Chicken Parmesan Meatballs

5 from 1 vote

Everything you love about Chicken Parmesan in a mozzarella-stuffed meatball! Served with marinara sauce, this is a dish that will make everybody smile!

Prep Time30

Cook Time20

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: American, Italian

Servings:

Calories: 314kcal

Author: Cynthia

Equipment

Ingredients

The Balls

1 lb ground chicken
1 large egg
½ cup panko breadcrumbs
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 cloves minced or grated garlic
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
½ teaspoon kosher or sea salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
8 oz container small mozzarella balls (Ciliegine or cherry sized)

Meatball Coating

1 cup panko breadcrumbs
3 tablespoon grated parmesan
Pinch of salt

Finishing Touches

26 oz jar of your favorite marinara sauce or half a batch of my Pantry Shelf Marinara
1 cup shredded mozzarella
Extra grated parmesan and basil leaves for garnish

Instructions

In a large bowl, combine the ground chicken, eggs, breadcrumbs, Parmesan, Italian seasoning salt, and pepper. Mix gently until combined. Don’t over mix or squish around the meat too much or you’ll end up with tough, dense meatballs.
Shape the meatball mixture into small balls, about 2 tbsp, and then press a hole in the center with your thumb. Place a piece of mozzarella into each. Reseal the meatball mixture around the mozzarella, making sure to cover it completely. You don’t want to see any of the cheese or it will ooze out when cooking.
Once all of the meatballs have been stuffed, roll them one at a time in the panko/cheese mix to coat. Press the crumbs into the meatballs a bit, while still maintaining their meatball shape. Place meatballs on a small sheet pan or plate and chill in the fridge for about 15-30 minutes before frying.
Preheat oven to 350° Place an oven-safe skillet (I prefer my 12 inch cast iron) over medium heat with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Brown Meatballs 5-6 minutes, rolling over a few times to brown as much of the outside as you can. You want the exterior to be a nice golden brown. The meatballs won't be done at this point, but will continue cooking in the oven. You’ll probably need to do this in two batches, wiping out the pan between batches and adding new oil. Remove finished meatballs to a plate and continue with second batch. When done, wipe out the pan again.
Pour the marinara into the skillet and then nestle the meatballs into the sauce. Place into the oven and bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven, sprinkle shredded mozzarella cheese around the meatballs and place back into the oven to bake for an additional 5-6 minutes, or until the cheese has melted. If desired, broil for a few minutes to brown the cheese a bit.
Garnish with grated parm and fresh basil. Serve with garlic bread, your favorite pasta, or use slider buns to make mini chicken parm sandwiches.

Notes

If you have a meat grinder, I think the texture of fresh ground meat is unbeatable. If you don't have a grinder that's okay, just make sure not to over-handle the meat, especially when mixing. I like to use my hands (wear a glove if you're squeamish) to just bring all the ingredients together.
If you don't have a scoop for forming the meatballs (you should really invest in one. They're very affordable.) you can just use a couple of spoons to form the meat into balls. I use a small scoop to get uniform meatballs. You can also use your hands, just dampen them a bit to keep the meat from sticking to you! Yuck!

Nutrition