Description
These Melt-In-Your-Mouth Chicken Parmesan Meatballs combine tender ground chicken meatballs baked in rich San Marzano tomato sauce, topped with gooey mozzarella and parmesan cheese. Perfectly seasoned and lightly fried before baking, they offer a comforting, cheesy Italian-inspired dish that's juicy and full of flavor.
Ingredients
Scale
Meatballs
- 1 lb ground chicken (preferably dark meat)
- ¼ cup seasoned breadcrumbs
- ¼ cup panko
- ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
- 2 eggs
- ¼ cup grated onion
- 3 cloves chopped garlic
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1 teaspoon thyme
- 1 ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 2 Tablespoons fresh parsley
Breading
- ¼ cup seasoned breadcrumbs
- ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
Cooking
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- Canola oil for frying
- 1 recipe San Marzano tomato sauce (about 2 cups)
- 3-4 slices fresh mozzarella, torn
- Fresh basil leaves for garnish
Instructions
- Prepare the breadcrumb mixture: Reserve ¼ cup each of seasoned breadcrumbs and parmesan cheese, then mix together in a pie plate. Set aside for coating the meatballs later.
- Mix the meatball ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, combine ground chicken, ¼ cup seasoned breadcrumbs, ¼ cup panko, ¼ cup grated parmesan, eggs, grated onion, chopped garlic, oregano, thyme, kosher salt, pepper, and fresh parsley. Mix thoroughly until all ingredients are well incorporated.
- Form and coat meatballs: Roll the mixture into 16 meatballs. Coat each meatball evenly by pressing them into the reserved breadcrumb and parmesan mixture.
- Prepare for frying: Place a rack inside a baking sheet. Heat about ½ inch of canola oil in a wide enameled skillet over medium-high heat until it reaches 350˚F, measured with an oil or candy thermometer.
- Fry the meatballs: In batches, fry the meatballs in a single layer for 3 to 4 minutes on each side, ensuring not to crowd the pan. Use tongs to turn them gently. Remove meatballs to the rack-lined baking sheet to drain excess oil.
- Clean skillet and preheat oven: Carefully pour out the used oil from the skillet and blot it clean with paper towels. Preheat your oven to 350˚F.
- Assemble for baking: Pour the San Marzano tomato sauce into the clean skillet to a depth of about ½ inch. Using tongs, nestle the fried meatballs into the sauce, spacing them comfortably. Tuck torn pieces of fresh mozzarella in between the meatballs in the sauce.
- Bake the meatballs: Bake in the oven for about 15 minutes until the meatballs are cooked through, the sauce is bubbling, and the mozzarella is melted and gooey.
- Garnish and serve: Remove from oven and garnish with fresh basil leaves before serving hot.
Notes
- Using ground dark meat chicken helps keep meatballs moist and flavorful.
- Seasoned breadcrumbs add extra flavor; if unavailable, add Italian seasoning to plain breadcrumbs as a substitute.
- Don’t crowd the pan when frying to ensure even cooking and a nice crust on the meatballs.
- If you don’t have an enameled skillet, any oven-safe frying pan will work.
- Fresh mozzarella can be substituted with shredded mozzarella, but fresh gives the best melting quality.
- Leftover meatballs can be refrigerated for up to 3 days and reheated in sauce.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 meatball
- Calories: 130 kcal
- Sugar: 2 g
- Sodium: 450 mg
- Fat: 6 g
- Saturated Fat: 2.5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3.5 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 8 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 12 g
- Cholesterol: 65 mg
