Indulge in the irresistible taste of our exquisite Italian Chicken Meatballs – bursting with flavor, incredibly simple to prepare, and a favorite among both adults and little ones alike. These amazing meatballs are a guaranteed crowd-pleaser, leaving everyone clamoring for seconds. Pair them with your favorite sauce, and they will be a hit at every gathering.

On the lookout for more easy meatball recipes? These classic meatball recipes come together quickly and easily using readily available ingredients: Turkey Meatballs (with Alfredo Sauce and Asparagus) or these absolutely amazing Polish Meatballs (Kotlety Mielone).

Author’s notes on Italian chicken meatballs

Made with a short and sweet list of ingredients, these Italian chicken meatballs are a crowd-pleasing addition to any regular weeknight recipe collection. My family loves them with any basic starch—think pasta, rice, or potatoes—topped with an ultra-flavorful sauce (red, creamy, or otherwise).

This recipe is also fabulous when it comes to its meal-prepping potential: not only can it be doubled (or even tripled!) with ease, but the meatballs can be partially made ahead of time and frozen for future last-minute meals.

Ingredients for Italian chicken meatballs

Ground chicken

Because ground chicken plays a starring role in this meatball recipe, I like to buy chicken straight from the butcher. This way, I can be sure of the quality of the poultry as well as the actual ratio of thigh and breast meat. For the best chicken meatballs, I recommend using a blend of dark and light meat—in my experience, a 1:1 ratio yields the juiciest results.

Breadcrumbs & milk

When breadcrumbs are combined with whole milk, they form a slurry that works as a glue that holds all of the meatball ingredients together. I like to use dried Italian breadcrumbs, but you could also use panko crumbs or simply a stale piece of white bread or a crusty roll (no need to tear it into breadcrumb-sized pieces; simply saturate the entire piece in milk before incorporating it into the remaining ingredients). I prefer to use whole milk when I make this recipe, although any fat percentage will work.

This technique is so beloved by chefs that it has its own name: panade. A French term, the word panade, refers to a starch being mixed with a liquid such as milk or stock that is then mixed into ground meat or poultry.

Egg

Don’t be tempted to skip the egg in this recipe—not only does it help bind all of the ingredients together, it also works with the breadcrumbs and milk to produce super-moist and flavorful meatballs. I find that giving the egg a quick whisk to break it up before adding it to the other ingredients helps prevent overmixing.

Parmesan cheese

Freshly grated parmesan cheese gives the meatballs an added boost of umami and helps bind the ingredients together. For best results, finely grate parmesan cheese on the smallest holes on your cheese grater or with a microplane. If parmesan is unavailable, other hard Italian cheeses such as Asiago, Grana Padano, or pecorino Romano will work just as well.

Spices & seasonings

This recipe for chicken meatballs calls for the addition of a few basic spices, such as garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and black pepper. I also like to add a small amount of finely minced Italian parsley and a pinch of spicy red pepper flakes. When I’m cooking for little ones—who are more discerning when it comes to green parsley flecks and the heat of red pepper flakes—I usually omit these last few ingredients.

Cooking oil

We won’t be using too much oil for this recipe, but a small amount is needed to cook the meatballs. Almost any cooking oil will work well for this recipe, but I’m particularly partial to using oils that have a low smoke point, such as vegetable, grapeseed, or avocado oil.

How to make easy chicken meatballs

Step 1: Soak the breadcrumbs

The first step when making these chicken meatballs is to soak dried Italian breadcrumbs in a small amount of milk for 10 minutes. As I mentioned above, this step helps bind all of the ingredients together and also works to prevent the meatballs from overcooking (something that is particularly important to consider when cooking with poultry and other lean cuts of meat).
You can soak the breadcrumbs in a small bowl or soak them in a big bowl, to which you will add ground chicken and other ingredients directly.

Step 2: Combine the remaining ingredients

Add the ground chicken, eggs, grated parmesan, and spices to the large bowl and add the milk-soaked breadcrumbs. Add the minced parsley and red pepper flakes if using. Carefully combine all of the ingredients using your hands or a fork. Avoid overmixing or mashing as much as possible.

Step 3: Form the chicken meatballs

Using an ice cream scoop or your hands (wet them first to avoid stickiness), gently form the ground chicken mixture into individual meatballs. Aim for meatballs that are roughly the same size to ensure even cooking. Whenever I prepare this recipe, I end up with 12 to 14 generous meatballs.

Step 4: Cook the meatballs

To cook these meatballs, we’re going to pan-sear them first and then finish them in a 350°F oven. This technique yields meatballs that are beautifully browned on the outside and perfectly cooked on the inside.
Prepare a baking sheet with a rack for the meatballs—I like to spray the rack and baking sheet with a light cooking spray to prevent sticking (which is more likely to happen when using lean meats such as poultry).
Lightly coat a large skillet (the larger, the better) with cooking oil. It’s important to avoid overcrowding during the browning stage, as this can steam rather than sear the meatballs. Aim to leave ½-1-inch of space between each meatball in the pan.
Heat the up skillet and the oil over medium-high heat, adding the meatballs and cooking them on each side for 2 minutes or until browned on both sides. As you work, transfer the browned meatballs to the waiting wire cooking rack and baking tray.
When all of the meatballs are browned and positioned on the wire rack, transfer the baking tray into the oven so that they can finish cooking. Chicken meatballs don’t take long to cook—they’ll be ready to eat in 20 minutes!

How do I serve Italian chicken meatballs?

Not only are these easy chicken meatballs a cinch to make, but your whole family will love how versatile they are when it comes to serving possibilities.

A classic accompaniment with pasta, I particularly love to serve Italian chicken meatballs with red sauce or alongside my recipe for Penne Alla Vecchia Bettola (also known as penne with vodka sauce). Mashed potatoes with dill, Parmesan Spinach Orzo, or Greek Spinach Rice are all natural pairings for these meatballs, as are other Mediterranean-inspired dishes.

I also enjoy preparing these chicken meatballs on the weekend and then serving them with grain or salad bowls throughout the week.

How long do chicken meatballs keep?

Leftover cooked chicken meatballs will keep in the fridge for up to 3 days. These meatballs can be par-cooked (complete all steps prior to putting them in the oven), frozen in a single layer on a baking sheet, and stored in a resealable freezer bag or container for up to 2 months.

To reheat frozen chicken meatballs, cook as instructed in the original recipe, adding on an extra 5 to 10 minutes of cooking time as needed.

Looking for more chicken recipes?

On the lookout for more easy chicken recipes? These fantastic chicken recipes might be something you want to try next: