Chicken Meatballs

Toddlers hand holding up a chicken meatball bowl in background with baking paper with chicken meatballs inside, green checkered tea towel on benchtop. Sweet chilli sauce in a ramekin.

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An absolutely delicious and easy baked chicken meatball recipe that the entire family will love

Prep Time15

Cook Time20

Total Time35

Course: Family Dinner Ideas

Cuisine: New Zealand

Keyword: Chicken Meatballs, Chicken Meatball Recipe, Baked Chicken Meatballs

Servings: meatballs

Calories: 57kcal

Author: Stacey

Ingredients

500 grams ground chicken (1 pound, chicken mince)
½ cup breadcrumbs
¼ cup parmesan
½ cup finely grated broccoli stalk (a great way to use the often-discarded part!)
1 egg
2 Tablespoons olive oil
½ teaspoon garlic powder

Metric - US Customary

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C).
Prepare a baking sheet by lightly oiling it or lining it with parchment paper.
Grate the broccoli stalk (after peeling off any tough outer layer) to yield about ½ cup.
In a large bowl, combine the ground chicken, breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, grated broccoli, egg, olive oil, and garlic powder.
Mix thoroughly until all ingredients are well incorporated.
With damp hands, scoop tablespoon-sized portions of the mixture and roll into balls. Placing them on the prepared baking sheet.
Bake for approximately 20 minutes, or until the meatballs are cooked through and golden brown
Enjoy!

Video

Notes

Wet your hands! Chicken mince is sticky—keep your hands damp when mixing and rolling to make shaping the meatballs much easier (and less messy). And take off any rings first!
Use a measuring spoon. Scooping the mixture with a tablespoon (I use a 15 ml one) ensures even sizing so the meatballs cook evenly and look great too.
Don’t skip the oil. Chicken mince is quite lean, so adding a little olive oil helps keep the meatballs juicy and tender.
Go low on salt for babies. Parmesan adds natural salty flavour, so I skip extra salt when making these for my little ones. But feel free to season to taste for older kids and adults.
Grate your veggies fine. Grated broccoli stalk blends right in and adds a veggie boost without being obvious—perfect for picky eaters.
Double the batch. These meatballs freeze beautifully, so make extra for quick dinners, lunchboxes, or easy baby meals later in the week.
Reheat them in the microwave and heat until piping hot when you want a little protein snack or quick kids meal, they also reheat beautifully in the air-fryer.
Serve them your way. These little bites are so versatile—serve with salad, pasta, wraps, dipping sauces, or as a protein-packed lunchbox filler.
Chicken mince: You can also use ground turkey or pork if that’s what you have on hand. Just keep in mind pork tends to be a bit fattier and will make the meatballs extra juicy.
Broccoli: I usually use grated broccoli stalk—it's a great way to reduce food waste and sneak in some veggies. You can also swap it for grated zucchini (just squeeze out the moisture first) or grated carrot.
Breadcrumbs: Use gluten-free breadcrumbs if needed, or swap them for quick cook oats for a wheat free alternative.
For a wheat-free option I have made these chicken rissoles with rolled oats instead of breadcrumbs
For an egg-free option, I have made this recipe with a chia egg (ie soak 1 Tablespoon of chia seeds in 2 Tablespoons of water, wait for them to gel then add to the mince mix.
Parmesan: Adds flavour and helps bind the mixture, but if you need a dairy-free option, try a dairy-free grated cheese, nutritional yeast or simply leave it out and add a pinch of your favourite herbs for flavour.

Nutrition