Chicken Zucchini Meatballs
These fresh and quick chicken zucchini meatballs are a great way to enjoy an easy summertime dinner. After the meatballs are seared, a flavorful tomato sauce is created in the same pan. Whether served alone or on a bed of pasta, the meatballs and tomato sauce are the essence of summertime ingredients!
Servings: 20 meatballs
Ingredients
For the meatballs
- 2 cups grated zucchini
- 1 pound ground chicken
- ½ cup fresh breadcrumbs
- ¼ cup whole milk
- 1 large egg beaten
- 2 teaspoons dried Italian seasoning
- ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese plus more to serve
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
For the tomato sauce
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic thinly sliced
- 1 pound grape tomatoes sliced in half
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup basil leaves separated
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- Drain the zucchini: Place the grated zucchini in cheesecloth or a kitchen towel. Squeeze the zucchini to release and discard excess liquid, about ¼ to ⅓ cup. Place the drained zucchini into a large bowl.2 cups grated zucchini
- Make the meatballs: Add the ground chicken, breadcrumbs, milk, egg, Italian seasoning, Parmesan cheese, black pepper, and kosher salt. Mix the ingredients together until they are well combined. Using a #40 cookie scoop, slightly overfilled (about 2 tablespoons), make meatballs and roll into a ball. Place the meatballs on the prepared baking sheet, about 20-22 meatballs.1 pound ground chicken, ½ cup fresh breadcrumbs, ¼ cup whole milk, 1 large egg, 2 teaspoons dried Italian seasoning, ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- Brown the meatballs: Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large 12-inch skillet. Once the oil is hot, brown the meatballs in two batches, turning to brown on all sides, 2 minutes per side. They will not be cooked all the way through. Return the partially cooked meatballs to the baking sheet.2 tablespoons olive oil
- Make the tomato sauce: When all the meatballs are browned, add the sliced garlic to the warm skillet. Cook for 1 minute until the garlic is fragrant. Then add the sliced grape tomatoes. Sprinkle with kosher salt and half of the basil leaves. Cook over medium heat until the tomatoes begin to burst, 4-6 minutes.2 cloves garlic, 1 pound grape tomatoes, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, 1 cup basil leaves
- Bake and finish: Once the tomatoes burst, add all of the meatballs to the skillet on top of the sauce and place the skillet into the preheated 375°F oven. Bake until the internal temperature of the meatballs registers 160°F, 8-12 minutes. If serving with pasta, cook the pasta during this time. When baked, tear the remaining basil leaves on top, grate fresh Parmesan cheese, lemon zest, and serve.1 teaspoon lemon zest
Video
Notes
- The best zucchini for this recipe are small to medium in size. But if you have a large zucchini that you’d like to use, simply slice it in half and remove any of the interior seeds. Then grate the zucchini as you would a smaller size.
- While it may seem like an extra step, make sure to squeeze out the excess liquid from the zucchini. This will create a much better chicken meatball once cooked, as less liquid will be in each meatball.
- Crack the egg into a separate bowl to ensure that no shell makes it into the meatball mixture. Then beat with a fork to ensure the yolk and whites are combined. If the egg is not beaten separately from the meat mixture, it can be difficult to ensure both parts of the egg are evenly distributed.
- To ensure the meatballs are fully cooked, make sure to check the temperature before removing them from the oven. The interior temperature of each meatball should be 160°F.
Nutrition
Serving: 4meatballs | Calories: 297kcal