Chicken Parm Meatballs
Who doesn’t love meatballs? Threre are so many options…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 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
2 Tbsp. extrra virgin olive oil
1 yellow onion, finely diced
1 tsp. Kosher salt
3 garlic cloves minced
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 28 oz. San Marzano tomatoes crushed
3 Tbsp fresh basil julienned and divided
3 Tbsp fresh parsley chopped
2 lbs. ground chicken
1 egg, beaten
1/4 cup panko, plus another 1-2 cups for dredging
2 cloves, minced on a microplane
1/4 cup parmesan cheese plus more for garnish
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. 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 extra virgin olive oil, the diced onion and salt. 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, 1 Tbsp. fresh basil and 1 Tbsp. 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 and continue simmering.
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, 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 greased wired rack set over a baking sheet.
Heat a skillet over medium high heat and add extra virgin olive oil to shallow fry, it should come up about 1/2" the side of the pan.
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 they finish, place them into the simmering marinara sauce.
When all the meatballs are nestled into the sauce, top them with a little shredded mozzarella and parmesan cheese, place in the oven to melt the cheese, about another 5 minutes.
Remove from the oven, grate some additional fresh parmesan cheese over the top and sprinkle with the remaining fresh chopped parsley and basil. Serve in a toasted bun, or over pasta.
Notes
If you have extra red wine to spare, you can add some to the marinara sauce, it adds great depth of flavor!