Chicken Parmesan Meatballs

posted by Katya on Jul 25, 2019 (updated Jan 25, 2023) 10 comments »

Baked chicken parmesan meatballs with marinara, mozzarella, and garlic breadcrumbs. This sheet pan dinner is so quick and tasty!

Baked meatballs make the best weeknight meal. Whether served plain just like our healthy chicken meatballs or in tomato cream sauce, they are moist, flavorful, and not too dense.

With back-to-school right around the corner, easy weeknight meals are a must in our household. These baked chicken parmesan meatballs are a family favorite, similar to mini chicken meatloaves. So good on their own, over a bowl of cooked pasta, or veggies.

The base of the recipe is my famous chicken meatballs, which in my opinion are the juiciest meatballs out there. They are first partially baked on a sheet pan.

Then covered in jarred marinara sauce, mozzarella cheese, and the most amazing garlic breadcrumbs. I mean this meal is a total winner! It’s saucy, crunchy, and so flavorful.

Ingredients

These chicken parm meatballs come together in a cinch with incredibly easy to find ingredients. You’ll need:

Meatballs – Panko, milk, ground chicken, egg, parsley, sour cream, salt, and pepper
Marinara sauce – my all time favorite sauce is from this brand (affiliate link). It tastes like it’s been simmering on the stove top for hours. So good!
Mozzarella cheese – if possible, buy a chunk of mozzarella and shred it yourself
Breadcrumb topping – butter, Panko, garlic, and Parmesan

Ingredients for baked chicken parmesan meatballs

How to Make Chicken Parmesan Meatballs

Step 1: Combine half of the breadcrumbs with milk and let sit for few minutes until breadcrumbs absorb the milk. Add chicken, egg, parsley, sour cream, salt, and pepper. Mix just until combined. Let the chicken mixture rest for about 10 minutes.

Step by step instructions for chicken parm meatball recipe

Step 2: Form into 18 – golf size balls and place on a parchment lined rimmed sheet pan. Bake for 10 minutes in a 400 F oven.

Step by step for sheet pan chicken meatballs

Step 3: While the meatballs are baking, prepare the breadcrumb topping. Melt butter in a small skillet over medium heat.

Add garlic and cook for about 30 seconds or until you can smell it. Remove the skillet from heat and stir in the remaining breadcrumbs and Parmesan cheese.

How to make baked chicken meatballs recipe

Step 4: Remove the meatballs from the oven and spoon marinara sauce over each meatball. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese and a breadcrumb topping.

Bake for additional 10-12 minutes or until meatballs are cooked through. Garnish with fresh parsley and serve.

How Long to Bake Chicken Meatballs

These chicken meatballs are done baking in about 20-22 minutes. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. Place the rimmed sheet pan in the middle rack of your oven and bake for 10 minutes.

This will partially cook the meatballs. Take the meatballs out of the oven, add the sauce, cheese, and breadcrumb topping, and continue to bake for additional 10-12 minutes or until the meatballs are cooked through.

To check for doneness, break one of the meatballs in half with a side of your fork and check the inside. The center should be juicy with no visible pink. Or use a food thermometer, which needs to register at 165 F.

What to Serve with Meatballs Instead of Pasta

If you want to switch it up, here are some exciting ways to serve chicken meatballs that does not include pasta:

Roasted chunky veggies – think zucchini, peppers, mushrooms. Roasted veggies are great as they soak up some of the sauce and serve as a delicious base for the meatballs.
Quinoa, couscous, or if you want something heartier, cheesy mashed potatoes. For low carb- mashed cauliflower with ricotta would be awesome with a side of easy oven roasted broccoli.
Naan bread or pita bread – add some easy coleslaw or creamy cucumber salad for an easy wrap lunch.
Bake into a casserole – use whatever leftover veggies + grains you have and bake into an easy one-pan dinner with the meatballs.

Overhead chicken meatballs with parmesan and garlicky crumbs

How to Freeze and Reheat Meatballs in Sauce

After the meatballs with sauce are done cooking, let them cool completely at room temperature. Then transfer to airtight containers and freeze for up to 3 months.

To reheat, thaw the meatballs overnight in the refrigerator, and reheat on the stovetop over medium-low heat.

The breadcrumb topping does not hold up well when frozen. You can completely omit the crumbs when freezing the meatballs and add on when reheating.

Or simply freeze the meatballs with the crumb topping and they will simply blend into the sauce.

More Meatball Recipes

Asian Chicken Meatballs
Turkey Pesto Meatballs
Sweet and Spicy Meatballs
Turkey Meatballs in Roasted Pepper Sauce