Ground Chicken Parmesan Meatballs
These Ground Chicken Parmesan Meatballs have a crunchy, cheese crust and are full of fresh basil and garlic flavor. The grated Parmesan cheese coating on the outside of these tender meatballs crisps up beautifully when they're seared in a skillet.
Servings: 20 meatballs
Ingredients
- 1 lb. ground chicken
- ½ cup bread crumbs Italian
- ¾ cup Parmesan cheese grated, divided
- 1 egg whisked
- ¼ cup basil chiffonade
- 2 cloves garlic finely minced
- ½ tsp. lemon zest
- 1 tsp. Italian seasoning
- 1 tsp. salt to taste
- ¼ tsp. black pepper to taste
- ¼ tsp. red pepper flakes
- 2-3 Tbsp. oil avocado or olive
Instructions
- Combine Ingredients: Add all ingredients to a large bowl except for ¼ cup Parmesan cheese. Mix together by hand or with a spatula until everything is well incorporated.1 lb. ground chicken, ½ cup bread crumbs, ¾ cup Parmesan cheese, 1 egg, ¼ cup basil, 2 cloves garlic, ½ tsp. lemon zest, 1 tsp. Italian seasoning, 1 tsp. salt, ¼ tsp. black pepper, ¼ tsp. red pepper flakes
- Measure Meatballs: Scoop out 2 tablespoons of mixture and roll into a ball. (Spray a bit of non-stick cooking spray on your hands or a drizzle of oil if you’re having trouble with the mixture sticking.) Repeat with the remaining meat mixture until you have 20 meatballs.
- Coat in Parmesan: Add the remaining ¼ cup Parmesan cheese to a medium-sized bowl. Place one meatball at a time into the bowl and coat completely with cheese. Repeat until all meatballs have been coated.¾ cup Parmesan cheese
- Cook in Skillet: Add enough oil to fully cover the bottom of a large skillet. Turn the heat to medium and wait 1-2 minutes, or until the oil begins to sizzle. Place the meatballs into the skillet in a single layer. Cook for 1-2 minutes per side before using tongs to rotate the meatballs. Repeat this process over the course of 7-8 minutes, or until almost all sides of the meatballs have crisped up.2-3 Tbsp. oil
- Serve the meatballs immediately with additional grated Parmesan cheese and basil, if desired. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
Prep-Ahead Instructions:
Assemble the meatballs outside of rolling them in Parmesan cheese up to 2 days in advance. Simply finish the recipe when you're ready to serve.
Storage Directions:
Leftover chicken meatballs will last for up to 3-4 days if stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Place them on a large sheet pan and flash-freeze for 3-4 hours. Once firm, add the meatballs to a freezer bag or freezer-safe container. These meatballs will freeze well for up to a year but frozen meatballs do start to lose their quality after 3-4 months. You can warm up meatballs in the microwave, in a skillet, or back in the oven.
Recipe Tips:
- Make it work. If you can't use ground chicken, ground turkey is the best alternative.
- Just enough. Be sure not to overmix the meatball mixture or they'll be tough.
- Get it hot. Let the oil completely heat up before adding the meatballs.
- All around. Rotate the meatballs as they're cooking so each side gets nice and crispy.
- Make it fancy. Learn how to chiffonade cut the basil for an impressive presentation.
Nutrition
Calories: 76kcal | Carbohydrates: 2g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.02g | Cholesterol: 30mg | Sodium: 193mg | Potassium: 138mg | Fiber: 0.3g | Sugar: 0.2g | Vitamin A: 80IU | Vitamin C: 0.3mg | Calcium: 58mg | Iron: 1mg
