Chicken parmesan meatballs

Combine the beaten egg, grated parmesan cheese, half of the panko breadcrumbs, garlic powder, red pepper flakes, salt, and black pepper in a large mixing bowl. Then add the ground chicken to the bowl and mix until all the ingredients are fully combined.

Add the remaining panko breadcrumbs to a plate. Then divide the mixture in the bowl roughly to form around 24 meatballs. Roll each meatball in the panko breadcrumbs until lightly coated and then set aside on a separate plate.

Preheat the oven to gas mark 4, 350°F/160°C fan (or 180°C conventional). Add half the olive oil and butter to an ovenproof pan, over a medium heat. Add half of the meatballs (or as many as your pan will allow) until browned. Turn the meatballs as needed until all the sides are browned evenly. Set aside on a plate, wipe the pan, and then add the remaining olive oil and butter to brown the second batch of the meatballs.

Wipe the skillet and add the marinara sauce. Return the meatballs to the pan and the sauce, and ensure they are not fully submerged in the sauce, leaving half of the meatballs visible above the sauce. Bake in the oven for around 20 minutes.

After the initial 20 minutes, remove the meatballs from the oven. Add the shredded mozzarella and then return to the oven for around 5 minutes to allow time for the cheese to melt. Sprinkle with fresh basil before serving straight from the oven.

Tips & tricks

For the meatball mixture, try experimenting with adding lots of different herbs depending on your favorite flavors. We’ve included garlic powder and red pepper flakes in the recipe above, but you can also take wider inspiration from Italian cooking and mix in oregano or parsley to the mix too. For the garnish, it’s possible to swap out basil for parsley if preferred.

When browning the meatballs, it’s worth taking the time to wipe out the pan in between batches. This is to stop any panko breadcrumbs that have fallen off during cooking burning in the pan when cooking the second batch of the meatballs.

You can make the marinara sauce from scratch if you’d prefer, but the shop-bought sauces tend to be very good and provide a handy shortcut to reduce the cooking time needed overall for the dish. If you want to prepare the meatballs ahead of time, make the mixture the day before, mold into the meatball shapes and then keep them covered in the fridge until ready for cooking and coating in the panko breadcrumbs.

For a classic take on meatballs, try making this traditional Milanese meatball recipe or continue to explore new twists and variations in your kitchen by cooking meatballs inspired by countries the world over from Spain to Sweden.

How to serve them

As it’s already a hearty dish, we like this meatball recipe served simply from the oven in its marinara sauce. If you do want to introduce a couple of side dishes, we’d recommend keeping it Italian-inspired, and dish up the meatballs alongside a tasty serving of risotto, or crunchy garlic bread, ideal for dipping into the sauce. Any leftover meatballs can be repurposed and used in delicious chicken Parmesan meatball sandwiches, for an irresistible lunchtime dish.

Storage

The meatballs can be stored in the fridge in an airtight container for around three days. They can be reheated either on the stove or in the oven to enjoy warmed at a later time.