• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Jillian's Healthful Eats
  • Home
  • Meet Jillian
  • Recipes
  • Meal Plans
  • Contact Me
  • Work with Me
menu icon
go to homepage
search icon
Homepage link
  • Recipes
  • Meet Jillian
  • Subscribe
  • Contact
  • Work with Me
  • ×
    Home / Dinners / Italian Chicken Meatballs

    Italian Chicken Meatballs

    Published: Oct 22, 2022 Modified: Mar 6, 2023 by Jillian This post may contain affiliate link. This blog generates income via ads

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    Italian meatballs made with ground chicken and my secret ingredient chicken sausage. These meatballs are hands down the BEST Italian meatballs I've ever had. A bold statement I know, but when you eat one you won't disagree. These baked meatballs have a creamy bite enhanced with a sweet and spicy flavor all at once. Basically a party in your mouth 😉 Here is your next holiday appetizer!

    Birds-eye view of Italian Chicken Meatballs on a wooden tray with parsley scattered around.

    First of all, these Italian chicken meatballs are one of the best meatballs I've ever had.  Yes, that is a bold statement, and yes I stand behind it.  They were super easy to make, like most of my meals are.  I also baked them, which made for easy cooking and cleanup. They would make the perfect appetizer for Thanksgiving or Christmas.

    If you want another holiday appetizer you should try my Easy Cheese Crostinis!

    Table of contents

    • Ingredients to make these meatballs
    • How to make these balls
    • Cookware for these baked meatballs
    • Tips on your chicken labels
    • Substitutions
    • How can the kids help
    • Tips and FAQ's
    • Other meatball recipes to try

    Ingredients to make these meatballs

    You will need the following ingredients for these Italian meatballs

    Italian chicken meatball ingredients on a white wooden board with labels included
    Ingredients for the Italian meatballs
    • panko breadcrumbs - I like using panko over breadcrumbs when I cook because panko is lighter and flakier than regular breadcrumbs. Panko also absorbs more oil and grease, which makes your final product less heavy.
    • unsweetened vanilla almond milk - this is a staple in my home, but plain almond milk will work too or low-fat milk. You need some liquid when making meatballs to be sure they don't dry out. I like using almond milk over cow's milk because it is lower in carbs.
    • finely grated parmesan cheese - parmesan cheese adds a great flavor to your meatballs. It has a fruity, nutty, bold taste that truly enhances the flavor of these chicken meatballs.
    • finely chopped fresh parsley - you can always opt for dried parsley, instead of fresh parsley. Fresh is always best when it comes to flavoring. It also makes for a nice presentation when sprinkled on at the end!
    • cloves of garlic - minced, my favorite way to cut corners is to use Spice World Minced Garlic. Another staple in my fridge.
    • sweet Italian chicken sausage links - casings removed. To easily remove the sausage casings, you start by holding a sausage link in your hand and using your dominant hand you slice a line down the middle of the sausage vertically from top to bottom. Then, you peel back the casing and drop your sausage out into a bowl.
    • ground chicken - using ground chicken over beef for Italian meatballs is lighter in taste, fat, and calories.

    How to make these balls

    Step 1 - Preheat oven to 375° and line 2 baking pans with parchment paper and spray with cooking spray.  Set aside. 

    Step 2 - In a large mixing bowl, combine your breadcrumbs and milk and let sit for 10 minutes.  Stir in the egg, cheese, parsley, garlic, salt, and pepper into the breadcrumb mixture. 

    Step 2 - a large mixing bowl filling with breadcrumbs, milk, egg, cheese, parsley, garlic, salt, pepper, sausage, and ground chicken.
    Step 3

    Step 3 - Break your sausage up into pieces and add the sausage and chicken to the breadcrumb mixture, and mix until well combined. 

    Step 4 - Using clean hands, form mixture into balls, about 1 tablespoon.  I had my daughter, Taylor, help me with this part and she had a ball.  Arrange the meatballs on the prepared baking pans and bake for 20 minutes. 

    Step 4 - meatballs formed and placed on a prepared baking dish.
    Step 4

    Tip - Serve plain or with your favorite dipping sauce.  At the moment, mine is Tesseamae's Classic Ranch 🙂  You can also make this into a large meatloaf.  All you have to do is add another 12 oz of ground chicken and use a loaf pan to dump your mix.  Cook at 400° for 1 hour.

    Check out this Tessemae's variety pack - Classic Ranch, Cilantro Lime Ranch, Buffalo Ranch

    Cookware for these baked meatballs

    To make these delicious balls you will need the following!

    • a large mixing bowl
    • 2 baking pans
    • parchment paper
    • a metal spatula - I find the metal spatulas scoop the balls off the parchment paper easier. 

    Tips on your chicken labels

    • Natural is regulated, but only indicates "minimal" processing and no artificial ingredients are added. 
    • No Antibiotics means the chickens are never given them. 
    • No Hormones, also regulated, is moot because their use isn't allowed for poultry. 
    • Free Range means the chicken had some daily access to the outdoors. 
    • USDA Organic means organic feed, no antibiotics and the birds lived by free-range standards.  Other labels aren't regulated.

    Substitutions

    Here are some different swap ideas you can try for the ingredients listed below.

    Ground Chicken - yes I know these are Italian Chicken meatballs, but you can always switch up the base and try ground turkey instead of ground chicken or even go back to the good ole' ground beef meatballs.

    Chicken Sausage - as I stated above you can swap out the chicken for turkey or beef and you can do the same with the sausage. Try turkey sausage or pork sausage.

    Egg - this is a swap I suggest in most of my recipes. If you don't want to use eggs in your meatballs, then you can always use a flax egg. To make a flax egg, you need 1 tbsp of ground flaxseed and 3 tbsp of water to make one flax egg.

    Panko Breadcrumbs - if you are looking for a gluten-free Italian chicken meatball recipe then try swapping out the panko breadcrumbs for cornmeal. If you use cornmeal, only use a ½ cup.

    How can the kids help

    I love including my kids in all of my cooking! Here are some suggestions on how you can get them involved in making these delicious meatballs!

    1. Have your children help measure out all the ingredients! This is a great math lesson because you can teach them measurements.
    2. The above suggestion is also helpful with fine motor skills when pouring the ingredients into a bowl.
    3. Teach your older children how to form meatballs with their hands. Scooping out a tablespoon of mixture and rolling the mix to form a ball shape using 2 hands.
    close up of chicken meatballs on a wooden board

    Tips and FAQ's

    How to make your meatballs uniform


    You want to make your meatballs all the same size. When they are uniform in size they cook the same, which is an important tip for baking meat. To help make them all the same size use a small ice cream scoop to scoop out the mix.

    How to cook your meatballs stovetop


    If you wanted to cook your meatballs on the stove instead of the oven here is how it's done. Add about 1 tablespoon of oil to a cast iron skillet. Add your meatballs in and brown on all sides. Then transfer your skillet to the oven set at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for about 15 to 20 minutes, or until cooked through.

    How to store this dish


    Store your meatballs in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 5 months.

    Other meatball recipes to try

    • ground turkey cheesy meatballs on a white plate on a wooden board with a red and white striped napkin
      Ground Turkey Cheesy Meatballs
    • Ground turkey meatballs over zoodles in a white bowl on a white table.
      Ground Turkey Meatballs over Zoodles
    • A birds-eye view of juicy cranberry meatballs in a cream colored mixing bowl on a white wooden board with a brown and white striped napkin next to the bowl.
      Juicy Cranberry Turkey Meatballs
    • swedish meatball stroganoff with a creamy mushroom sauce being
      Swedish Meatball Stroganoff with a Creamy Mushroom Sauce

    If you give this appetizer a try don't forget to rate the recipe below! Always love hearing what you all think. You can also Stay in touch with me through social media on @Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook. Don't forget to tag me when you try one of my healthy recipes!

    Top view of Italian chicken meatballs on a wooden board with fresh parsley scattered around.

    Italian Chicken Meatballs

    Flavorful meatballs that are crisp on the outside and moist on the inside. Baked, not fried 😉 Perfect holiday appetizer!
    5 from 6 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Main Course, party appetizer
    Cuisine: American
    Diet: Low Calorie, Low Fat
    Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 30 minutes minutes
    Servings: 24 meatballs
    Calories: 73kcal
    Author: Jillian Schneider

    Equipment

    • baking trays
    • parchment paper
    • metal spatula

    Ingredients

    • ¾ cup panko breadcrumbs
    • ¼ cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk or low-fat milk
    • 1 large egg beaten
    • ⅓ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
    • ¼ cup finely chopped parsley
    • 1 tsp ground black pepper
    • 1 tsp kosher salt
    • 2 large cloves of garlic minced
    • 1 3 ½ oz sweet Italian chicken sausage link casings removed
    • 12 oz ground chicken
    • cooking spray

    Instructions

    • Preheat oven to 375° and line 2 baking trays with parchment paper. Spray with avocado oil cooking spray and set aside.
    • In a large mixing bowl, combine your breadcrumbs and milk and let sit for 10 minutes. This is done so that your breadcrumbs don't soak up all the moisture in your meatballs and your meatballs become moister.
    • Next, stir in the ground chicken, Italian sausages, egg, cheese, parsley, garlic, salt, and pepper and mix until well combined. Using clean hands scoop out the mixture in 1 tbsp increments and form balls or use a melon ball scooper and scoop out balls.
    • Place balls on prepared baking tray. Continue until all chicken mixture has been used.
    • Bake for 20 minutes and serve with your favorite dipping sauce.

    Notes

    How can my kids help?
    Have them toss in the ingredients, teaching them how to measure each one out. 
    If you wanted to cook your meatballs on the stove instead of the oven here is how it's done. Add about 1 tablespoon of oil to a cast iron skillet. Add your meatballs in and brown on all sides. Then transfer your skillet to the oven set at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for about 15 to 20 minutes, or until cooked through.
    Store your meatballs in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 5 months.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1meatball | Calories: 73kcal | Carbohydrates: 1.9g | Protein: 9.5g | Fat: 2.9g | Saturated Fat: 0.9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1.2g | Cholesterol: 25mg | Sodium: 105mg | Potassium: 5mg | Fiber: 0.3g | Sugar: 0.7g | Vitamin A: 3IU | Vitamin C: 16mg | Calcium: 3mg | Iron: 3mg
    Tried this Recipe? Pin it for Later!Mention @JilliansHealthfulEats or tag #jillianshealthfuleats!
    « Ground Turkey Sloppy Joes
    Juicy Cranberry Turkey Meatballs »

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Lori

      October 24, 2022 at 4:21 pm

      5 stars
      Yummy! Great cold weather food!

      Reply
    2. Lori

      November 05, 2022 at 5:10 pm

      5 stars
      So delicious and nutritious! Thank you!

      Reply
      • Jillian

        November 07, 2022 at 11:23 am

        5 stars
        So glad you enjoyed!

        Reply
    3. Kathy

      July 02, 2024 at 2:32 am

      5 stars
      This mixture was a little sticky so I used a small cookie scoop which worked well. They were delicious in a pesto Alfredo sauce over linguini noodles. My family enjoyed them and my daughter said, this recipe is a keeper!!

      Reply
    5 from 6 votes (2 ratings without comment)

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Primary Sidebar

    Jillian’s Healthful Eats is full of recipes that are dedicated to making your favorite meals in a healthier way! From breakfasts to lunches to dinners you'll find wholesome, clean, dishes the whole family will love :)

    More about me >

    Stay Connected with Me

    Summer Favorites

    • birds eye view of zucchini roll ups in a glass dish with a wooden slotted spoon stuck in the side of the meal
      Zucchini Lasagna Roll Ups (without ricotta)
    • Chocolate chip zucchini bread cut up into slices on a cooling rack.
      Easy Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread
    • birds eye view of zucchini parmesan in a blue 9 x 13 inch baking dish on a wooden table
      Zucchini Parmesan
    • Birds eye view of a salad in a wooden bowl with sliced pears on top, gorgonzola cheese, and candied pecans.
      Baked Pear and Gorgonzola Salad with Candied Pecans
    • Greek chicken meatballs in a bowl with cucumbers, olives, tomatoes, rice, feta cheese, and Tzatziki sauce.
      Greek Chicken Meatballs with Homemade Tzatziki Sauce
    • Gluten-Free Fruit Crisp (made with frozen fruit)

    Popular Posts

    • A birds-eye view of juicy cranberry meatballs in a cream colored mixing bowl on a white wooden board with a brown and white striped napkin next to the bowl.
      Juicy Cranberry Turkey Meatballs
    • birds-eye view of ground turkey mac and cheese in a Lodge cast-iron skillet on a white wooden table
      Super Creamy Mac and Cheese with Ground Turkey
    • Gluten-Free Fruit Crisp (made with frozen fruit)
    • A fork cutting into an avocado omelette that's sitting on a gray plate.
      Spinach and Avocado Omelette
    • garlic lemon salmon in a greek yogurt cream sauce
      Lemon Garlic Salmon in a Creamy Greek Yogurt Sauce
    • bbq chicken flatbread on a wooden plate with red onion and cilantro sprinkled on top
      BBQ Chicken Flatbread (Panera Copycat)

    Subscribe Here!


    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • About Me
    • Privacy Policy
    • Disclaimer
    • Accessibility Statement

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates

    Contact

    • Contact
    • Work with me
    Zero AI Pledge

    As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2025 Jillian's Healthful Eats

    Rate This Recipe

    Your vote:




    A rating is required
    A name is required
    An email is required

    Recipe Ratings without Comment

    Something went wrong. Please try again.