Garlic Parmesan Chicken Meatballs

Name: Garlic Parmesan Chicken Meatballs
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 35 min
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 1/4 pounds ground chicken; 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs; 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving; 1 large egg; 4 cloves garlic, minced, divided; 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning; 3/4 teaspoon salt; 1/4 teaspoon black pepper; 2 tablespoons olive oil; 3 tablespoons unsalted butter; 1/2 cup chicken broth; 1 tablespoon lemon juice; 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Published by Fork Around & Find Out Kitchen — presented in the Lila editorial voice. Editorial standards

Quick Answer

Mix ground chicken with panko, Parmesan, egg, garlic, and seasoning, form meatballs, and pan-brown them until they reach 165°F. Make a quick garlic-butter pan sauce with broth and lemon, then return the meatballs and toss to coat.

Jump to Recipe

Ground chicken is wonderfully cooperative until you ask it to become a juicy meatball. Then it starts looking for ways to dry out, stick to everything, or develop the texture of a racquetball. Panko, Parmesan, egg, garlic, and Italian seasoning solve most of that by adding moisture retention, structure, and enough savory flavor that the chicken does not have to carry the whole recipe alone.

Mix the meatball mixture gently and stop once it comes together; aggressive mixing makes ground meat dense. The formed meatballs brown in olive oil and cook to 165°F, then leave the skillet while the sauce comes together in all the browned bits they left behind. Butter loosens the fond, fresh garlic gets a short fragrant cook, and chicken broth plus lemon juice reduce into a light garlic-butter sauce. Returning the meatballs at the end coats them without forcing them through another long cooking cycle.

Parmesan and parsley finish the skillet, giving you about twenty small meatballs that can land on pasta, rice, vegetables, or a plate with bread to catch the sauce. They are familiar enough for a weeknight and just different enough from red-sauce meatballs to keep dinner from feeling like reruns. Also, meatballs are one of the few foods where making twenty of something somehow feels easier than making four large portions. Human brains are strange. At least dinner is good.

Prep20 minutes

Cook25 minutes

Total45 minutes

Serves4 servings

DifficultyEasy

Ingredients

Servings

1 1/4 pounds ground chicken
1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
1 large egg
4 cloves garlic, minced, divided
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Instructions

1In a large bowl, combine ground chicken, panko, Parmesan, egg, half the minced garlic, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Mix gently just until combined. Shape into about 20 meatballs, roughly 1 1/2 tablespoons each.
2Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the meatballs in a single layer, working in batches if needed, and cook, turning occasionally, until browned on all sides and cooked through to 165°F internally, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
3Reduce heat to medium-low. Add the butter to the same skillet and let it melt, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
4Add the remaining garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds -- do not let it brown or it turns bitter.
5Stir in the chicken broth and lemon juice, and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes until slightly reduced. Cook ground meat until it reaches 160°F on an instant-read thermometer.
6Return the meatballs to the skillet and toss to coat in the garlic butter sauce. Sprinkle with parsley and extra Parmesan before serving.

Nutrition Information

Estimated per serving: 1 of 4 servings.

520Calories

40 gProtein

12 gCarbohydrates

34 gTotal Fat

13 gSaturated Fat

1 gFiber

1 gTotal Sugars

900 mgSodium

205 mgCholesterol

Estimated from the ingredients and quantities in this recipe using standard food-composition values. Brand choices, trimming, cooking loss, optional ingredients, and actual portion size can change the numbers. How we calculate nutrition estimates.

Pro Tips

Use a meat thermometer to confirm the meatballs reach 165°F internally -- ground chicken can look done on the outside before it's fully cooked in the center.
Don't let the garlic brown when building the sauce; burnt garlic turns bitter and will throw off the whole dish.
Deglazing the pan with broth picks up all the flavorful browned bits left from searing the meatballs -- don't skip scraping the pan.

Substitutions

ground chicken → ground turkey Use the same quantity and doneness temperature.

panko breadcrumbs → regular breadcrumbs or crushed crackers Use slightly less if using finer regular breadcrumbs.

chicken broth → white wine, simmered 1 minute before adding Adds acidity and depth if you want a more restaurant-style sauce.

Storage Instructions

Refrigerate the cooked chicken meatballs in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Reheat them gently just until hot so the lean chicken does not dry out; keep any sauce with the meatballs if the recipe is served sauced.