pepper in a large bowl and mix with your hands just until combined. Use a cookie scoop to portion and roll into uniform balls.
SEAR MEATBALLS. Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Sear meatballs on all sides until a dark golden brown crust forms, working in batches as needed and adding oil between rounds.
KEEP ‘EM WARM. Transfer meatballs to a baking sheet and pop them in the oven while you make the pan sauce.
START THE PAN SAUCE. Don’t wipe the pan. Add a drizzle of olive oil and reduce heat to medium. Add garlic and tomato paste and cook for about 30 seconds, stirring constantly.
DEGLAZE THE PAN. Pour in the red wine and scrape up all those browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Simmer for 2-3 minutes until mostly reduced.
SIMMER THE SAUCE. Stir in the spaghetti sauce and simmer gently over medium-low for 5 minutes.
MAKE CRISPY TOPPING. Add panko, nuts, olive oil, and a couple pinches of salt and pepper to a large sauté pan. Toast over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until deeply golden brown. Keep a close eye; it can go from perfect to burned fast. Stir in garlic powder, and a final pinch of salt and pepper. Transfer to a plate to cool.
ADD MEATBALLS. Nestle meatballs and any drippings into the sauce. Cover and simmer gently over low for 4-5 minutes.
MAKE IT CHEESY. Remove from heat, top with shredded mozzarella, and broil for 1-2 minutes until the cheese is bubbly and starting to turn golden. Watch it closely.
GARNISH + SERVE. Finish with the crispy topping and fresh basil, parsley, and Parmesan. Serve over spaghetti with crispy garlic bread alongside.
Things I learned while testing this recipe.
- My preferred method for finely grating Parmesan is to use a microplane. If you don’t have one yet, I highly recommend you get one. That’s also my preferred method for finely minced/grated garlic. If you only have pizza shop grated Parmesan (like the kind that comes in a shaker at your favorite pizza joint), reduce the amount to just half a cup or so.
- Don’t skip the sear. The dark golden crust on the meatballs isn’t just cosmetic. It actually adds a ton of flavor and also gives them enough structure to hold up when they’re simmering in the sauce. Low and slow heat won’t cut it here; you want medium-high and enough patience to actually let them brown before turning.
- Ricotta is the secret weapon. It keeps the ground chicken meatballs tender and moist in a way that breadcrumbs alone can’t. Don’t swap it out. And I recommend whole milk ricotta for the best flavor and texture.
- Cook the tomato paste. That 30-second cook time with the garlic caramelizes the paste slightly and deepens the whole sauce.
- The crispy topping is what makes this dish. It is perfectly crisp, a little nutty, and very reminiscent of the crispy coating on traditional chicken parm.
Just in case you have leftovers.
- STORING: Transfer cooled meatballs and sauce to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 4 days. Store the crispy topping separately so it doesn’t get soggy.
- FREEZING: Freeze meatballs and sauce together in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. Skip freezing the crispy topping. Just make a fresh batch when you’re ready to serve. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.
- REHEATING: Reheat gently on the stovetop over medium-low heat until warmed through, adding a splash of water or extra sauce if it’s thickened up too much. You can also microwave in 60-second intervals. Once hot, re-broil the cheese for a minute if you want that melty top back, and finish with a fresh sprinkle of the crispy topping.
If you want to get ahead, let’s break it down.
- My favorite part about this recipe is that you can prep it in parts. So when it’s time to cook, it doesn’t take all afternoon!
- You can mix and roll the meatballs up to 24 hours in advance. Cover the tray tightly and refrigerate until you’re ready to sear.
- Make the crispy topping up to 3 days ahead. Let it cool completely, then store in an airtight container at room temperature. Give it a quick toss before serving.
- Or make the whole thing ahead. Sear the meatballs, finish the sauce, skip the cheese and topping, and refrigerate everything together. When you’re ready to eat, reheat on the stovetop, add the mozzarella, broil, and finish with the crispy topping. Voila! Dinner in 10 minutes!
What I’d serve with these chicken Parmesan meatballs.
- crispy garlic bread
- sliced garlic cheese bread
- house salad with homemade avocado ranch
- kale Caesar pasta salad
- margherita flatbread pizza
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Chicken Parmesan Meatballs
These chicken parmesan meatballs are seared until golden, simmered in a rich pan sauce, topped with melty mozzarella, and finished with a crispy panko-pistachio topping. It’s chicken parm, but elevated and in meatball form. Perfect for a busy weeknight!
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 24–26 meatballs 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Oven + Stove Top
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
Chicken Meatballs
- 1 pound ground chicken
- 2 ounces finely grated Parmesan cheese (about 1.5 cups)
- 1/2 cup Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
- 1/2 cup whole milk ricotta cheese
- 3 cloves garlic, finely minced or grated
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh cracked pepper
- 1–2 tablespoons olive oil for searing
Sauce/Cheese
- 1–2 teaspoons olive oil
- 6 cloves garlic, finely grated
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons dry red wine
- 24 ounce jar spaghetti sauce
- 4 ounces shredded whole milk mozzarella
Topping
- 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1/4 cup finely chopped nuts (pistachios, pine nuts, walnuts, etc.)
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- a couple pinches garlic powder
- Kosher salt
- fresh cracked pepper
Garnish
- fresh chopped basil
- fresh chopped parsley
Instructions
- PREHEAT THE OVEN. Heat oven to 300 degrees.
- MIX MEATBALLS. Use your hands to mix ground chicken, Parmesan, breadcrumbs, ricotta, garlic, Italian seasoning, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper in a large bowl, just until combined. Use a cookie scoop to make uniform-sized meatballs and use lightly oiled hands to roll them into balls.
- SEAR MEATBALLS. Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add meatballs and cook on all sides until a dark golden-brown crust forms. You may need to cook the meatballs in batches, depending on the size of your pan. Add more oil as needed.
- KEEP ‘EM WARM. Transfer to a baking sheet and pop in the oven to finish cooking while you make the pan sauce.
- START THE PAN SAUCE. Without wiping out the pan, add 1-2 teaspoons of olive oil to the pan and reduce heat to medium. Add garlic and tomato paste and cook for about 30 seconds, stirring constantly.
- DEGLAZE THE PAN. Stir in red wine and scrape all the yummy bits off the bottom of the pan. Simmer for 2-3 minutes until mostly reduced.
- SIMMER THE SAUCE. Stir in spaghetti sauce and simmer gently over medium-low heat for 5 minutes.
- MAKE CRISPY TOPPING. Add panko, nuts, olive oil, and a couple pinches of salt and pepper to a large saute pan. Stir occasionally while toasting for a few minutes or until the panko breadcrumbs turn dark golden brown. Keep a close eye on this, or it will burn! Sprinkle in garlic powder, a pinch of salt, and pepper. Transfer to plate to cool.
- ADD MEATBALLS. Nestle meatballs (and any drippings) into the sauce and cover. Simmer gently over low heat for about 4-5 minutes.
- MAKE IT CHEESY. Remove from heat. Top with shredded mozzarella cheese. Pop the pan in the oven and broil for 1-2 minutes or until the cheese starts to turn dark golden brown.
- GARNISH. Sprinkle with crispy topping, and garnish with basil and parsley.
- SERVE IT UP. Serve meatballs over spaghetti and alongside crispy garlic bread. Enjoy!
- SHARE THE LOVE. If you loved this recipe, please leave a 5-star rating and review below!
Notes
- My preferred method for finely grating Parmesan is to use a microplane. If you don’t have one yet, I highly recommend you get one. That’s also my preferred method for finely minced/grated garlic. If you only have pizza shop grated Parmesan (like the kind that comes in a shaker at your favorite pizza joint), reduce the amount to just half a cup or so.
- Don’t skip the sear. The dark golden crust on the meatballs isn’t just cosmetic. It actually adds a ton of flavor and also gives them enough structure to hold up when they’re simmering in the sauce. Low and slow heat won’t cut it here; you want medium-high and enough patience to actually let them brown before turning.
- Ricotta is the secret weapon. It keeps the ground chicken meatballs tender and moist in a way that breadcrumbs alone can’t. Don’t swap it out. And I recommend whole milk ricotta for the best flavor and texture.
- Cook the tomato paste. That 30-second cook time with the garlic caramelizes the paste slightly and deepens the whole sauce.
- The crispy topping is what makes this dish. It is perfectly crisp, a little nutty, and very reminiscent of the crispy coating on traditional chicken parm.
