All the flavours of classic chicken parmigiana – but in meatball form!
All the flavours of everyone’s favourite chicken parmigiana, but in the form of oven-baked, tender, juicy meatballs! Yes please. This Chicken Meatball Parmigiana is the ultimate comfort food, but made without the fuss of frying or assembling individual pieces of chicken as in the traditional parmigiana. What’s even better? You don’t have to pre-cook the meatballs – they go straight into the sauce and bake to perfection in the oven, covered in melty cheese and a crispy breadcrumb topping. And it’s all made in just one pan!
The chicken meatballs are seriously delicious. Flavoured with simple low-cost ingredients like garlic and herbs, they are then popped into a pan with a rich, garlicky tomato sauce. After being topped with cheddar, mozzarella and crispy panko breadcrumbs, the meatballs are finally baked in the oven for 25 minutes. The final result looks and smells absolutely amazing when you pull the dish out of the oven!
This is one of those easy, crowd-pleasing dinners that feels indulgent, but comes together quickly. Although it’s a stress-free weeknight dinner (also great for weekend meal prep), this dish always makes me feel like I’m serving up something really special. Plus, it’s freezer-friendly and goes straight from the oven to the table. It’s perfect with a green leafy salad or some crusty bread for dipping!
How can I boost the veggies in the dish?
- Add veggies to the meatballs – Consider adding some vegetables to the meatball mixture. Try adding 135 g (1 cup) of grated zucchini (courgette), with the excess juice squeezed out, or 2 large handfuls of finely chopped fresh baby spinach.
- Add veggies to the sauce – Consider adding up to 2 cups of mushrooms, zucchini (courgette) or eggplant (aubergine) at the same time as the onion. Ensure the veggies are cut into small pieces to ensure they cook evenly and quickly. Cook for 5–6 minutes until softened. You could also stir through frozen baby peas or baby spinach right before adding the meatballs.
What else can I serve with Chicken Meatball Parmigiana?
Serve with pasta, rice, quinoa or couscous for a more filling meal, or try serving with steamed vegetables (broccoli, carrot, cauliflower, corn, asparagus or green beans all work well) or roasted vegetables (eggplant/aubergine, capsicum/bell pepper or zucchini/courgette).
Can I use other types of minced (ground) meat instead of chicken?
You could use minced (ground) beef (just make sure it’s regular minced beef, not extra-lean or the meatballs will be too dry), minced pork or regular minced lamb.
Watch how to make Chicken Meatball Parmigiana
If you enjoyed Chicken Meatball Parmigiana, I think you’ll love:
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Chicken Meatball Parmigiana
“So clever. The taste is insane and hits the Parma craving with a green side salad. Yum!” Share PrintIngredients
- 500 g (1 lb) minced (ground) chicken
- 1 tsp sea salt flakes
- ½ tsp freshly cracked black pepper
- 2 tbsp finely chopped flat-leaf parsley leaves, or use 1 tsp dried parsley
- 1 tsp freshly minced garlic
- 60 g (1 cup) panko breadcrumbs
- 2 tbsp milk
- 50 g (½ cup) freshly grated parmesan
- 1 egg
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 tbsp freshly minced garlic
- 3 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 800 g (28 oz) canned diced tomatoes
- 2 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp sea salt flakes
- ½ tsp freshly cracked black pepper
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh oregano leaves, or 2 tsp dried oregano
- 60 g (½ cup) shredded cheddar
- 150 g (1 cup) shredded mozzarella
- 60 g (1 cup) panko breadcrumbs
- Olive oil spray
- Toasted crusty bread
- Fresh green leafy salad
Equipment
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 220°C (425°F) (200°C/400°F fan-forced).
- Make the meatball mix – Place all the meatball ingredients into a large bowl and use your hands to combine into a uniform mixture.
- Assemble the meatballs – Roll portions of the meatball mixture into even balls, just larger than a golf ball. Wet your hands with water as needed to keep the mixture from sticking.
- Make the sauce – Heat the olive oil in a large, deep, heavy-based ovenproof pan over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic. Cook, stirring, for 2–3 minutes, until softened.
- Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring, for 1–2 minutes, until it has deepened in colour (see note 1).
- Add the vinegar and cook, stirring, for 1 minute, until evaporated.
- Stir through the diced tomatoes, sugar, salt, black pepper and oregano. Simmer for 2–3 minutes.
- Add the meatballs – Drop the meatballs into the sauce in a single layer. Spoon some sauce over the meatballs (they do not need to be completely covered or submerged).
- Remove from the heat and sprinkle the cheddar and mozzarella over the meatballs, followed by the panko breadcrumbs. Spray generously with olive oil spray.
- Bake – Bake for 25 minutes. For an extra crispy top, you can grill (broil) the bake on high under the oven grill (broiler) for 3–5 minutes until the cheese is melted and the breadcrumbs are golden brown (although the results pictured are without grilling).
- Serve – Serve the chicken meatballs family-style in the centre of the table for everyone to help themselves, with toasted crusty bread and a green leafy salad.
Nutrition information
Disclaimer re gluten-free and dairy-free recipes
Maria says:
I didn’t have chicken mince so replaced with beef. Doubled the meatball quantity but made single quantity sauce. I also lightly fried the meatballs (to get a bit of colour) before adding to the sauce and baking them in the oven. Served them with pasta.
Turned out delicious!
Nicole says:
Wow, I love your variations! So glad it worked out well. xx
Tracy says:
These meatballs were very flavorful. Served with the leafy salad . Everyone enjoyed this dish
Cathy says:
Such a tasty dish. I might pan fry the balls just for some texture but super tasty
Nicole says:
I am so glad that you enjoyed the dish. Let me know how it is after you pan-fry the meatballs! xx
Georgie says:
Love this! 10/10
Sue V. says:
My family couldn’t get enough of this. It’s the crispy cheesy top with juicy full of flavour meatballs. Definitely on my regular dinner rotation. Wonderful.
Jo says:
I loved this. I actually doubled the meatballs part of the recipe as I have hungry boys to feed but kept the sauce recipe the same (not doubled) and it worked out great. Super yummy, plenty of sauce to go round and delish crusty top. Yum!
Nicole says:
Hi Jo, I am so thrilled to hear you were able to adapt the recipe to make enough to fill up the boys! Great work!
Cat says:
It looks like there’s a mistake in the cooking time. 15 minutes, might be long enough to heat the meatballs but not to cook raw chicken mince in large golfball size lumps.
Nicole says:
Thank you so much for mentioning this! It is an error, it should read 25 minutes! Nic x