Easy oven-baked chicken zucchini meatballs made with ground chicken, onion, parmesan cheese, fresh herbs, and zucchini. They’re quick, healthy, and delicious, and you won’t even know there are veggies in them. Great for meal prep and ready in about 35 minutes! Gluten-free.
Meatballs are one of the easiest things to whip up. All you need to do is combine some meat and some spices, herbs, or seasoning, cook them, and use them however you want.
Bonus – we are sneaking in some grated zucchini in there for some added veggies! It helps keep the meatballs moist, adds a little bit of flavor but is not super noticeable. Great for picky eaters or just adding some more micronutrients to your diet.
These chicken zucchini meatballs make an easy protein to have on hand during the week. Throw them with some sauce and your favorite pasta, into a meal prep bowl with some carbs and veggies, or just over a salad.
You can easily double this recipe to feed more people/have more leftovers, or freeze some for later!
Chicken zucchini meatball ingredients
- ground chicken
- zucchini
- onion
- parmesan cheese
- almond flour
- Italian seasoning
- garlic
- fresh herbs (parsley, basil, dill…)
- salt and pepper
How to make chicken zucchini meatballs
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Finely grate zucchini by running it through a box grater. If needed, you can roughly chop it as well. Gather zucchini in your hands and give it a good squeeze or two over the sink to get out any excess liquid. All the liquid does not need to be squeezed out.
- In a large bowl, mix together the ground chicken, grated zucchini, onion, parmesan cheese, almond flour, garlic, Italian seasoning, herbs, and salt and pepper until well combined. Try not to overmix. I find using my hands works the best. Using a tablespoon as a scoop, form the chicken mixture into equal-sized meatballs. You should get around 21 meatballs depending on the size. If needed, wet hands with a little water to help the meat not stick while rolling.
- Place on the lined sheet pan and bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown and cooked through.
Best ground chicken to use for meatballs
Fat is key for making meatballs, especially when using leaner cuts of meat like chicken. I suggest at least a 93/7 ground chicken. Anything leaner will be too dry. You can also use ground chicken thighs.
Can you pan fry these meatballs?
While I prefer to bake these meatballs, you can pan fry them if you want. Ground chicken is also a lean cut of meat, so you need to make sure you have enough oil in your pan.
To pan-fry, heat a large cast-iron or nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add enough oil to coat the bottom of your pan if using a cast iron.
Cook meatballs for 5-7 minutes, flipping occasionally, until golden brown and cooked through. You will probably have to do it in two batches depending on the size of your pan.
Tips for the best chicken meatballs
- fat! – as I mentioned above, make sure to use at least a 93/7 ground chicken to help keep them moist.
- don’t overwork the meat – you just want to make sure the ingredients are combined. Mixing too much will make the chicken tough.
- don’t overbake – since chicken is leaner, if you overbake, the meatballs can dry out. Check at 20 minutes and then a minute or two after and make sure you take them out when they are done.
What to serve with chicken meatballs
I love having these on hand for a quick meal during the week. Here are a few ways to use them:
- tossed in sauce with your favorite pasta – I love angel hair, spaghetti, or linguine for these, but any kind of pasta will work.
- with zucchini noodles or heart of palm noodles for a low carb option
- in a hoagie roll with some sauce and cheese for a meatball sub
- in a meal prep bowl with some carbs (rice, pasta, potatoes…) and veggies
- over a salad
Storage
- refrigerator – store in an airtight container for up to 4-5 days in the fridge.
- freezer – cook according to directions and let meatballs cool completely. Add to a bag (we love these silicon reusable ones) or a freezer dish. Simply defrost a handful at a time or all of them for a quick and easy meal. Meatballs should last up to 3 months in the freezer. I recommend making a double batch to have an easy protein option in the future.
substitutions
- ground chicken – you can use ground chicken thighs or ground turkey instead of chicken.
- parmesan cheese – feta can work instead of parmesan, but it will change the flavor. Leave out cheese for dairy-free, paleo, and Whole30.
- almond flour – oat flour will work instead of almond flour. You can try coconut flour but will need less of it since it is so absorbent. You can also just leave out the flour and they should still hold together.
- Italian seasoning – feel free to use a mix of dried basil, parsley, oregano, rosemary, and thyme if you don’t have Italian seasoning. You just need 1 tablespoon total of dried herbs. The ratio of the herbs shouldn’t matter too much.
- garlic – you can use garlic powder instead. If using garlic powder, use 1 teaspoon.
- fresh herbs (parsley, basil, dill…) – you can use a combination of herbs, or just use one.
More healthy meatball recipes
- Greek Chicken Meatballs
- Instant Pot BBQ Chicken Meatballs
- Turkey, Kale, & Apple Meatballs with Apple Tahini Sauce
- Supreme Pizza Meatballs
- Greek Lamb Meatballs
Chicken Zucchini Meatballs
ingredients
- 1 pound ground chicken (93/7 or fattier)
- 1 medium zucchini, shredded and the liquid squeezed out (150 grams/about 1 heaping cup)
- 1/2 cup diced onion (60 grams)
- 1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese (30 grams)
- 1/4 cup fresh herbs, chopped (I used a mix of parsley and basil)
- 2 tablespoons almond flour
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- salt and pepper, to taste
instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Finely grate zucchini by running it through a box grater. If needed, you can roughly chop it as well. Gather zucchini in your hands and give it a good squeeze or two over the sink to get out any excess liquid. All the liquid does not need to be removed.
- In a large bowl, mix together the ground chicken, grated zucchini, onion, parmesan cheese, almond flour, garlic, Italian seasoning, herbs, and salt and pepper until well combined. Try not to overmix. I find using my hands works the best. Using a tablespoon as a scoop, form the chicken mixture into equal-sized meatballs. You should get around 21 meatballs depending on the size. If needed, wet hands with a little water to help the meat not stick while rolling.
- Place on the lined sheet pan and bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown and cooked through.
notes
nutrition
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Judith says
I absolutely loved these!! I made them from Kellyās recent IG Stories, so very slightly different but they were so so good and super easy to make! I baked them off and then cooked them up with jarred pasta sauce and pappardelle. My two little ones loved em, ages 3 and 18 months and even my hubās super picky 16yo was all about them and didnāt even notice the zucchini. Had some leftover to freeze for school lunches too.
Kelly says
So happy to hear that Judith and glad the whole family enjoyed them too! Thank you for trying them!
L says
I have two questions. The recipe is listed under Whole 30 Crockpot Recipes. I see nothing in your post indicating either. Is it Whole 30? How is it a crockpot recipe? Thanks.
Kelly says
Hey L! Happy to answer your questions. This is an older recipe that I just recently updated. It was Whole30, but I added the parmesan cheese for a little more flavor. You can easily leave that out and it will be Whole30. As for the crockpot, I changed it to make it in the oven for a quicker protein. You can make them in the crockpot put adding pasta sauce to the bottom of your crockpot (cover the bottom), add the meatballs (they will need to be placed on top of each other), pour a little more sauce over the meatballs, and then cook on low for 4-5 hours. Hope that helps some!
Peggy says
This was so easy to make & really, really good! I have a question on serving size. Beginning of recipe it says 6-8 (meatballs? how big?) then in the nutrition box it says a serving is 5 grams. Can you clarify how much is a serving? Trying to stay in my macros. š
Kelly says
Hey Peggy! Sorry about that – it should make 35 meatballs and the nutrition breakdown is for 5 meatballs. Hope that helps!
Matt says
I am not sure where the bad reviews came from because mine turned out excellent. 5/5 stars! The chicken was very moist and I will be making this again soon. The only change I made was subbing out the coconut flour for almond flour.
Kelly says
Glad you enjoyed them Matt and thank you for trying them!
katelyn says
I am allergic to coconuts, what can I substitute for the coconut flour?
Kelly says
I would think almond or oat flour would work just fine. You might just need a little more as coconut flour is very absorbent.
Kay says
This looks soooo great! So I tried the recipe and it was AWFUL! I did everything exactly like the recipe said except I left out the 1/2 Tablespoon of red pepper flakes since that causes me major indigestion. My sister and I cooked this at the same time via Facetime and she also hated it!!! (I don’t usually leave reviews, but something that looks this good shouldn’t taste this bad!!). The chicken was very, very dry and tasted horrible. Okay. Enough said. You get the idea.
Kelly says
Hey Kay, so sorry to hear that. I haven’t made this recipe in quite some time and it is pretty old, but everyone’s taste buds are different. I will try to make it again soon and see if anything can be updated. Thanks for your feedback.
Caroline Ofenstein says
These were delish!! I used 2 lbs 99% ground chicken so they were very low fat (needed for my contest prep diet) and a bag of riced veggie medley to keep things easy. Definitely adding this one to my recipe box!
Kelly says
Oh I love the addition of riced veggies! Glad they turned out and thanks for trying Caroline. Good luck with prep!
Hannah says
Can I make this with ground turkey instead of chicken? I canāt wait to try this recipe!!!
Kelly says
Hi Hannah! Yes, that would be delicious! Hope you enjoy š