These chicken zucchini meatballs are probably one of our favorite meatball recipes to make at home. They’re a little different than your classic beef meatball, since they’re lighter in flavor and texture. Often chicken meatballs can be rubbery or dry, but not these! After multiple rounds of recipe testing, we found that grating zucchini and then wringing out the excess moisture in a clean dish towel was the secret ingredient to making the most tender meatball.
The other reason we love these meatballs is they are incredible easy to meal prep, the kids even like to help scoop and roll them before baking. If you love an easy chicken recipe, be sure to also try our slow cooker chicken stroganoff or bbq chicken sliders.
Why you’ll love this recipe
- Best meal prep recipe. Both kids and adults love these chicken zucchini meatballs. They happen to freeze beautifully so we love to make a big batch and freeze half to reheat at a later date.
- Easy to customize with delicious flavors. You can add other herbs and spices like parsley, dill, coriander, or mustard to the ground chicken base for a twist.
- Simple 30 minute meatball recipe with little mess. These chicken meatballs use just a single bowl and are baked in the oven making cleanup quick.
Tips for Busy Cooks
We recommend using a cookie scoop to shape the meatballs quickly and evenly. This is so much faster than rolling by hand that your meatballs will be finished in no time!
Key Ingredient Notes
- Zucchini – You want to buy a large zucchini here. This adds moisture to the chicken mixture so the meatballs aren’t dry.
- Ground chicken or turkey – The base of the recipe, choose your favorite.
- Egg – Binds the mixture together.
- Panko breadcrumbs – Absorbs excess liquid to also help shape the meat mixture.
- Grated parmesan cheese – Adds a slight cheesy flavor and also seasons the meatballs.
- Garlic cloves – A required ingredient always in meatballs, infuses with the garlicky flavor we all love.
- Dried Italian seasoning – Adds nice herb flavor.
- Pesto pasta – We love to serve these zucchini meatballs with a pesto pasta. Any other types of pasta will work well too.
How to make chicken zucchini meatballs
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper for easy clean-up, if desired.
Step 1: Grate the zucchini on a box grater.
Step 2: Place the shredded zucchini in cheesecloth and gently squeeze out the juices. You’ll get about 2 tablespoons of juice.
Tips for Busy Cooks
Take it from my experience: Paper towels rip and don’t work well. It’s best to use cheesecloth or a kitchen towel.
Step 3: In a large bowl, combine grated zucchini, chicken, egg, Panko, parmesan, garlic, Italian seasoning, and salt.
Step 4: Mix the mixture with your hands until well combined.
Step 5: Shape the meatballs using a medium cookie scoop.
Step 6: Arrange them on a baking sheet lined with foil or parchment paper.
Step 7: If desired, roll the meatballs between your palms to smooth out the surface. (TIP: Wet your hands with water if the meat sticks to your hands.)
Step 8: Bake for about 15 minutes, or until an inserted thermometer reads 165°F.
Expert Tips:
- Shred the zucchini on the large holes of a box grater. If you shred the zucchini too fine, you could make the meatballs mushy and wet in texture.
- Make sure you squeeze the zucchini out to remove excess moisture before adding to the ground chicken mixture. We’ve tested this recipe with squeezed zucchini and just shredded zucchini and tasted them side by side. And although you don’t squeeze that much juice out of the zucchini, it does make a difference. The meatballs with just shredded zucchini were more mushy than tender.
- If you are rolling the meatballs by hand, wet your hands lightly to help with shaping. This will prevent the meat mixture from sticking.
- Use a meat thermometer to check when the meatballs are finished cooking. You will want to temp them to 165ºF and they’ll also be lightly golden brown on top. This is how you know they’re done.
- For easy cleanup, line your baking sheet with parchment paper. This makes these meatballs pretty much mess free.
- Change up the flavors with other herbs and spices. We love to also add chopped parsley, dill, coriander, even feta or pine nuts to the ground chicken mixture. You can have fun with the flavors!
What to serve with chicken zucchini meatballs
These meatballs are so versatile they can be paired with several different dishes. We love to eat them with a simple pesto pasta but you can also serve them with:
- Greek orzo pasta salad
- Caprese pasta salad
- Fettuccine alfredo (just swap out the salmon)
- Mashed potatoes
- Oven roasted vegetables
Storing Tips and Meal Prep
Store any leftover meatballs in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. You can also freeze the meatballs easily for up to 2 months. This makes for one of our favorite meal prep recipes.
Thaw in the fridge overnight then reheat in the oven or microwave for a few minutes until warmed through.
FAQs
If you are adding shredded zucchini into the meatballs, be sure to wring them out fully in a clean kitchen towel to remove excess moisture.
This is because there isn’t as much fat in ground chicken or turkey. To solve this problem we like to add egg and parmesan cheese. Also shredded zucchini helps to add moisture into the meat mixture as well.
We love to serve them with a simple pesto pasta. A pasta with marinara sauce is also delicious as well as a pasta salad with lots of vegetables or herbs.
More Delicious Chicken Recipes
Chicken Zucchini Meatballs
Ingredients
- 1 large zucchini about 200g
- 1 lb ground chicken or turkey
- 1 large egg
- ½ cup Panko breadcrumbs
- ½ cup grated parmesan cheese
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 2 teaspoons dried Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
- Pesto pasta for serving
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper for easy clean-up, if desired.
- Grate the zucchini on a box grater. Place the shredded zucchini in a cheesecloth and squeeze the juices out. You’ll get about 2 tablespoons of juice.
- In a large bowl, combine grated zucchini, chicken, egg, Panko, parmesan, garlic, Italian seasoning, and salt.
- Mix the mixture with your hands until well combined.
- Using a medium cookie scoop, shape the meatballs and arrange them on a baking sheet lined with foil or a silicone mat. (I usually get about 50 1-inch meatballs.)
- If desired, roll the meatballs between your palms to smooth out the surface. (TIP: Wet your hands with water if the meat sticks to your hands.)
- Bake for about 15 minutes, or until inserted thermometer reads 165°F.
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Notes
– Store any leftover meatballs in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. You can also freeze the meatballs easily for up to 2 months. This makes for one of our favorite meal prep recipes.
– Thaw in the fridge overnight then reheat in the oven or microwave for a few minutes until warmed through.
Nutrition
* Disclaimer: All nutrition information are estimates only. Read full nutrition disclosure.
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