Baked Mediterranean Chicken Meatballs Recipe
These baked Mediterranean chicken meatballs are juicy, tender, and loaded with garlic, dill, and tangy feta. Everything is mixed in one bowl—no chopping required—and they’re ready in about 30 minutes. They freeze beautifully, making them perfect for meal prep, quick dinners, or easy lunches throughout the week.
I’ll give you variations and substitutions where I can, plus helpful tips and tricks for success. Read on for this info as well as the recipe. If you’d like to skip straight to the recipe, use the jump to recipe button at the top of the post.
You may also be interested in my Mediterranean lamb meatballs and my best chicken meatballs recipes. For ease of browsing, you can find all of my meatball recipes in one place.
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Tips for Success
- Don’t overmix – This can make the meatballs tough.
- Don’t pack meatballs – Use a light touch when shaping the meatballs to keep them light and fluffy.
- Use a scoop – This ensures your meatballs are all the same size, and they bake at the same rate.
- Don’t overbake – To avoid dry meatballs, bake just until cooked through.
Baked chicken meatballs recipe
The dill and feta give this Mediterranean chicken meatball recipe great flavor. The panade (soaking breadcrumbs or bread in milk) keeps the meatballs moist and tender. This is especially helpful with chicken, as it tends to be lower fat than beef.
I used dried spices instead of fresh in this recipe to streamline the process. The whole endeavor should take just over 30 minutes from start to finish, so you can get dinner on the table without much hassle, but still get a big flavor payoff.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- One bowl – Everything mixes together in a single bowl for easy prep and cleanup.
- No chopping – No chopping required, so you can get these in the oven fast.
- Panade – A mixture of bread or breadcrumbs, and a liquid, usually milk, used as a binder in meatballs, to ensure a tender, moist texture.
- Freezer-friendly – These Mediterranean meatballs freeze well, making them perfect for quick dinners later – your future self will thank you.
Because they are made with ground chicken, and they are baked instead of fried, they are light and yet, totally satisfying.
Ingredients
- Ground chicken – Ground chicken is the perfect blank canvas for these flavorful meatballs.
- Substitution: Swap out ground turkey, if you prefer.
- Feta – Salty and creamy, this cheese adds a classic Mediterranean flavor.
- Egg – Provides moisture to the mixture and also helps bind the meatballs.
- Breadcrumbs – I’ve used panko breadcrumbs as a binder.
- Substitution: You can swap them out for Italian-style breadcrumbs.
- Seasonings – Dill, garlic, onion, salt, and pepper.
- Substitution: You can swap out dried dill for fresh, and granulated garlic for minced fresh garlic.
How to make baked chicken meatballs
Here’s a quick summary of how to make this ground chicken meatball recipe. Please see the recipe card at the bottom of this post for the full recipe.
- Prep – Preheat oven to 375°F / 190°C. Make panade by combining milk and panko breadcrumbs.
- Combine – Add everything except the ground chicken to the bowl and mix well. Then, gently fold in chicken until the mixture is uniform.
- Scoop – Using a small scoop, portion out the meatballs, and place on a lined sheet pan.
- Bake – Bake meatballs for about 20 minutes.
Healthy Mediterranean Chicken Meatballs FAQ’s
Yes, you can swap out ground chicken for ground turkey.
The panade (breadcrumbs or bread soaked in milk) helps to keep the meatballs moist, as well as being careful not to overbake the meatballs.
Overmixing the chicken meatball mixture will make them tough. You can avoid this by gently mixing just until it is uniformly combined.
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Storage / Freezing Information
To store: Place leftover Mediterranean meatballs in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 4 or 5 days.
To freeze: Store meatballs in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months.
What to Serve with Mediterranean Chicken Meatballs
- Roasted vegetables – Pair with a simple side of roasted Mediterranean vegetables for an easy weeknight meal.
- As an appetizer – Stick a few skewers or toothpicks in them and serve with a yogurt dip, like tzatziki for a simple starter.
- Grain bowls – Serve over rice or quinoa with roasted vegetables and a drizzle of yogurt sauce for an easy meal prep bowl. Try them with my Mediterranean chicken meal prep bowls for a similar combination.
- Mezze platters – Serve the meatballs as part of a mezze-style spread with olives, hummus, warm pita, and fresh vegetables. Great for entertaining or grazing-style meals.
- Sandwich – Tuck into a pita with hummus and tomatoes for a quick lunch.
Meatball Meal Prep
Because I generally make a double batch, it is much faster, and less messy, to bake them in the oven. Freeze a few portions for meal prepping or quick dinners for busy nights. Meatballs are a great make ahead meal option. They freeze beautifully and they are so versatile.
Variations and substitutions
- Fresh herbs – Swap out dried dill for double the amount of fresh dill.
- Dairy-free – Omit milk in panade and replace with chicken broth. Replace feta with a non-dairy/vegan option, or omit altogether.
- Gluten-free – Swap out panko for gluten-free breadcrumbs, or use gluten free bread and pulse in a food-processor to make fresh breadcrumbs.
- Greens – Add 1/4 cup of cooked spinach (squeezed dry and chopped) for a boost of vitamins.
Helpful tools and equipment
- Heavy duty sheet pans that hold up to high temps without warping.
- Parchment paper sheets are MUCH easier to use than tearing pieces off of a roll.
More meatball recipes
- Easy Weeknight Meatballs (beef)
- Thai Turkey Meatballs with Peanut Sauce
- Ricotta Meatballs (beef)
- Baked Turkey Meatballs
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Baked Mediterranean Chicken Meatballs
Ingredients
- ½ cup panko breadcrumbs
- ¼ cup whole milk
- 1 egg
- ¼ cup feta crumbled
- 1 ½ teaspoons dried dill or 1 tablespoon fresh dill
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 ½ lbs. ground chicken
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F / 190°C. In a medium mixing bowl, combine panko breadcrumbs and milk. Stir to combine. Line a sheet pan (baking sheet) with parchment paper, set aside.
- Add remaining ingredients, except the ground chicken, to the mixing bowl and mix until well combined.
- Add the ground chicken, and gently fold in until thoroughly combined.
- Using a scoop (or a spoon) measure out 1 ½ tablespoons of meatball mixture and gently shape into a ball.*Coating your hands with a little olive oil or water, will help to roll them smoothly and keep the meatballs from sticking to your hands.
- Place meatballs on parchment lined sheet pan and bake for approximately 20 minutes. Remove from oven and let meatballs cool on sheet pan for 5 minutes before serving.
Chef’s Notes
- If you prefer to sauté them in a pan, you can brown them, then finish baking them in the oven. Because I use a drop or two of oil on my hands when I roll them, the outside is coated with just a touch of olive oil which will help them brown in the oven.
- Clean hands are your best tools. However, if you prefer to wear gloves, use food grade gloves. The gloves will keep your hands clean, and adding a drop of water or oil to your hands while rolling will prevent sticking.
- Rotating your sheet pan halfway through baking will ensure they are evenly browned.
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer
Nutritional information is an estimate provided to you as a courtesy. Use your preferred nutritional calculator using the products and brands you are using for exact information.
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Originally published 3/17/19, most recent update 4/15/26.
These sound so good! I’ll definitely be trying them!
Thank you, Yvette!
I love these meatballs.
Thank you, Leighann! I’m so glad to hear you like them!
I just made these for my family and they LOVED them! So tender and flavorful that no one realized that they were chicken and not beef. This recipe is a keeper!
Thank you, Kirsten!!! I’m so happy that everyone liked them! <3