These Skillet Chicken Parmesan Meatballs are an incredibly easy Italian dinner dish made in one skillet and just about 30 minutes. Cheesy, tender meatballs seared to perfection then baked with marinara sauce and mozzarella cheese.
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Ingredients
- Ground chicken: one of the main ingredients! Comes together into a meatball so well and really takes on the flavor of the added ingredients.
- Egg: a binder for the meatballs.
- Garlic: grated garlic in meatballs is so underrated - you'll love this!
- Parmesan cheese: fresh grated parmesan cheese gives so much flavor to meatballs.
- Breadcrumbs: I prefer Italian seasoned breadcrumbs as an easy way to get some more delicious flavor in there.
- Parsley: never enough fresh herbs! Fresh chopped parsley gets added into the meatballs and sprinkled on top.
- Marinara sauce: a jar of whatever your favorite sauce is.
- Mozzarella cheese: shredded or sliced, either works!
Ingredient substitutions
One of the great things about these chicken parm meatballs is how customizable they are - below are some ingredient swaps you can make if you need to.
- Instead of ground chicken: you can use ground turkey, pork, or beef
- Instead of fresh grated garlic: you can use ⅛ teaspoon garlic powder per garlic clove
- Instead of parmesan cheese: you can use pecorino romano
- Instead of Italian seasoned breadcrumbs: you can use plain breadcrumbs, but add 1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning. If you only have panko that works too.
Step by step instructions
In just a few quick and pretty easy steps you can have a delicious meal of chicken parmesan meatballs ready to serve!
Overview:
- Combine the chicken, egg, garlic, parmesan cheese, ¼ cup parsley, breadcrumbs, salt, and pepper to make the meatballs.
- Form 8-10 large meatballs and sear in olive oil on medium heat.
- Add the sauce, top with cheese, and bake for about 10 minutes until cooked through and the cheese is melted.
Detailed steps:
1. Make the meatballs. Mix together the chicken, egg, garlic, parmesan cheese, parsley, breadcrumbs, salt, and pepper until just combined.
2. Form meatballs. Form about 8-10 large meatballs with the mixture (can use a large cookie scoop).
3. Sear the meatballs. In a large skillet (preferably cast iron) heat 2 tablespoon olive oil on medium heat. Sear all sides of the meatballs for about 2-3 minutes per side.
4. Add the sauce. To the skillet with the meatballs carefully add the marinara sauce.
5. Add the cheese. Sprinkle the shredded mozzarella evenly over top of the sauce and meatballs.
6. Bake. Put the skillet right into the oven and bake at 350℉ for about 10 minutes until the cheese melts and the chicken is cooked to 165℉. Top with fresh parsley.
How to serve
These meatballs are so delicious with a variety of dishes, but a few of my favorite ways to serve are:
- Over creamy polenta
- Over pasta
- With a nice big hearty salad
- With bread (garlic bread is even better!) to soak up the sauce
- With roasted veggies such as broccoli or zucchini
Tips and tricks
- Use a large (10-12") oven-safe skillet, preferably cast iron! Cast iron will help get nice browning on the meatballs and keep everything at a good warm temperature even after you take it out of the oven.
- If you do not have a skillet that is oven safe, sear the meatballs then transfer to a baking dish and add the marinara and mozzarella, then bake according to directions.
- Don't put the meatballs too close together. If they are too close you risk steaming them instead of searing them and will have a harder time getting that nice browning.
- Make smaller meatballs. If you want to make more but smaller meatballs, that's totally fine, just watch the cooking time so you don't over bake them. Sear each side for 1-2 minutes only.
- Use a cookie scoop to shape the meatballs. I like to use one of the large cookie scoops to shape the meatballs, it's way way way easier.
- Bake instead of pan fry - if you want to avoid the splatter that is inevitable with pan-frying, you can bake the meatballs start to finish - about ¾ of the way through add the sauce and cheese. Just note, they will not be as crispy as if you were to pan fry.
- Air fry instead of pan fry - to avoid the extra grease, you can air fry the meatballs for their initial cook, and then finish them in the oven. I have not tried this, but something like spray them with cooking spray and air fry at 350℉ for 12-15 minutes would likely work.
FAQs
Yes! you can freeze the meatballs either before or after baking and they will be good for about 2-3 months.
If before, arrange them on a lined baking sheet and freeze until solid (so they don't stick together) then transfer to a freezer safe bag/container.
If after baking, pan fry them then allow them to come to room temperature before freezing.
If you have not baked them yet, let them sit out of the freezer for a few minutes to lose the chill. Then pan fry or bake according to recipe directions and add a few minutes to ensure they are cooked through.
If you have cooked them, they can go straight in the oven with the sauce for about 10 minutes then top with cheese and bake for another 5-10.
You can try using dairy free cheese, although I have not tried it.
To store leftovers allow the dish to come to room temperature then transfer to an air-tight container and keep in the fridge for up to 4-5 days.
Sure can!
Not quite - Chicken Parmesan (also known as Chicken Parmigiana) was technically invented in the US by Italian-American immigrants. So while it wasn't necessarily invented in Italy, it was still created by Italians. More on this here.
Similar recipes
If you're looking for something similar to chicken parmesan meatballs but meat free, try these Spinach and Pesto Stuffed Shells or this Vegetarian Baked Ziti.
Recipe
Skillet Chicken Parmesan Meatballs
INGREDIENTS
- 1 lb ground chicken
- 1 large egg
- 3 cloves garlic grated
- ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
- ¼ cup fresh parsley chopped
- ¼ cup Italian breadcrumbs
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 jar marinara sauce
- 1 ½ cups shredded mozzarella
- 2 tablespoon parsley to serve
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat the oven to 350℉.
- Mix together the chicken, egg, garlic, parmesan cheese, parsley, breadcrumbs, salt, and pepper until just combined.
- Form about 8-10 large meatballs with the mixture (can use a large cookie scoop).
- In a large oven-safe skillet (preferably cast iron) heat 2 tablespoon olive oil on medium heat. Sear all sides of the meatballs for about 2-3 minutes per side.
- To the skillet with the meatballs carefully add the marinara sauce.
- Sprinkle the shredded mozzarella evenly over top of the sauce and meatballs.
- Put the skillet right into the oven and bake at 350℉ for about 10 minutes until the cheese melts and the chicken is cooked to 165℉. Top with fresh parsley.
Colleen
You mention adding Parmesan but not the amount. Help!
Haley
Oh gosh sorry!! 1/4 cup grated! Thank you for catching that. I just updated the recipe info!