Baked Chicken Meatballs
Tender, garlicky chicken and parmesan meatballs baked on one pan in 20 minutes. Make a double batch: they reheat and freeze well and go with marinara, salads or zoodles.
Nutrition per serving
about 5 meatballs- Net carbs
- 2.8g
- Calories
- 381kcal
- Protein
- 37g
- Fat
- 25g
- Total carbs
- 4.1 g
- Fiber
- 1.3 g
Calculated from USDA FoodData Central values for each ingredient (optional ingredients excluded). Brands vary — check your labels if you track closely.
Ingredients
Chicken parm meatballs: The baked meatballs get smothered in marinara and melted mozzarella and go back in the oven until bubbling — chicken parmesan in bite-size form.
- Move the baked meatballs to a baking dish, pour over the marinara, top with the mozzarella and bake 8–10 minutes more, until the cheese is melted and bubbling.
Buffalo chicken meatballs: Tossed in buttery, tangy hot sauce straight from the oven — game-day food that doubles as a high-protein dinner.
- Melt the butter, whisk in the hot sauce and toss the hot meatballs in it. Serve with celery sticks and blue cheese dressing.
Sesame-ginger (dairy-free): Ginger, tamari, sesame oil and green onion replace the parmesan and Italian herbs for an Asian-style meatball.
- Mix the tamari, ginger, sesame oil and green onions into the meat instead of the parmesan and Italian seasoning, and skip the marinara. Serve over cauliflower rice with keto teriyaki sauce.
- Meatballs
- Nice to have (optional)
- Meatballs
- To serve
- Also add
- Meatballs
- Also add
- Nice to have (optional)
- Meatballs
-
½ cup parmesanleave out -
2 tsp Italian seasoningleave out - Also add
- Nice to have (optional)
Estimated cost $10.54 for 4 servings ($2.63 each) · how we estimate
Instructions
-
Heat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Line a large sheet pan with parchment and brush it with a little of the oil.
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In a large bowl, beat the egg, then stir in the parmesan, almond flour, grated onion, garlic, parsley, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper.
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Add the chicken and mix gently with your hands just until evenly combined. Ground chicken is soft and sticky; that is normal.
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With wet hands or a 1½-tablespoon cookie scoop, shape about 20 meatballs and set them on the pan with a little space between. Brush or drizzle with the remaining oil.
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Bake 16–20 minutes, until lightly golden and 165°F (74°C) in the center of the largest one. For more color, broil 1–2 minutes at the end.
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Serve with warm no-sugar marinara over zoodles, or tuck them into a salad.
Tips for success
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Grating the onion instead of chopping it keeps the meatballs moist and leaves no crunchy bits. - If the mixture feels too soft to roll, chill it for 15 minutes.
- Ground turkey works the same way; dark-meat turkey is juicier than extra-lean.
Nice to have, not needed
- A cookie scoop makes same-size meatballs that cook at the same rate — two spoons or wet hands work too.
Storage & meal prepMeal-prep friendly
- Keeps 4 days in the fridge
- Freezes up to 3 months
Reheat: Simmer in marinara 5–8 minutes, microwave 1–2 minutes, or warm at 350°F (175°C) for 10 minutes; from frozen, add about 10 minutes.
Prep tip: Freeze cooked meatballs on the sheet pan until firm, then bag them so you can grab just a few at a time.
Refrigerate up to 4 days or freeze cooked meatballs up to 3 months.
Variations
3 variations, each with its own ingredients and macrosChicken parm meatballs
FlavorThe baked meatballs get smothered in marinara and melted mozzarella and go back in the oven until bubbling — chicken parmesan in bite-size form.
- no-sugar marinara → no-sugar marinara
- + 1 cup shredded mozzarella
6.8 g net · 500 kcal · 44 g protein · 32 g fat · ≈$3.29 per serving (+4 g net carbs vs the original)
Buffalo chicken meatballs
FlavorTossed in buttery, tangy hot sauce straight from the oven — game-day food that doubles as a high-protein dinner.
- + ⅓ cup Louisiana-style cayenne hot sauce
- + 2 tbsp butter
2.8 g net · 434 kcal · 37 g protein · 30 g fat · ≈$2.96 per serving (same net carbs as the original)
Sesame-ginger (dairy-free)
FlavorGinger, tamari, sesame oil and green onion replace the parmesan and Italian herbs for an Asian-style meatball.
- + 1 tbsp tamari or soy sauce
- + 1 tbsp fresh ginger
- + 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
- + ¼ cup green onions
- no parmesan
- no Italian seasoning
3.1 g net · 357 kcal · 34 g protein · 23 g fat · ≈$2.40 per serving (+0.3 g net carbs vs the original)
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