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These Simple Baked Cheesy Italian Chicken Meatballs are best for cold fall and winter nights when you want easy comfort food at home. All mixed in one bowl, these meatballs come together easily and are so flavorful. This dish is warm, saucy, cheesy, and so amazing. Add some crusty bread or pasta on the side for a delicious hearty meal. Perfect as a simple family dinner. Yet equally great as an appetizer for upcoming holiday entertaining.
The thing about this past year and a half that I actually love is the fact that’s it’s made time with our families even more special and more valuable. We’ve been able to spend more time with family than ever before. And personally, I’ve loved having my brothers and cousins around to cook for on a more daily basis.
My oldest brother, who has been living with us since covid began, has inspired quite a few recipes. And to no one’s surprise I’m sure, he very much influenced this meatball recipe.
Creighton loves any form of meatballs, but meatballs covered in sauce and cheese? Oh yeah, I could probably get him to do just about anything for me. When he found out these were for dinner, his excitement was like a kid on Christmas morning.
Meatballs are something I’ve actually come to love to make. I use a trick my grandma taught me to keep them juicy and flavorful…but still super simple.
You guys are going to love how easy these are, and of course how delicious too!!
The process is simple, here are the steps
Start with the bread. My grandma used to wet the bread, then ring out the excess water and tear the bread into super fine pieces. This is the key to a juicy, non-dry meatball.
Add the bread to a bowl along with a mixture of spicy Italian chicken sausage and ground chicken. I love to use spicy chicken sausage for added flavor and heat, but use what you like best.
If you’re having a hard time finding ground chicken sausage, you can of course use regular pork sausage. Or make your own ground chicken sausage, which I often do. It’s simple, just take ground chicken and mix it with plenty of dry spices and herbs. I included my recipe below in the notes so you guys can make it too!
Next, add shallots, garlic, eggs, and parmesan to the ground chicken and spicy sausage. Mix that all together, and you’re ready to roll your meatballs.
Now bake! I love baking meatballs. It’s so much easier and cleaner, not to mention healthier, than frying them up in a skillet.
Once the meatballs are crisp and cooked, I pour over some jarred marinara sauce. Then top with a mixture of mozzarella and provolone cheese and a handful of fresh oregano.
Finish it up
Bake the meatballs until the cheese is super melty and browning on top and the sauce is bubbling.
At this point, your kitchen is going to smell pretty amazing, which always leaves everyone excited for dinner.
It’s such a great dish for an easy family dinner. Or use these meatballs as appetizers for your next dinner party with friends.
I’m already planning to make these again for Halloween night. These meatballs and sauce will be so delicious over a plate of spaghetti with a big side salad. Especially after trick-or-treating in the cold! Crusty bread on the side is also a must for soaking up all that sauce.
Looking for other easy fam dinner recipes? Here are a few ideas:
30 Minute Coq au Vin Chicken Meatballs
Spicy Pumpkin and Pesto Cheese Stuffed Shells
Slow Cooker Mustard Herb Chicken and Creamy Orzo
Roasted Garlic Spaghetti Squash Lasagna Boats
Lastly, if you make these Simple Baked Cheesy Italian Chicken Meatballs, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Simple Baked Cheesy Italian Chicken Meatballs
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 622 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground spicy Italian chicken sausage (see note)
- 1 pound ground chicken
- 2 slices soft whole grain bread
- 2 eggs
- 1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 2 small shallots, grated
- 2 cloves garlic, grated
- 1-2 tablespoons chopped pepperoncinis
- 1 jar (32 ounce) marinara sauce
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1 cup shredded provolone
- 1/4 cup fresh oregano
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 450° F. Grease a 9×13 inch baking dish with olive oil.2. Take the bread and run it under water until dampened but not soaked. Gently squeeze the excess water out of the bread and then crumble the dampened bread into pieces.3. In a bowl, combine the sausage, chicken, bread crumble, eggs, parmesan, shallots, garlic, pepperoncinis, and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Coat your hands with olive oil, then roll the meat into 2 tablespoon size balls, and place them into the prepared baking dish. Bake for 15 minutes or until the meatballs are crisp on the outside, but not yet cooked through on the inside.4. Remove from the oven and pour the marinara over top the meatballs. Cover the pan with foil and bake for 15 minutes longer, or until the meatballs are cooked through. Remove the foil and add the cheeses and oregano. Bake until the cheese is melted and golden, about 10 minutes. Serve topped with fresh oregano and your favorite pasta!
Notes
Ground Spicy Italian Chicken Sausage: I buy ground chicken sausage at Whole Foods. If you can’t find it, you can make your own by adding the following spice mix to 1 pound ground chicken:
1 tablespoon each of fennel seed, dried thyme, dried basil, dried oregano, salt, and pepper; 2 teaspoons each of cayenne (or less, if you don’t want it too spicy), paprika, and garlic powder; and 1 teaspoon each of smoked paprika and crushed red pepper flakes.
Do you use 2 lbs of meat for this recipe?
Yes! 🙂 xTieghan
AMAZING! Love these so much. I wasn’t able to find chicken sausage so we used the spices and ground chicken – so delicious. I paired these with some palmini noodles and it hit the stop. Also ate some leftovers just meatballs. Definitely make this one!!!
Hi there! Thanks so much for trying out this recipe, so glad to hear it was enjoyed! Have a wonderful week! xTieghan
these were super easy and loved having the leftovers.
I put 9 meatballs in a 9 X 9 pyrex dish and froze the others. I used a high quality local marinara sauce.
Hi there! Thanks so much for trying out this recipe, so glad to hear it was enjoyed! Have a wonderful week! xTieghan
Hey Tieghan,
These were amazing meatballs loved everything about them. They smelled great baking, perfect flavor and delectable. I shared some with my friend for her birthday and she said they were great as well!! That comes as no surprise as I love every recipe of yours I end up making. Thanks again for sharing you’re the best!
Hi there! Thanks so much for trying out this recipe, so glad to hear it was enjoyed! xTieghan
This is hands down my new favorite meatball recipe! I made it low carb/keto by using low carb bread and Rao’s marinara and it was amazing. All three of my kids loved it which is saying a lot!
Really enjoyed this So did my daughter and granddaughters What’s not to like with all that cheese
Did you mix the 1/3C parm into the meatball mix? Or does that go on with the rest of the cheese in step 4?
She added it to the meat mixture in the step-by-step at the beginning, just not in the official recipe. I missed it as well, but the parm is pretty good on top too!
Hi Julie! Yes, the parm does go into the meatball mix. Sorry for the confusion! xTieghan
Your missing the addition of the Parmesan cheese in the instructions. I didn’t add it to my meatballs I’ll put it on the top and hope for the best.
Hi Tina! I am so sorry about that! The parmesan gets added into the meatballs in step 3, I will be sure to change that 🙂 xTieghan
Hi, my son has an egg allergy. Any egg substitutes I can use for the meatballs? If yes, how much of the substitute? Thanks! Love the recipes.
Hi there! I would suggest 2 tablespoons buttermilk per egg, 1/4 cup ricotta cheese per egg, or 3 tablespoons of plain yogurt. Enjoy! 🙂 xTieghan
Does the Parmesan cheese go inside the meatballs or on top when you combine the mozzarella and provolone cheese?
Hi there! It goes inside the meatballs 🙂 xTieghan
SO good! On our pasta rotation for this fall/winter!
I halfed the recipe, if I made it whole next time could I freeze them at any point in the process?
Hi there! Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try, I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed it! As far as freezing it goes, you could definitely freeze it and eat later! xTieghan
Hey:) Making this tonight, can I use breadcrumbs instead of the slices of bread ? Thank you .
Absolutely! xTieghan
The perfect comfort dish! Used GF bread and it was still delicious 🙂
Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try! So glad you enjoyed it. xTieghan
Made this for dinner tonight. I couldn’t find chicken sausage so I followed the spice recipe using 1 teaspoon of cayenne. The dish was delicious. The whole family loved it. Will be making again; Thank you!
Tried this recipe. Pretty good hit with my family. These pack some heat, though.
Did make some changes. Used store bought white bread instead of wheat (misread the note for that one) and toned down the cayenne pepper by half the listed amount.
These turned out flavorful and tender, though spicier than most of what my family prefers.
Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try, so happy to hear you enjoyed it! xTieghan
Made this tonight with pork/beef meatballs and my husband loved it!! Kind of like Chicken Parmesan with meatballs ?. What could be better? ? Thank you for another great meal!!