Baked Spicy Chicken Parm Meatballs (Printable)

Juicy spicy chicken meatballs baked in marinara with melted mozzarella cheese

# Components:

→ For the Meatballs

01 - 1 lb ground chicken
02 - 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
03 - 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
04 - 1 large egg
05 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
06 - 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
07 - 1/2 teaspoon salt
08 - 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
09 - 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
10 - 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
11 - 1 teaspoon onion powder
12 - 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
13 - 2 tablespoons hot sauce

→ For Baking

14 - 2 cups marinara sauce
15 - 1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
16 - 2 tablespoons olive oil

# Directions:

01 - Preheat oven to 400°F. Lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking dish with 1 tablespoon olive oil.
02 - In a large mixing bowl, combine ground chicken, breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, egg, minced garlic, fresh parsley, salt, black pepper, smoked paprika, cayenne pepper, onion powder, dried oregano, and hot sauce. Mix until just combined without overmixing.
03 - Using damp hands, form the mixture into 1 1/2-inch meatballs and place on a plate. Approximately 16 meatballs will form.
04 - Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add meatballs and brown for 2 to 3 minutes per side, working in batches if necessary. Meatballs do not need to be fully cooked at this stage.
05 - Spread half the marinara sauce in the prepared baking dish. Arrange browned meatballs on top in a single layer. Spoon remaining sauce evenly over the meatballs.
06 - Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes.
07 - Remove from oven and sprinkle mozzarella cheese evenly over the meatballs. Return to oven and bake for 10 to 12 minutes until cheese is melted and bubbly and internal temperature reaches 165°F.
08 - Allow to rest for 5 minutes before serving. Garnish with fresh parsley if desired.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The mozzarella gets all melted and stretchy while the sauce keeps everything impossibly tender—it's the opposite of dry chicken.
  • You get that spicy kick without it being aggressively hot, and you can dial it up or down depending on your mood.
  • It comes together in under an hour, tastes like you spent way more time in the kitchen than you actually did.
02 -
  • Don't skip the browning step—it sounds optional but it's where the meatballs develop real flavor instead of tasting like steamed chicken.
  • Check the internal temperature before calling them done; ground chicken needs to hit 165 degrees to be safe, and it looks done before it actually is.
03 -
  • Wet hands when forming meatballs prevent sticking and make the whole process less annoying than you'd think.
  • Browning them in the skillet first adds flavor that makes the difference between meh and actually good.
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