Chicken Parmesan Meatballs with Zucchini

A skillet pan with chicken parmesan meatballs in it with fresh basil and a spoon in the pan. The skillet is sitting on a tan background with a herbs, a block of cheese, and a small bowl of red pepper flakes placed around it.

Chicken Parmesan Meatballs with Zucchini

Learn how to make chicken parmesan meatballs with summer zucchini! These tender chicken meatballs have all the classic flavors of chicken parm but in meatball form. They are cheesy, flavorful, and loved by everyone!

Course Main Course

Cuisine American, Italian

Keyword chicken parm meatballs, chicken parmesan meatballs

Freezer Friendly Yes

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 35

Total Time 50

Servings meatballs

Calories 94kcal

Ingredients

1 lb ground chicken
1 cup shredded zucchini
1 cup shredded parmesan cheese, divided
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
1 egg
4 garlic cloves, or 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
3 Tablespoons fresh basil, chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons fresh oregano, chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 cup mozzarella
1 cup marinara

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400F.
Shred/grate zucchini. Use a cheese grater or grater attachment on a food processor, and grate the zucchini for one packed cup of shredded zucchini. Place the shredded zucchini in a thin dish towel or double layer of thick paper towels, and squeeze as much moisture out as possible.
Mix the meatball filling: In a large mixing bowl, add the ground chicken, zucchini, fresh chopped basil & oregano, minced garlic, 3/4 cup parmesan cheese, egg, breadcrumbs, and salt & black pepper.
Form the meatballs: Use your hands to form the meatballs into about 2 Tablespoons in size (I like to use a cookie scoop for this step). Place them on a lightly greased sheet pan or line the pan with parchment paper.
Bake the meatballs: Then bake the meatballs for 20 minutes.
Bake the meatballs with sauce & cheese: When the meatballs are finished baking, prepare a baking dish with half the marinara spread on the bottom of the dish. Then add the meatballs. Top the meatballs with mozzarella, a generous spoonful of sauce, and parmesan cheese. Bake for 15 minutes, broil for the last minute on high to brown the cheese.
Serve: Then sprinkle with additional shredded parmesan and chopped fresh basil if desired, and serve!

Video

Notes

Fresh herbs only - ditch the dried. As always, I recommend fresh herbs with many of my recipes, especially for meatballs! So much of the flavor comes from the fresh basil and oregano, and that flavor can't be accomplished by using dried herbs.

Make it gluten-free. If you want to make this recipe gluten-free, make homemade breadcrumbs with your favorite GF bread or use store-bought gluten-free breadcrumbs.

Nutrition