Cheesy Chicken Parmesan Meatballs - Little Sunny Kitchen (2024)

Enjoy your favorite chicken parmesan in meatball form!

Chicken Parmesan Meatballs are easy to make with lean ground chicken, simmered in a flavorful tomato sauce, and smothered with a generous amount of melty mozzarella cheese.

If you love chicken parmesan, you are going to really love this take on the classic recipe!

Ground chicken is mixed with parmesan cheese and seasonings to create large, delicious chicken parmesan meatballs.

To keep them moist and juicy, we’re cooking them on the stovetop, simmered in marinara sauce. Then we’re topping the whole skillet with so much shredded mozzarella cheese.

Seriously, any more cheese and you might not be able to lift the pan out from under the broiler!

Your family is going to love this easy, cheesy, chicken meatball dinner.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

1. Easier than Traditional Chicken Parm –Classic chicken parmesan involves frying chicken cutlets, which is a messy and time-consuming process. The prep time for chicken parm meatballs is only about 20 minutes!
2. Cooked in One Skillet–Use an oven-safe skillet that has a lid for this recipe. That way, you can simmer the meatballs and broil the cheese all in the same pan. This method is less messy than baking or frying meatballs, and it’s quick as well.
3. A Versatile Recipe– These chicken meatballs make a tasty dinner with a side of pasta, but they can just as easily work as a sharable appetizer if you make them a bit smaller, like my Firecracker Chicken Meatballs or Asian Chicken Meatballs recipe.

Ingredients In Chicken Parmesan Meatballs

Here’s what you need to make these cheesy chicken meatballs:

• Ground Chicken: Lean ground chicken makes these meatballs healthy! You can also use ground turkey if you like.
• Breadcrumbs and an Egg: These help to hold the chicken together and create structure in meatball recipes.
• Onion and Garlic: Fresh veggies add both flavor and moisture to the recipe. The onions are technically optional, so leave them out if you don’t enjoy pieces of onion in your meatballs.
• Parmesan Cheese: Use freshly grated parmesan rather than pre-grated, pre-packaged cheese.
• Marinara Sauce: The chicken meatballs will simmer in tomato sauce to make them extra delicious! Use your favorite jarred or homemade sauce.
• Mozzarella Cheese: To make chicken parm meatballs just like your favorite chicken parmesan, a layer of melted cheese over top is a must!

Complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.

How To Make Chicken Parmesan Meatballs

1. Mix the Meatballs: In a large bowl, combine ground chicken, onion, garlic, breadcrumbs, half of the parmesan cheese, an egg, chopped parsley, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Mix well with your hands or a spatula until well combined, but not overmixed.
2. Portion: Heat marinara in a large skillet over low heat. Use a large cookie scoop to portion the meatballs, rolling them gently in your hands to make them round and smooth. Drop each meatball gently into the simmering marinara sauce.
3. Cook: Cover the pan with a lid and simmer over low heat for 15 minutes, flipping the meatballs over halfway through. Cook until the internal temperature of the meatballs is 165°F/74°C.

1. Add Cheese: Preheat the broiler, then sprinkle the remaining parmesan cheese and shredded mozzarella cheese all over the meatballs. Broil for 3-5 minutes, or until the top is bubbling and browned.

Recipe Tips

• Use the right skillet. This recipe is super simple if you use a large skillet that is both oven-safe and has a lid. You’ll use the lid to simmer the meatballs (without any splattering), then remove it before putting the whole skillet under the broiler to melt the cheese.
• Adjust the size. This recipe makes large chicken parmesan meatballs that are perfect for dinner portions, they’re tasty made into smaller appetizer portions too. Put this cheesy skillet out at your next party along with some toothpicks!
• To make this recipe gluten-free, use gluten-free breadcrumbs instead of regular ones. I tested the recipe with both types, and it was perfect each time.
• Dice the onions very small, so that they aren’t too obvious in your meatball mixture. You can also leave them out if you aren’t a fan of the texture that they add.
• For even more flavor, saute the diced onions in olive oil before adding them to the chicken parm meatball mixture.

Storing Tips

Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. These reheat wonderfully in the microwave and make for a delicious lunch the next day.

Try using the leftover chicken parmesan meatballs to make meatball bombers! Warm up the meatballs and add them to fresh rolls. Top with more cheese and melt under the broiler. Yum!

What To Serve With These Chicken Parm Meatballs

Serve this meal with pasta! Try my buttered noodles or garlic butter pasta recipe to create a side that will pair perfectly with chicken parmesan meatballs.

Garlic Bread and a Caesar Salad will round out this Italian feast wonderfully.

Recipe FAQs

Juicy and flavorful Chicken Parmesan Meatballs are just so good, topped with melted cheese and nestled into a skillet of marinara sauce. Your family is going to love this easy dinner recipe.