Italian Chicken Meatballs
Perfectly tender chicken meatballs, seasoned with Italian herbs and parmesan cheese and roasted alongside sweet bell peppers. The meatballs are savory/moist on the inside and caramelized/crisp on the outside, and the peppers are delightfully smoky. This is the ultimate, low-carb, gluten-free-friendly, sheet pan meal. Also makes a great party appetizer!
What’s the trick to shimmering, golden brown meatballs? An olive oil glaze for the last 5 minutes of cooking! Giving the meatballs a quick brush with olive oil before they’re finished cooking adds a wonderful browned, caramelized, crisp exterior. Couple that with the moist interior and it’s an amazing meatball from the inside out.
How should you serve your Italian Chicken Meatballs? If you’re serving them as an appetizer, you need nothing else – except wooden picks! For a complete meal, you can also serve the meatballs with pasta, rice, or your favorite grain (I chose pearled couscous, which cooks in 10 minutes). For a low-carb meal, serve the meatballs with vegetables and/or a tossed green salad.
Can you make these meatballs with beef or turkey? Absolutely, the Italian seasoning and parmesan cheese work equally well with ground beef and ground turkey. And if you don’t have Italian seasoning, use what you have – oregano, basil, fennel, thyme, and rosemary would all be great in these meatballs.
Can you make these meatballs gluten-free? Easily. Choose your favorite gluten-free breadcrumbs and you’re good to go.
Italian Chicken Meatballs
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground chicken
- 1/3 cup panko bread crumbs, or gluten-free bread crumbs
- 1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1 large egg
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 bell pepper, seeded and sliced into strips, or 4-6 mini peppers, halved and seeded
- 1 tablespoon olive oil, plus more for brushing the meatballs
- Sliced or chopped fresh basil for serving
Equipment
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or foil.
- In a large bowl, combine the chicken, bread crumbs, parmesan, egg, garlic, Italian seasoning, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Mix well and shape the mixture into 16 to 18 meatballs. Arrange the meatballs on the prepared pan. Bake for 10 minutes.
- Toss the bell peppers with the olive oil and season with salt and black pepper. Arrange the peppers alongside the chicken on the baking sheet.
- Bake for 10 more minutes. Brush the meatballs with olive oil and cook for 5 more minutes, until the meatballs are cooked through and the peppers are browned and soft.
- Top with fresh basil and serve.