These Greek chicken meatballs are flavorful, easy, and a nice twist on the traditional meatball.
The Best, Most Flavorful, and Moistest Chicken Meatballs Ever
Thanks to the Greek feta and the sundried tomatoes, the lean ground chicken is transformed into a juicy meatball, while the panko coating crisps up in the oven to give them a nice crunch on the outside
Not only are these quick and easy to make, they hold over very well. In fact, they taste better the next day when all the flavors have fully combined. I’m serving mine with pasta, but these are delicious reheated and used to top a salad, or served with a dipping sauce like this Tzatziki Sauce that I use on my Moroccan Meatballs.
Watch How to Make Greek Feta Sundried Tomato Chicken Meatballs
Chicken Meatball Ingredients
Ground Chicken – I’m using organic ground chicken, but you can use ground turkey. Both are lean, and the Greek feta and sundried tomatoes make these super moist
Fresh Italian Parsley Leaves – This is a go to, and neutral, but you could also swap out oregano or mint as an alternative
Garlic – Use fresh, and make sure it is finely minced, or crushed in a garlic press for even distribution
Lemon Zest – Don’t skip this step! This adds a citrusy brightness to the meatballs
Sundried tomatoes – These keep these lean meatballs nice and moist. Drain the tomatoes well, and reserve the oil for cooking, as I have shown in the example below, where I used the sundried tomato oil to sauté vegetables to make a nice pasta sauce to go with these juicy meatballs
Can I Bake Meatballs?
It’s OK to bake your meatballs! When I was growing up, we fried our meatballs on the stovetop. It makes a huge mess, adds a lot of unnecessary fats, and can cause a breakdown of the oil into free radicals, a toxin to the body. Roasting can render fat, help with browning of the outside, and makes for easy cleanup. An air fryer can also be a useful tool for roasting these meatballs, depending upon the size of your fryer
Tips for Making Meatballs
Once your ingredients are combined, don’t overwork the meat, or it can make it tough
When forming the eight meatballs, divide your mixture in half twice, and then make two meatballs from each of the four “pieces” to get evenly sized meatballs
Be sure to use a thermometer, and check several of the meatballs to make sure each one is up to the target internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit
Batch cook these to save time in the kitchen. They taste better the next day!
Greek Feta Sundried Tomato Chicken Meatballs
Makes 8 Meatballs
Ingredients
- lb ground chicken preferably organic
- 1 egg beaten
- ½ cup sundried tomatoes in oil drained and minced (reserve oil)
- ½ cup Greek feta crumbled
- ½ cup whole wheat panko bread crumbs divided
- 2 cloves garlic crushed
- 1 tsp fine sea salt
- 1 tsp fresh ground black pepper
- ½ cup minced parsley leaves
- Zest from one lemon
Instructions
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In a bowl, combine chicken, egg, sundried tomatoes, feta, ¼ cup panko, salt, pepper, parsley, and lemon zest
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Form mixture into 8 meatballs, roll into remaining ¼ cup panko
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Place on parchment lined baking pan, and roast for 20 minutes on center rack, or until meatballs achieve an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit
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Serve over pasta, or as desired*
Recipe Notes
*I’m serving these meatballs over half a pound of al dente linguini. I sauté one large shallot, sliced, plus 4 cups sliced baby bella mushrooms in the drained, reserved sundried tomato oil. Then, I add my hot al dente pasta, to the mushrooms, some chili pepper, one cup of reserved pasta cooking water, and one cup of the water from the block of Greek feta to make a light sauce. Just before serving, I stir in one cup of fresh Italian parsley leaves, and a handful of crumbled feta.