The most delicious Mediterranean Chicken Meatballs packed with flavor and easily made in under 30 minutes! Serve with brown rice, homemade tzatziki sauce, sprinkle on some feta cheese, or pair with a tomato and chickpea salad for a complete meal!
Table of Contents
These Mediterranean chicken meatballs can only be described using one word: FLAVOR! I absolutely love Greek food so much with all the delicious Mediterranean flavors. These meatballs (which could also be called Greek chicken meatballs) are super easy to throw together. Simply mix all the ingredients in a bowl, form into meatballs and bake them in the oven! These Mediterranean meatball recipe makes a filling dinner served with brown rice and veggies topped with homemade tzatziki sauce. You can prep them for lunches served with a Mediterranean salad, or stuff them in some pita bread and make gyros!
Why You’ll Love These
- Packed with flavor and fresh ingredients!
- Made healthier with lean ground chicken instead of ground beef.
- Tender meatballs easily made in under 30 minutes with just a few simple ingredients. Freezer-friendly!
- Great for weekly meal prep served over rice with homemade tzatziki or a chickpea salad.
- This recipe also makes delicious Mediterranean chicken burgers!
Ingredients You’ll Need
- ground chicken – I used ground chicken for these meatballs because I personally prefer the flavor of chicken with these ingredients, but any ground meat will work. You could make these using ground turkey, lean ground beef, ground pork or ground lamb.
- egg – one large egg helps to bind everything together, however I have made these meatballs without using the egg and they turned out great!
- bread crumbs – I used whole wheat Panko breadcrumbs to help the meatballs to keep their round shape, but feel free use gluten-free panko breadcrumbs or even almond flour, if needed.
- sun dried tomatoes – these are a must in this recipe and not only add pops of color to these meatballs, but they add great flavor. I used sun dried tomatoes packed in oil for more flavor and moisture, but feel free to use dry-packed ones if that’s all you have or even a little tomato paste.
- garlic – adds a flavor boost to the meatballs and fresh minced garlic clove is always best! If you don’t have fresh garlic cloves, feel free to use a 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder.
- cheese – I used a combination of crumbled feta cheese and grated parmesan cheese, but you could also use goat cheese or leave out entirely if dairy-free.
- green onions – adds color and flavor. You could also use chopped red onion or white onion in this.
- fresh parsley – this adds color and that fresh herb flavor, but you could also use other fresh herbs such as fresh mint, fresh basil, fresh dill or fresh oregano. Dried oregano would taste great as well.
- salt + black pepper – brings the flavors of these meatballs together.
- lemon – this is optional, but I like to squeeze some fresh lemon juice (or lemon zest) over top of the meatballs right before serving! Really brightens the whole dish up and adds a zesty lemon flavor.
How to Make Mediterranean Meatballs
- Mix together the ingredients. In a large mixing bowl, combine ground chicken, egg, breadcrumbs, sun dried tomatoes, feta and parmesan cheese, garlic, green onions, parsley and season with salt and pepper. Mix the meatball ingredients together using a spoon or your hands until all combined.
- Make the meatballs. Using a small to medium cookie scoop (I used this 1.2 tablespoon size scoop), make 2-inch sized balls (golf ball size) from the meatball mixture and place on a prepared baking sheet lined with parchment paper (or sprayed with non-stick spray) in a single layer. You should get about 18 meatballs.
- Bake. Pop the sheet pan in the oven at 400 degrees F and bake for about 20 to 25 minutes, until golden brown and cooked through. Meatballs should have an internal temp of 165 degrees F when inserting a meat thermometer.
- Serve. Serve these Greek meatballs warm alongside a Mediterranean salad or make these bowls with brown rice, homemade tzatziki sauce (a cucumber greek yogurt-based sauce) and fresh veggies!
Can I Make these Meatballs in a Skillet?
Yes of course! I find that baking meatballs is just easier with less cooking required, but pan frying these meatballs would taste amazing! All you’ll need is about a little olive oil to coat the pan or cast iron skillet then add the meatballs. Cook the meatballs on medium heat to medium-high heat, and turn them continuously so that they get browned on all sides. Meatballs should be cooked through in about 12 minutes.
Can I Make these Meatballs in the Air Fryer?
Absolutely and the air fryer is another way I love to make these! To air fry these meatballs, cook at 400 degrees for about 10 to 12 minutes, shaking the air fryer basket halfway through to make sure they evenly cook. Just make sure the internal temperature of the meatballs is 165 degrees F.
How to Serve Mediterranean Chicken Meatballs
- Serve as a main dish all on its own over brown rice and a variety of fresh veggies. This recipe also makes delicious Greek turkey meatballs or beef meatballs.
- Serve with a side salad such as this Mediterranean chopped salad , this tomato cucumber salad or this healthy Greek salad.
- Build rice bowls with brown rice (or cauliflower rice for a low carb option), couscous, quinoa or other grain, along with tomatoes, cucumbers and chickpeas, kalamata olives, and topped with creamy tzatziki sauce, feta cheese or even hummus. This is my favorite way to enjoy these delicious meatballs!
- Make meatball gyros or pita sandwiches using pita bread and various Greek toppings.
- As an appetizer when serving a delicious Mediterranean spread along with a tzatziki dipping sauce. Just make sure to make a double batch because the go quick!
- Serve over pasta tossed with fresh pesto, tomato sauce or this loaded veggie tomato sauce.
Prepping and Storage
To Make Ahead: These flavorful meatballs can easily be prepped ahead of time and stored in the fridge tightly covered for 2 to 3 days before baking. When you are ready to bake, simply pop them in the oven and follow recipe instructions.
To Store: These meatballs can be stored in a sealed, airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days. Leftovers taste even better the next day making them great for meal prep! To reheat, either pop them in the oven at 350 until heated through. You can also warm them up in the microwave or air fryer.
To Freeze: These meatballs are also freezer-friendly! To freeze, let them cool completely and store in a sealed Ziplock freezer bag for up to 3 months. Let them thaw completely before re-heating.
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Favorite Meatball Recipes
- Asian Glazed Turkey Meatballs
- Honey Sriracha Glazed Meatballs
- Buffalo Chicken Meatballs
- Cheesy Keto Meatball Casserole
- Cranberry Cocktail Meatballs
Hope you all enjoy these Mediterranean Chicken Meatballs. If you love this as much as we do, please leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ star rating below and don’t forget to tag me on Instagram using the hashtag #eatyourselfskinny! I love seeing all your delicious recreations!
Mediterranean Chicken Meatballs
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground chicken, or ground turkey
- 1/4 cup whole wheat panko breadcrumbs
- 1 egg
- 1/3 cup sun dried tomatoes, packed in oil, chopped
- 1/4 cup feta cheese
- 1/4 cup parmesan cheese
- 2 cloves garlic, minced (or 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder)
- 1/4 cup green onions, chopped
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon each salt and black pepper
- Squeeze of lemon, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or spray with nonstick spray.
- In a large bowl, combine ground chicken, breadcrumbs, egg, sun dried tomatoes, feta and parmesan cheeses, garlic, green onions, parsley and season with salt and pepper. Mix everything together using a spoon, or your hands, until all combined.
- Using a small to medium cookie scoop (I used this 1.5 tablespoon scoop), make 2-inch sized balls and place on baking sheet lined with parchment paper (or sprayed with non-stick spray). You should get about 18 meatballs.
- Pop the sheet pan in the oven and bake for about 20 to 25 minutes, until lightly browned and cooked through.
- Squeeze a little lemon juice over top (if desired) and serve alongside a Mediterranean salad or make bowls with brown rice, homemade tzatziki sauce and fresh veggies!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
These are fabulous! I have entertained with them and my guests loved them! It’s a lot of chopping, but definitely worth it!
I made this for our family (who by the way has lots of weird allergies) and my teenagers/young adults loved it!! My 15 year old had just gotten braces and these were soft enough for her to eat. This is a new family favorite! ❤️ Thank you!
These were good, but not the flavor explosion I was expecting (which surprised me because of all the tasty additions). I may try some extra salt and lemon juice next time. But I will definitely make them again – when I paired them with all the other flavors on my plate, they made a yummy dinner (farro, chickpeas, fresh cucumber and bell pepper, quick-pickled onions, feta, and a red wine vinegar/olive oil/italian seasoning dressing).
Love these meatballs! Imade them for the first time yesterday and had a nice surprise. They are great served solo, or this morning I had them with basil, garlic olive oil. This is going to be a recipe that I return to over and over.
These meatballs are delicious. They are the best I have made.
Outstanding!!! No other words.. other than
Freaking delishhhhhhh
Permanent recipe!!!
Thank you!!
I am making a double batch again! They freeze beautifully. It’s a wonderful recipe and easy to throw together.
I’ve made these several times now!! They are my favorite to meal prep. My whole family, kids included love these meatballs.
I have never used ground chicken. This is the best Mediterranean recipe I have ever made. So flavorful. Absolutely delicious! Thank you Kelly! Please continue sharing your recipes. AMAZING!!!
Made a double batch today! Served them with quinoa and a salad. They are excellent! I used chicken breast that I ground in my food processor. They would make great burgers as well.