Baked Chicken Meatballs

Busy cooks, you’ll love this easy sheet-pan dinner! These juicy baked chicken meatballs pack big Italian flavor in under an hour.

I think of these baked meatballs as an “anytime” type dinner. You can make them any night of the week, and serve them up however you like–straight form the pan, with a side salad, your favorite grain, or pasta. Or, for sandwich night, make Italian meatball subs!

If you’ve made my baked chicken piccata meatballs or turkey meatballs recently, you’ll want to try these chicken meatballs. An awesome new riff that my family has been absolutely loving!

Ingredients and Substitutions

• Red onion: Substitute with shallot or yellow onion. 
• Tomatoes: Small firm tomatoes, like Roma or on the vine, work best. Substitute with red bell peppers. 
• Fresh thyme: Substitute with rosemary. 
• Extra virgin olive oil: I recommend our rich and decadent Private Reserve EVOO with this recipe.   
• Ground chicken: Swap with ground turkey, if you’d like. 
• Garlic: Substitute with shallot or finely chopped green onion.
• Egg: Holds the meatball mixture together. 
• Parmesan: Adds a rich umami flavor, but feel free to leave it out if you avoid dairy.
• Breadcrumbs: Panko works well.
  • TIP for gluten free breadcrumbs: Blitz a piece of gluten free bread in a food processor. A gluten free friend of mine also swears by cornmeal. Try just 1/4 cup with this recipe.
• Parsley: Swap with other tender green herbs, like dill, cilantro, or mint. 
• Spices: Dried Greek oregano and sweet Spanish paprika give the chicken meatballs a Mediterranean vibe. Kosher salt and black pepper enhance the flavor.

How to Bake Chicken Meatballs

I like to bake my chicken meatballs in the oven at a lower temperature, then crank things up at the end. This ensures you get the juicy center with a golden crust. 

• Get ready. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Lightly brush a large sheet pan with olive oil. Cut 1 large red onion and 6 to 7 tomatoes into wedges. Mince 3 garlic cloves. Ready yourself 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan, 3 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves, and 1 cup chopped parsley.
• Prep the veggies. Add the sliced onions and tomatoes to a large mixing bowl. Sprinkle with salt and about half of the thyme. Drizzle with enough olive oil to coat and toss to combine. Transfer to the prepared sheet pan and spread well.
• In the same mixing bowl, make the chicken meatball mixture. Add the chicken, garlic, egg, remaining thyme, parmesan, breadcrumbs, and parsley. Season with the oregano, paprika, and a pinch of salt and black pepper. Drizzle a bit of extra virgin olive oil. Using gloves or clean hands (remove any rings, of course), mix well until the chicken meatball mixture is well-combined.
• Form the meatballs. Divide into small meatballs, about 1 1/2 tablespoons each (whatever size you choose, stick to it for even cooking). Nestle on the sheet pan between the tomatoes and onions.
• Bake the meatballs. Bake until the meatballs begin to turn a beautiful golden brown and the tomatoes collapse, about 30 minutes. If you’d like a little more “crust” or color to your meatballs, remove the meatballs from the oven and turn the heat to 450°F. Brush the top of the meatballs with olive oil. Return to the oven for 5 more minutes or so, watch carefully. Enjoy!

What to Serve with Baked Chicken Meatballs

Of course, you can toss these meatballs with pasta, more parmesan, and red sauce, but don’t limit yourself! Some more ideas: 

• Over your favorite grain: Greek Spinach rice would be particularly tasty. 
• With a crunchy salad: Go low-carb with traditional Greek salad. 
• Make a sandwich: Tuck the meatballs and veggies into focaccia or buns, perhaps with sliced mozzarella and red sauce.

More Ways to Use Ground Chicken

There are so many delicious, Mediterranean-diet friendly ways to use ground chicken! Here are a few recipes to try next:

• Chicken Kofta Kebabs with Harissa and Garlic-Mint Yogurt
• Chicken Stuffed Peppers
• Chicken Burger with Mediterranean-Spiced Chicken Patties

More Baked Meatball Recipes

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*This post has recently been updated with new information for the readers’ benefit.