Chicken Parm Meatballs
Who doesn’t love food shaped as a ball? You can use so many different types of ground meat, add any types of spices or sauces and before you know it, you have a delicious meal! Italian, Greek, Thai, Asian, Buffalo Spicy, BBQ…the possibilities are endless. Not to mention, they can be served in a roll, on a skewer, smashed as a slider, over noodles or zoodles or even crispy roasted potatoes. Once I made these Chicken Parm Meatballs, I knew it was a recipe that would stick around in our family for years to come.
The first time I made them, our teenage daughter said “Mom, this is the best thing you’ve ever made!”. Since I cook for my family 6 nights a week, I take that as a huge compliment. They’ve had every single dish I’ve ever made! Now, if I can just get her in the kitchen with me to teach her how to make them. My love of food and cooking didn’t really start until after I graduated from college, so maybe one day. This dish is delicious, comforting and full of ooey gooey cheese. Why choose between Chicken Parm and meatballs when you can have the best of both worlds? This recipe is super simple, doesn’t require much time or many ingredients. I hope you enjoy it!
Prep Time
30 minutes
Cook Time
30 minutes
Total Time
1 hour
Course
Entree
Cuisine
Italian
Servings
6 servings
Ingredients
olive oil extra virgin
1 yellow onion diced
4 garlic cloves minced and divided
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 28 oz. San Marzano tomatoes crushed
4 Tbsp fresh basil julienned and divided
4 Tbsp fresh parsley chopped and divided
1/2 cup red wine optional
1-1/2 lb. ground chicken
1 egg beaten
1/4 cup panko plus another 1 cup for dredge
1/2 cup parmesan cheese plus more for garnish
kosher salt and black pepper
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese shredded
Instructions
Start with making the Marinara sauce so it has time to cook and develop flavor. Start a large, flat bottomed saute pan over medium heat. Add EVOO and the diced onion. Stir and cook for about 5-7 minutes until translucent, if it starts to brown, turn down the heat. Add half of the minced garlic and cook for another 1-2 minutes. Add a pinch of red pepper flakes.
Add crushed tomatoes, fresh basil and parsley, stir to combine. Bring to a simmer and let it cook while you make the rest of the dish, the longer the better. If it gets too thick, you can add a little water or red wine to continue simmering and reducing, it will only enhance the flavor.
Make the Chicken Parm Meatballs. In a large mixing bowl, add ground chicken, 1 egg beaten, panko, 1 Tbsp. each of fresh chopped basil and parsley, 2 cloves minced garlic, 1/4 cup parm, salt and pepper. Mix with your hands to combine.
In a small separate bowl, add one more cup of panko crumbs. Using an ice cream scooper, scoop meatballs one at a time and roll in the panko, set on a wired rack set over a baking sheet.
Heat a skillet over medium high heat and add EVOO to shallow fry, it should come up about 1/2" the side of the pan. Also preheat the oven to 400F.
Place the chicken parm meatballs in the pan and fry for a couple minutes on each side, until golden brown, rotating. Cook in batches so that you don't overcrowd the pan. As them finish, place them into the simmering marinara sauce.
When all the meatballs are nestled into the sauce, top them with a little shredded mozzarella cheese, place in the oven to finish cooking through, about another 10 minutes.
Remove from the oven, grate some fresh parmesan cheese over the top and sprinkle with the remaining fresh chopped parsley and basil. Serve in a toasted bun, over noodles/zoodles or with crispy roasted potatoes.
Notes
If you have extra red wine to spare, you can add some to the marinara sauce, it adds great depth of flavor!