Baked Ground Chicken Meatballs (Cheesy & Saucy!)
Developed and tested by Robyn Conley Downs
on Feb 10, 2025 (last updated Sep 19, 2025) 
If you’re craving something cozy, cheesy, and ridiculously easy, these baked ground chicken meatballs in tomato sauce are your new go-to! Juicy, oven-baked, and tucked into a bubbling layer of tomato sauce and cheese, they’re just the kind of comfort food dinner that feels special and is ready in about 30 minutes.
5 star review
“This recipe is DELICIOUS! I made angel hair pasta to serve with the meatballs and sauce… it was like a healthier version of chicken parmesan! My whole family loved this meal. It will definitely be going in our regular dinner rotation!”
– Melissa
My Favorite Ground Chicken Meatball Casserole for Weeknight Dinners!
For this recipe, I wanted to create a simple, flavor-packed casserole that can be made ahead of time, and is exceptionally family-friendly, while also requiring no chopping & no pre-browning. A triple whammy! It’s a great way to use ground chicken without it drying out, annnnnnd a way to get a ton of flavor (no one like a dry or flavorless chicken meatball) without much effort. Now listen, I am admittedly a big fan of meatballs in general, both for their ease of prep, and the way they fill me up without weighing me down. And I especially love this ground chicken meatball recipe because it’s great for meal prep, and can be made in a big batch for now, or frozen for later.
Plus, it’s seriously the perfect recipe to use ground chicken in, because is gives you those meatball parm vibes without feeling too heavy. I personally love these cheesy baked chicken meatballs over pasta or with my simple garlic bread on the side. Or, for a lower carb option, add a side salad or some roasted vegggies and you’re good to go. P.S. If you love the savory flavors of this chicken meatballs casserole but want a variation with ground beef, you gotta try my cheesy baked beef meatballs that’s made completely on the stovetop.
Welcome to My Kitchen! Let’s Make a Ground Chicken Meatball Casserole
Tips to Making Flavorful, Juicy Chicken Meatballs
- Moist Chicken: Don’t overmix the ground chicken, which can make it dry. That’s why I mix all the dry ingredients in a bowl first, then add the chicken.
- Quality Marinara: Any good quality marinara sauce that you like the taste of is a great option, but I’m always going to be partial to my easy homemade marinara sauce. Since there are so few ingredients in this recipe, if you don’t like the flavor of your tomato sauce, you won’t like the taste of the final dish.
- Veg it Up: My pro tip? Add a few handfuls of baby spinach before you add the cheese to create a full one-pan meal, without needing to add a side.
- Perfect Meatballs: I form my meatballs with a 2-tablespoon cookie scoop for consistent sizes to make 6 servings with 4 meatballs each. Of course, if you like your meatballs larger, go big or go home!
Baked Ground Chicken Meatballs (Cheesy & Saucy!)
Ingredients
- ½ cup panko breadcrumbs
- ½ cup grated parmesan cheese
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon granulated garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon no-salt added Italian seasoning
- 1 large egg
- 1 pound ground chicken
- 24- oz marinara
- ½ cup shredded Italian cheese blend
Equipment
- 2-Tablespoon Cookie Scoop optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- To a large bowl, add the breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and Italian seasoning. Mix until well combined. Add the egg and mix again until well incorporated.
- Add the ground chicken and gently mix until the breadcrumb mixture is evenly distributed throughout the chicken, being careful not to overmix.
- Prepare a baking dish with olive oil cooking spray. Roll the chicken mixture into small balls, about 2 tablespoons of chicken mixture each. Place each meatball, evenly spaced, into the baking dish.
- Bake for 10 minutes.
- Remove from the oven, flip the meatballs, and pour over the marinara sauce. Sprinkle evenly with the cheese.
- Bake for an additional 10 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and the sauce is bubbling.
Notes
- Serving Size: This recipe makes about 24 meatballs, so about 5 servings of 4-5 meatballs with sauce.
- Moist Chicken: Don’t over-mix the ground chicken, which can make it dry. That’s why I mix all the dry ingredients in a bowl first, then add the chicken.
- Perfect Meatballs: I form my meatballs with a 2-tablespoon cookie scoop for consistent sizes. Of course, if you like your meatballs larger, go big or go home! You’ll just need to adjust the cook time accordingly.
Is there a cheese substitute? Can these be made without cheese
You can try substituting my cheese-free meatballs in this recipe and then topping the casserole with dairy-free mozzarella shreds. Hope that helps!
This recipe is DELICIOUS! I made angel hair pasta to serve with the meatballs and sauce… it was like a healthier version of chicken parmesan! For cheese, I used a combination of freshly grated mozzarella and parmesan because it’s what I had on hand, and it was perfect. My whole family loved this meal. It will definitely be going in our regular dinner rotation!
Melissa, yay, and I completely agree – I was definitely going for “healthy” meatball parm vibes with this recipe. Thanks so much for taking the timet o share your thoughts and for leaving a review!
So simple, great flavor, a keeper! Would not recommend using fridge temp marinara, as it really increased the bake time, but it’s what I had on hand.
Lauren, great tip about adding more time if using fridge temperature marinara, thanks for sharing and for leaving a review!
Great recipe! Our kids are beyond picky (sensory issues, autistic) and they loved these meatballs. An easy quick recipe that was also full of protein! Can’t thank you enough!
Kelly, yay, I’m so happy to hear these chicken meatballs were a hit with the whole family, including the one with sensory issues! Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts and leaving a review!