These healthy oven-roasted Greek Chicken Meatballs are bursting with vibrant Mediterranean flavors. Made with ground chicken, feta cheese, fresh herbs, and spices these healthy meatballs are perfect for meal prep or a delicious weeknight dinner.
Meatballs…who doesn't love a meatball? We all do right? However, sometimes we need a fresh take on a classic favorite. These delicious Greek chicken meatballs will make you rethink what a meatball can be. Lighter and more delicate than the traditional Italian ground beef version, these Greek meatballs still deliver big bold flavor, and when paired with a homemade tzatziki sauce you'll be dreaming of Agean breezes on steep hillsides with each bite.
If you love meatballs but want to reduce red meat consumption without sacrificing big flavors, these Instant Pot Spicy Barbecue Turkey Meatballs will have you asking, ‘Beef who?' You're also going to love my Chicken Meatballs in a Creamy Red Pepper Feta Sauce. Both are crowd-pleasers for entertaining and family meals!
You'll Love this Recipe
Just about every culture has its take on the meatball. It makes sense, meatballs utilize less expensive cuts of meat, have great flavor, and are an excellent protein delivery system. Using only a few simple ingredients, meatballs can be modified in countless ways to incorporate whatever is available in a particular region. There's a great article on 20 meatballs from around the world that highlights the versatility and countless variations of this beloved dish.
- An easy introduction to Greek Flavors: If you or someone you love is new to Greek food, this Greek meatball recipe is the perfect gentle introduction to Greek flavors. It's simple and uses ingredients that are familiar to most, lean ground chicken, herbs and breadcrumbs, and just the right amount of feta cheese to give it a mild tanginess that will have tastebuds singing.
- Quick and easy: These meatballs take only a few minutes of prep and just 25 passive minutes in the oven.
- Meal Prep: Prepare ahead of time to use for the week. This is a great recipe for a weekday reheat and one of my favorite ways to get some mileage out of a single cooking session.
- Batch Cooking: This is a perfect easy recipe for when you need to feed the masses. The mixture is so simple to make and you can easily prepare as many fit on trays in your oven. Repeat the process as much as needed and pretty soon you will have hundreds of juicy meatballs for your next holiday party or family gathering. One of my favorite things is how well these reheat. Warm them dozens at a time in the oven and never tell anyone how easy it was.
- Flavor intensity: On a scale of 1-10 these are definitely a 10. When I was working as a private chef, this was a favorite with all my clients. These juicy Greek chicken meatballs are so tender, moist, and delicious that even my client who was a self-professed, ‘lazy chewer' kept asking me to make them every week.
This is truly one of my favorite meatball recipes and has made a convert out of many die-hard beef lovers in my family. When served alongside a big Greek salad packed with Kalamata olives, the freshest produce, and some pita bread, I feel like I'm back in Santorini sitting on a white rooftop looking at the sun go down over the bluest waters I've seen.
Let's Get Cooking!
Ingredients and Helpful Substitution Tips
- Ground Chicken – if you can find organic it's worth the the extra cost. Healthy benefits aside, I have found that better-quality organic lean chicken produces a juicier meatball with a better texture. If you can't find organic in your supermarket, just get the best quality available.
- Large Egg
- Fresh Parsley and Dill – Fresh herbs make a difference in this recipe. Skip the dried and chop fresh
- Scallions
- Lemon zest
- Garlic clove – Like with the parsley, you want to use fresh. Skip the garlic salt and garlic powder.
- Panko bread crumbs – Panko bread crumbs are larger lighter and crispier, adding to the satisfying texture of this meatball mixture. You can substitute almond flour if you are gluten-free, or looking for a keto-friendly version.
- Crumbled Feta Cheese – My favorite brand is Dodoni. Ideally, you can find feta cheese in brine and crumble it yourself.
Tools
- Sheet pan / Baking sheet
- Parchment Paper
- Knife
- Zester
- Large bowl
How to Make This Recipe
- Step 1. Preheat oven to 350°
- Step 2. In a large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients. Mix well using your hands.
- Step 3. Roll into balls, roughly the size of golf balls, (you can use a cookie scoop). In a single layer, place on the parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake Meatballs in the oven for 25 minutes until golden brown around the edges. If checking with a meat thermometer, aim for an internal temperature of 160°.
- Remove cooked meatballs from the oven and allow to cool for a little bit.
- Serve with homemade tzatziki, plain Greek yogurt, or enjoy unadorned. There are little flavor bombs of their own.
How to Serve Greek Chicken Meatballs
These insanely tender, lemony herby, feta chicken meatballs work well as a main dish or a fun party appetizer, here are my favorite ways to serve them:
- Greek Salad Skewers – Thread Greek chicken meatballs onto skewers along with cherry tomatoes, cucumber chunks, and feta cheese. Serve with a side of tzatziki sauce for dipping.
- Pita Pocket Sandwiches – Stuff whole-grain pita pockets with Greek chicken meatballs, shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, and a dollop of hummus or tzatziki.
- Quinoa or Rice Bowl – Create a Mediterranean-inspired quinoa or rice bowl by placing Greek chicken meatballs on a bed of cooked quinoa or rice. Add chopped cucumber, red onion, Kalamata olives, and drizzle with olive oil and lemon juice.
- Greek Chicken Meatball Gyros – Fill whole-grain flatbreads or wraps with Greek chicken meatballs, sliced red onions, tomatoes, and a generous spoonful of tzatziki.
- Mediterranean Platter – Arrange Greek chicken meatballs on a platter with an assortment of olives, grape leaves, sliced cucumbers, and cherry tomatoes. Serve with a side of hummus or tzatziki.
Recipe Tips
- Don't overwork your meatball mixture. What do I mean by this? While you want to fully blend and incorporate the ingredients together, be sure to not overmix, or you will create a ‘tight' mixture. This can lead to dense meatballs that take longer to cook and have a less pleasing texture. The same rule applies to when you form your meatballs. Take care to not pack them too tightly. Flavorful meatballs are as much about texture as they are about seasoning. You want a well-formed round shape but don't squeeze them so tight that the meat mixture becomes as dense as a cannonball.
- USE FRESH HERBS – I know I mentioned it before but it bears repeating. Sure there are some recipes where fresh and dry spices both work. This is not one of them. There is only a handful of ingredients in this recipe so for best results, it's important that they are great quality and fresh.
- If ground chicken is not available you can make this same recipe with ground turkey.
- If you don't have parchment paper a non-stick spray on the sheet pan will help prevent sticking. I prefer a little olive oil or avocado oil cooking spray over canola or vegetable oils.
Storage, Reheating, and Freezing Instructions
- STORAGE – Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 5 days
- REHEATING – Reheat in an oven at 300° for 10 minutes. May also be microwaved.
- FREEZING – Freeze in an airtight container for up to 2 months
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, you certainly can! Preheat the air fryer to 370 and cook for 10-12 minutes or until cooked through. Do not crowd the air fryer basket
ground chicken gets pretty sticky. You can try wetting your hands prior to rolling or use a cookie scoop to scoop out the meatballs instead
Here are a few ideas; lemon pasta, lemon risotto, roasted potatoes, sauteed greens, a big salad.
If for some reason your meatball mixture is too wet add a bit more breadcrumb
Dietary Modifications
- Gluten-Free – Use almond flour instead of breadcrumbs, or use gluten free breadcrumbs
- Low Fodmap – eliminate the white part of the scallions
- Whole 30/ Paleo friendly – remove the cheese
- Keto – replace breadcrumbs with almond flour
I can’t wait for you to try this! When you make it, snap a photo and tag me on Instagram @abrapappa or use the hashtag #abraskitchen so I can feature your photo!
If you’ve tried this recipe, don’t forget to rate it and leave a comment below. I love to hear from people who’ve made my recipes!
Greek Chicken Meatballs
Equipment
- 1 Knife
- 1 cookie scoop optional
- 1 zester
- 1 large bowl
- 1 baking sheet / sheet pan
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground chicken
- 1/2 cup feta cheese crumbled
- 1 large egg
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley chopped
- 1/4 cup fresh dill chopped
- 1 scallion finely chopped
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1 clove garlic
- 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs or almond flour for GF
Tzatziki Yogurt Dip
- 1 cup full fat greek yogurt
- 1/2 cup grated cucumber
- 1 small garlic clove, crushed
- 1/4 cup fresh dill finely chopped
- 1 tsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 pinch sea salt
- 1 tbsp olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°
- In a large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients. Mix well using your hands.
- Roll into balls, roughly the size of golf balls, (you can use a cookie scoop). In a single layer, place on the parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake Meatballs in the oven for 25 minutes until golden brown around the edges. If checking with a meat thermometer, aim for an internal temperature of 160°.
- Remove cooked meatballs from the oven and allow to cool for a little bit.
- Serve with homemade tzatziki, plain Greek yogurt, or enjoy unadorned. These are little flavor bombs of their own.
Tzatziki Yogurt Dip
- Grate a seedless cucumber on a box grater, hold shredded cucumber in your palm over the sink and squeeze out as much liquid as you can. Combine cucumber with remaining ingredients in a bowl, stir well to combine
Video
Notes
- Greek Salad Skewers – Thread Greek chicken meatballs onto skewers along with cherry tomatoes, cucumber chunks, and feta cheese. Serve with a side of tzatziki sauce for dipping.
- Pita Pocket Sandwiches – Stuff whole-grain pita pockets with Greek chicken meatballs, shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, and a dollop of hummus or tzatziki.
- Quinoa or Rice Bowl – Create a Mediterranean-inspired quinoa or rice bowl by placing Greek chicken meatballs on a bed of cooked quinoa or rice. Add chopped cucumber, red onion, Kalamata olives, and drizzle with olive oil and lemon juice.
- Greek Chicken Meatball Gyros – Fill whole-grain flatbreads or wraps with Greek chicken meatballs, sliced red onions, tomatoes, and a generous spoonful of tzatziki.
- Mediterranean Platter – Arrange Greek chicken meatballs on a platter with an assortment of olives, grape leaves, sliced cucumbers, and cherry tomatoes. Serve with a side of hummus or tzatziki.
Nutrition
More Meatball Recipes You May Want to Try
Grass Fed Beef and Wild Mushroom Meatballs
Best Ever Chicken Meatballs with Roasted Red Pepper Feta Sauce
