November 12, 2024

Chicken Parm Meatballs

These chicken parm meatballs are perfect for game day or just your average weeknight. Look no further if you need a fun, simple and delicious dinner or appetizer that even your very critical 3 year old will love (speaking from experience). Ricotta is my secret ingredient that leaves them light, airy and so tender. They’re loaded with garlicky flavor and topped with lots of melty cheese. My favorite way to serve them is with sweet dinner rolls that are coated in a garlic herb butter and toasted in the oven.

Main Ingredients

Ground Chicken – You can use ground chicken or turkey for this recipe.

Ricotta Cheese – Ricotta is creamy, a little fluffy and slightly sweet in flavor. It makes these meatballs light and so tender.

Grated Onion and Garlic – Grating the onion and garlic allows the flavor to really permeate the meatballs. I also love the liquid from grating the onion, don’t leave that behind.

Marinara Sauce – My favorite marinara sauce to use is ROA’S but use which ever you prefer!

Mozzarella Cheese – Buy the block and grate it yourself for better flavor and more stretch. Pre grated cheese has a wax coating on it that makes it a little less lux.

Parmesan Cheese – Parmigiana reggiano, parmesean or even pecorino romano cheese all work for these meatballs.

To make the chicken meatballs

Preheat the oven – Preheat the oven to 425°F.
Prep the ingredients – Grate the cheeses, onion, and garlic, and finely chop the parsley.
Make the meatball mixture – In a medium bowl, combine the ground chicken, ricotta, half of the Parmesan, grated onion, garlic, garlic powder, parsley, egg, and breadcrumbs. Gently mix until just combined, being careful not to overwork the meat.
Form the meatballs – Using a 2-tablespoon cookie scoop, portion the mixture onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. You should get about 19 meatballs. Gently roll each portion into a ball.
If you don’t have a cookie scoop, use a spoon and form the meatballs to approximately 1¼ inches in diameter.
Brown the meatballs – Heat a large oven-safe skillet over medium to medium-high heat. Add a drizzle of olive oil and arrange the meatballs in the skillet, leaving a little space between each. Brown the meatballs on all sides, turning as needed, for about 8–10 minutes total.
Add the marinara – Pour the marinara sauce over and around the browned meatballs.
Bake – Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake at 425°F for 15–20 minutes, or until the meatballs are cooked through and reach an internal temperature of 165°F.
Add the cheese – Sprinkle the mozzarella and remaining Parmesan over the meatballs. Return the skillet to the oven for a few minutes, just until the cheese is melted.
Serve – Remove from the oven and let rest for a few minutes. Garnish with additional parsley or Parmesan, if desired, and serve.

To make the garlic herb sweet rolls

What you need:

1 pack of Hawaiian Dinner Rolls or Sweet Dinner Rolls
1/2 stick of butter, melted
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon parsley, chopped

To make them:

Make a cut down the center – On the top of the buns, slice them down the center 2/3 of the way across.
Make the garlic herb butter – Mix the melted butter, garlic and parsley together in a small bowl.
Brush the buns with the butter – Using a pastry brush or a spoon, slather the buns with the garlicky butter.
Place in the oven – along with the meatballs until slightly golden and toasted.