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These healthy chicken parmesan meatballs are juicy, flavorful, and baked to perfection in one dish for an easy, family-friendly meal. Made with simple ingredients and classic Italian flavors, they’re perfect for busy weeknights when you want something comforting, satisfying, and full of flavor.
I have the sweetest memories of making these meatballs with my Italian grandmother when I was a little girl. They bring back so many moments from her kitchen. I’ve lightened them up over the years, but they’re still just as amazing as I remember. Now it means so much to share them with my daughter, Ella. I cannot wait for you to try them.
If you love the flavors of chicken parmesan, try our healthy slow cooker chicken parmesan, chicken parmesan burgers, healthy baked chicken parmesan, and air fryer chicken parmesan next!
Table of Contents
- 🔍 Quick Look: Healthy Chicken Parmesan Meatballs
- Why You Will Love This Recipe
- Key Ingredients
- Substitutions & Variations
- How To Make Healthy Chicken Parmesan Meatballs
- Expert Tips
- What to Serve with Chicken Parmesan Meatballs
- Storage Instructions
- Healthy Chicken Parmesan Meatballs FAQs
- More Healthy Meatball Recipes!
- Healthy Chicken Parmesan Meatballs Recipe
🔍 Quick Look: Healthy Chicken Parmesan Meatballs
- ⏱️ Prep Time: 10 minutes
- ⏱️ Cook Time: 20 minutes
- 🕒 Total Time: 30 minutes
- 🍽 Calories: ~257 kcal per serving
- 👥 Servings: 4 servings
- 🥣 Key Ingredients: Ground chicken, egg, breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning, marinara sauce, mozzarella cheese
- 📖 Dietary Information: High-protein, meal prep-friendly
- 👩🍳 Cook Method: Baked
- ⭐ Difficulty: Easy
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Why You Will Love This Recipe
- Packed With Flavor: You get all the comforting, cheesy, saucy goodness of classic chicken parmesan in every bite-sized meatball.
- Easy: Everything bakes together in one dish, making prep and cleanup a breeze.
- Simple Ingredients: These meatballs are made with simple pantry staples and are customizable with your favorite marinara sauce.
- Baked Meatballs: These meatballs are baked instead of fried for an easier and healthier option. For other delicious baked meatballs, try our Italian turkey meatballs, turkey pesto meatballs, pineapple teriyaki chicken meatballs, and marry me chicken meatballs.
“These meatballs were amazing, and best of all my husband loved them, too! I served them over whole wheat pasta for a very filling dinner.”
– michele
Key Ingredients
- Ground Chicken: The base of these meatballs is ground chicken.
- Egg: One egg helps keep the meatballs juicy.
- Italian Breadcrumbs: The breadcrumbs help bind the meatballs.
- Parmesan: We added grated parmesan cheese to the meatballs and sprinkled it over the sauce for the ultimate flavor.
- Seasoning: Season the meatballs with Italian seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper.
- Marinara Sauce: Use your favorite marinara sauce for this recipe.
- Cheese: Use mozzarella cheese and grated parmesan cheese.
- Basil: Top with optional fresh basil leaves for freshness and flavor.
Find the full measurements in the recipe card below.
Substitutions & Variations
- Marinara Sauce to Use: To save time, use your favorite store-bought marinara sauce for this recipe. Or, make our homemade marinara sauce, slow cooker tomato sauce, or roasted tomato sauce.
- Ground Chicken Options: Use ground chicken or ground chicken breast for a leaner option. Or, you can swap the ground chicken for ground turkey or ground turkey breast.
- Breadcrumb Options: We used seasoned Italian breadcrumbs to enhance the delicious Italian flavors of this dish. If you don’t have Italian breadcrumbs, substitute them with regular breadcrumbs or panko breadcrumbs. Or, to make this recipe gluten-free, use gluten-free breadcrumbs.
- Italian Seasoning: If you don’t have Italian seasoning, use 1/2 teaspoon of dried oregano, 1/4 teaspoon of dried basil, and 1/8 teaspoon of dried thyme.
How To Make Healthy Chicken Parmesan Meatballs
- Add the ground chicken, egg, Italian breadcrumbs, grated parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper to a large bowl.
- Thoroughly combine the ingredients in the bowl with your hands to form the meatball mixture.
- Lightly spray a 9×9 baking dish with olive oil. Use a small, 1-tablespoon cookie scoop to form about 25 even-sized meatballs. Gently roll them into balls and place the formed meatballs in the baking dish.
- Bake the meatballs in the oven at 400°F for 14-16 minutes or until fully cooked and have reached an internal temperature of 165°F.
- Carefully remove the baking dish from the oven. Then, evenly pour the marinara sauce over the meatballs in the baking dish. From there, sprinkle the mozzarella cheese and grated parmesan over the top.
- Bake at 400°F for an additional 5-10 minutes to warm the sauce and melt the cheese. Once done, top with chopped fresh basil before serving, and enjoy!
Expert Tips
- Combine Gently: Don’t over-combine the meatball mixture to help keep the meatballs tender and prevent them from becoming dense.
- Evenly Sized Meatballs: Use a small, 1-tablespoon cookie scoop to ensure all the meatballs are uniform in size for even cooking.
- Finish Under the Broiler: If desired, broil for the last 1-2 minutes to slightly brown the cheese, just keep a close eye so it doesn’t burn.
What to Serve with Chicken Parmesan Meatballs
These meatballs are such a delicious meal or appetizer on their own. However, they are incredibly versatile and can be enjoyed in many different ways. Here are some ideas on what to serve with them:
- Pasta: Serve these meatballs over cooked spaghetti, penne, protein pasta, chickpea pasta, or your favorite pasta.
- Pasta Alternatives: You can also serve these meatballs over cooked lentils, hearts of palm pasta, orzo, or spaghetti squash noodles. Try our air fryer spaghetti squash recipe for an easy method.
- Meatball Sub: Turn these meatballs into a delicious sub, just toast your favorite bread and add the saucy, cheesy meatballs.
- Bread: Serve with a side of garlic bread or crusty bread to soak up the sauce!
- Salad: Serve them with a side salad. Try our healthy Caesar salad dressing or our chicken Caesar salad.
Storage Instructions
Storing: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.
Reheating: Reheat leftovers in the microwave in intervals until warmed through or in the oven at 350°F for 7-10 minutes.
Healthy Chicken Parmesan Meatballs FAQs
Can I Freeze Chicken Parmesan Meatballs?
Yes! These meatballs freeze well. You can store them in a freezer-safe airtight container for 1-2 months. Let them cool completely before freezing, and reheat in the oven or microwave until warmed through.
Are Chicken Parmesan Meatballs Gluten-Free?
To make these meatballs gluten-free, simply swap the Italian breadcrumbs for gluten-free breadcrumbs.
More Healthy Meatball Recipes!
Chicken
Marry Me Chicken Meatballs
Turkey
Turkey Pesto Meatballs
Appetizers
Cranberry Apple Chicken Meatballs
If you try this recipe please be sure to leave us a comment and star rating, ★★★★★, letting us know how it turns out for you.
Healthy Chicken Parmesan Meatballs
Ingredients
For The Meatballs:
- 1 pound ground chicken
- 1 egg
- 1/3 cup seasoned Italian breadcrumbs
- 2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
For The Sauce & Cheese:
- 2 cups marinara sauce
- 1/2 cup shredded light Mozzarella cheese
- 2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
- fresh basil, optional
Instructions
- Add the ground chicken, egg, Italian breadcrumbs, grated parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper to a large bowl.
- Thoroughly combine the ingredients in the bowl with your hands to form the meatball mixture.
- Lightly spray a 9×9 baking dish with olive oil. Use a small, 1-tablespoon cookie scoop to form about 25 even-sized meatballs. Gently roll them into balls and place the formed meatballs in the baking dish.
- Bake the meatballs in the oven at 400°F for 14-16 minutes or until fully cooked and have reached an internal temperature of 165°F.
- Carefully remove the baking dish from the oven. Then, evenly pour the marinara sauce over the meatballs in the baking dish. From there, sprinkle the mozzarella cheese and grated parmesan over the top.
- Bake at 400°F for an additional 5-10 minutes to warm the sauce and melt the cheese. Once done, top with chopped fresh basil before serving, and enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Marinara Sauce: To save time, use your favorite store-bought marinara sauce for this recipe. Or, make our homemade marinara sauce, slow cooker tomato sauce, or roasted tomato sauce.
- Breadcrumbs: If you don’t have seasoned Italian breadcrumbs, substitute them with regular breadcrumbs, panko breadcrumbs, or gluten-free breadcrumbs.
- Ground Chicken: Use ground chicken or ground chicken breast for a leaner option. Or, you can swap the ground chicken for ground turkey or ground turkey breast.
- Italian Seasoning: If you don’t have Italian seasoning, use 1/2 teaspoon of dried oregano, 1/4 teaspoon of dried basil, and 1/8 teaspoon of dried thyme.
- Storage: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
These are great! I haven’t had a recipe from these ladies that wasn’t good.
Hi Vicki, I’m so happy you enjoyed the chicken parmesan meatballs, and that you are enjoying our recipes! This makes me so happy to hear! Thank you so much for the support. 🙂
Theses meatballs were amazing, and best of all my husband loved them, too! I served them over whole wheat pasta for a very filling dinner.
Hi Michele, I’m so happy to hear you and your husband loved the chicken parmesan meatballs! Serving them over whole wheat pasta sounds like the perfect hearty and wholesome meal. Thanks so much for sharing and leaving a review.
This is delicious, and comes together so quickly using store bought marinara sauce.
Hi Sheila, I’m so happy you enjoyed the chicken parmesan meatballs! Using store bought marinara sauce really does make this recipe super quick and easy. Thanks so much for sharing your experience making this recipe and for leaving a review.
This looks delicious. I’m going to try it.
Hi Linda, thank you! I hope you love this recipe as much as we do. The chicken parmesan meatballs are super flavorful and easy to make, I can’t wait to hear what you think!
These healthy chicken parmesan meatballs are everything you love about classic chicken parmesan, juicy, flavorful, cheesy, and comforting, but in a lighter, bite-sized form. They’re easy to make, perfect for busy weeknights or meal prep, and pair beautifully with pasta or veggies.