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
Meat and Poultry
Turkey Meatballs with Spinach, Feta, and Mint
Meat and Poultry
Mozzarella Stuffed Meatballs
Meat and Poultry
Baked Greek Meatballs and Potatoes with Garlic and Lemon
Meat and Poultry
Soutzoukakia: Greek Baked Meatballs in Tomato Sauce
Browse all Mediterranean recipes.
Visit Our Shop.
You'll love these easy sheet-pan dinner with Italian baked chicken meatballs, tomatoes and onions. Serve over your favorite grain, toss with pasta, tuck into a sandwich, or simply with a fresh salad!
Ingredients
- 1 large red onion cut into wedges
- 6 to 7 small tomatoes (like Roma or on the vine), quartered or cut into wedges
- 3 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves (divided)
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Kosher salt
- 1 1/2 pounds ground chicken (or ground turkey)
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan
- 1/3 cup plain breadcrumbs (see notes for gluten free option)
- 1 cup chopped parsley
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika
- Black pepper
Instructions
- Get ready. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Lightly brush a large sheet pan with olive oil.
- Prep the veggies. Add the 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!
Video
Notes
- Shop this recipe: Visit our shop to browse quality Mediterranean ingredients, including the olive oil and spices used in this recipe.
- Gluten free option:
- Use gluten free bread: Blitz a piece of gluten free bread in a food processor to make GF breadcrumbs, or use a store bought version.
- Use 1/4 cup cornmeal: A friend of mine who specializes in gluten free cooking found that cornmeal makes meatballs with lean meat like chicken and turkey surprisingly tender and flavorful.
- Leftovers? Store cooled leftover chicken meatballs with tomatoes and onions in tight-lid containers. Refrigerate for up to 4 days. Warm over medium heat, tossing as needed (adding a little liquid to your heating pan will help.)
Nutrition
Calories: 79.4kcalCarbohydrates: 4.1gProtein: 7.9gFat: 3.9gSaturated Fat: 1.3gCholesterol: 39.6mgSodium: 75.3mgPotassium: 300.2mgFiber: 0.9gSugar: 1.3gVitamin A: 627.3IUVitamin C: 10.1mgCalcium: 44.1mgIron: 0.9mg
Tried this recipe?
Mention @Themediterraneandish Or Tag #Themediterraneandish!
Bundle and Save!
Four of our best-selling signature olive oils, perfect for everyday use.
*This post has recently been updated with new information for the readers’ benefit.
This dish was amazing! The next day, I used the leftovers as a filling for zucchini boats!
Italian Chicken Meatballs simply delicous we loved them
Just tried the Italian chicken meatball recipe, it was delicious will definitly make that again.
Awesome! Thanks, Una!
Omg! Best chicken Italian meatball recipe hands down Suzy! Great recipe especially for summer season light with the protein being chicken, flavorful with the seasonings, and simple with just a few ingredients. I served ours with crusty Italian bread and spread the roasted tomatoes and red onions on top of our crusty Italian bread and yum! Thank you loved it! Keep doing what you’re doing
Will do, AJ! Thank you so much for the kind review!
Great, simple ,& delish! My husband is on a low fat, low sugar, healthy carb. Diet for his health. I have made so many dishes from your site! It’s always well received & looks so beautiful on the plate.
When I need a new idea I go to your blog * am always inspired. Thank-you! We loved this. Used turkey instead of chicken & added mini peppers. Yum
Thank you for such a kind message!! Totally made my day :).
Hi Suzy, I’ve always been afraid of attempting meatballs, but not anymore! Thank you for the clear and detailed instructions and tips. This turned out amazing and I can’t wait to make it again.
So glad you found this recipe helpful!
Just made this tonight. The meatballs were moist and flavourful. I served it over spaghetti squash to keep it low carb. Definitely making this again.
Sounds delish!
I have just found and prepared this dish – I used ‘cornmeal’ instead of breadcrumbs and found it very nice indeed.
I shall definitely be repeating this in the near future.
Thanks for sharing that substitution, Hannah!
Can I prepare this dish ahead of time? I am feeding a large crowd and don’t want to be in the kitchen the whole time. So, I had hope this could be prepared a day in advance and then reheated and served. Thank you!
Hi, Jane. You can absolutely make the meatball mixture the day before, form into meatballs, place on a parchment lined baking sheet, then cover and refrigerate until you are ready to cook them.
Will be trying this one soon! Looks delicious! Do you have a link for the salt container you have in this video for the chicken meatballs???? Thanks!
Hi, Karolina! I picked those up at Crate and Barrel awhile back.
These were the driest meatballs ever.
Maybe add more olive oil next time? I use ground turkey instead of chicken, and they turn out moist and delicious every time!
Made this for dinner and it was so delicious. I added some fresh green beans to the veggies – yum. Will definitely be making this again.
Yay! Thanks, Lee!
This looks delicious!! Thank you so much!!!
Is the nutrition per one meatball?? the recipe looks delicious
Hi, Emily! The nutrition information is our best estimate using a nutrition calculator. This recipe will give you 20 meatballs and the calories would include 1 meatball plus a bit of the veggies.
Loved your recipe for chicken meatballs. I love mint, so I added a good pinch of my own dried mint. Did however forget to add the parmesan cheese lol….next time!!! From NSW Australia
Thank you Suzy
Oops! Lol! Glad you still enjoyed the meatballs!
Suzy, do you have any suggestions about how best to freeze the meatballs to use later?
Sure, Valerie! I typically cook the meatballs fully and let them cool completely. Spread them on a sheet pan and freeze for 1 hour, then transfer them to a container or freezer safe bag and freeze until needed. This has worked well for me.
It also works if you freeze them raw on a sheet pan and transfer them to a freezer safe bag or container (as Suzy suggests) then defrost and bake as directed…. less worries about the meatballs overcooking or drying out! 🙂