Chicken Pesto Meatballs
These flavorful Chicken Pesto Meatballs are perfect for a quick and healthy meal. Made with ground chicken, fresh basil pesto, and simple ingredients, they are moist, tender, and packed with flavor. Serve them over pasta, in a sub, or as an appetizer.
Equipment
- 1 large mixing bowl
- 1 baking sheet
- 1 parchment paper
- 1 mixing spoon or spatula
- 1 measuring cups
- 1 measuring spoons
- 1 oven
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground chicken
- ½ cup basil pesto
- ¼ cup breadcrumbs
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 large egg
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
- as needed tablespoons olive oil for drizzling
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the ground chicken, pesto, breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, egg, minced garlic, salt, black pepper, and Italian seasoning.
- Mix everything together until just combined; do not overmix, as this can lead to tough meatballs.
- Using your hands, form the mixture into meatballs, roughly 1 inch in diameter. You should get about 16 meatballs.
- Place the meatballs on the prepared baking sheet, spacing them evenly apart.
- Drizzle a little olive oil over the meatballs for added flavor and moisture.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes, or until the meatballs are cooked through and golden brown on the outside.
- Remove from the oven and let them rest for a few minutes before serving.
Notes
You can adjust the consistency of the mixture by adding more breadcrumbs if it's too wet or a little water if it's too dry.
Serve these meatballs with spaghetti and marinara for a classic dish, or use them as protein in a salad or sandwich.
Leftover meatballs can be refrigerated and enjoyed within 3 days or frozen for later use.