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These tender and flavorful Greek chicken meatballs feature a blend of fresh herbs and spices. Bake them until golden brown and serve them with roasted Greek vegetables and whipped feta. Or drizzle them with creamy Tzatziki sauce!
Want to try another meatball recipe? Try these air fryer meatballs, firecracker meatballs, or buffalo chicken meatballs.
Table of Contents
Greek food is one of our favorite cuisines to make during the week because it’s always healthy and flavorful. It’s why our Instant Pot Greek Chicken and Rice and One Pan Greek Chicken are so popular! And I’m sure this greek chicken meatball recipe will be no different!
Why You’ll Love These Greek Meatballs
- The most flavorful meatballs, but still healthy. They’re not lacking in flavor because of the fresh herbs and spices.
- It’s easy to meal prep! Store leftovers in an airtight container with veggies or rice for a quick lunch.
- They’re easy to make dairy-free and gluten-free.
- Great recipe for weeknights: It takes less than 30 minutes to make!
And if you love all these reasons, then try these Greek turkey burgers next.
Grab these Ingredients
Here are the simple ingredients for this greek meatball recipe. They’re affordable and easy to find in the grocery store. Jump down to the recipe card for exact measurements.
Greek Meatballs
- Lean ground chicken: you can also use ground turkey if you have that on hand.
- Breadcrumbs: We tested this recipe with both panko breadcrumbs and traditional breadcrumbs. Both were delicious, but we loved the traditional breadcrumbs best. We’ve also tested this with blanched almond flour if you need a grain-free option.
- Shallot: this variety of onions is small and mild. I love using this in recipes like meatballs or dressings because they don’t need to be cooked first to mellow out the bite. Learn how to mince shallots.
- Herbs/spices: garlic, oregano, parsley, basil, thyme, and dill make the best Greek seasoning. Use fresh herbs if possible, but dried herbs work too (measurements will vary).
- Lemon juice: I always had some sort of acid to my dishes to bring balance, and lemon juice is the perfect ingredient for Greek recipes.
- Fresh mint, parsley, or feta cheese, for topping.
Whipped Feta or Homemade Tzatziki Sauce
- Tzatziki (cucumber yogurt sauce): I like to use a mixture of paleo mayo and coconut cream to keep this dairy-free, but traditional Greek yogurt is a great option. You’ll also need english cucumber, garlic, dill, lemon, olive oil, and salt.
- Whipped Feta: feta cheese, greek yogurt, and olive oil.
How to Make Greek Chicken Meatballs
The full recipe is below, but let’s walk through the steps with some photos and a video so you have a clear idea of what to expect. These delicious greek chicken meatballs are really easy and these step-by-step instructions will make sure it turns out every time.
Soak breadcrumbs: Place the breadcrumbs in a large bowl and pour in the milk. Stir and let stand for 5 minutes to allow the breadcrumbs to absorb the liquid.
Meatball mixture: Add the remaining ingredients including the shallot, garlic, red pepper flakes, ground chicken, cheese, and herbs. Use clean hands to mix it well until all of the ingredients are evenly distributed.
Roll meatballs: Use a large cookie scoop to form the meat mixture into approximately 15, 2-ounce balls, packing them tightly. Wet your hands with water to prevent it from sticking.
Bake: Place the meatballs on a large sheet pan and drizzle lightly with olive oil. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until golden, and the internal temperature reaches 165°F. Using a meath thermometer to determine when they’re done is ideal for best results.
Alternate Option: Sear them on the stove: Add the prepared meatballs to a large skillet over medium heat with hot olive oil. Sear them until they’re crisp and cooked through, about 8-10 minutes, turning them 2-3 times.
Video: Watch How to Make Greek Meatballs
Expert Tips
- Wet your fingertips with a bit of water if you find the meatballs are sticking to your hands too much.
- Use fresh herbs when you can, it makes a difference!
- Use a meat thermometer to know when the meatballs are done. They should reach an internal temp of 165°F.
- Don’t get the skillet too hot! The outside of the meatballs will sear and get crispy before the inside of the meatballs are cooked all the way through.
Recipe FAQs
To make chicken meatballs, combine ground chicken, breadcrumbs, cheese, and seasonings.
Meatballs become tough when you overwork the mixture or pack them too tightly. mix everything until just combined and roll them into tight balls, without squishing them too much.
Lean chicken doesn’t have much fat, which often helps meatballs stay together. Soaking the breadcrumbs with milk adds moisture and helps them bind together. Additionally, adding fat, like olive oil, to the meat mixture will compensate for the missing fat in ground beef. We tested this with an egg as well, which helped bind them, but we prefer them as written (no egg).
What to Serve with Greek Chicken Meatballs
- Classic greek salad with tomatoes, onion, kalamata olives, and greek dressing.
- Roasted greek vegetables (one of my favorite ways): throw zucchini, eggplant, red onion and bell peppers on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil and salt. Bake at 425°F for about 30 minutes.
- Cucumber tomato and avocado salad (see notes in the blog post to add greek flavors to it).
- Garlic roasted mini peppers
- Air fryer asparagus
- Lemon Orzo (make the orzo only in this skillet lemon chicken orzo recipe)
Storage Tips
Store leftover meatballs in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Reheat in the microwave, oven, or air fryer until heated through. To freeze, allow the cooked meatballs to cool completely, flash freeze on a parchment-lined baking sheet for 2 hours then transfer to a freezer-safe storage bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Bake or air fry from frozen at 3755°F until heated through.
More Healthy Greek Recipes
Greek Chicken Meatballs
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Ingredients
Greek Chicken Meatballs
- 1/2 cup breadcrumbs, gluten-free if needed (Note 2)
- 1/2 cup milk any kind
- 1 1/2 pounds ground chicken
- 1 small shallot minced
- 4 cloves minced garlic
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese (Note 3 Dairy-Free)
- 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 2 Tablespoons fresh chopped basil (1 teaspoon dried)
- 2 Tablespoons fresh chopped parsley (1 teaspoon dried)
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano (2 Tablespoons fresh)
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme (1 Tablespoon fresh)
- 1/2 teaspoon dried dill (1 Tablespoon fresh)
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes optional
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Toppings: Crumbled feta cheese, kalamata olives or parsley
Whipped Feta (Note 4 Tzatziki)
- 8 ounces feta cheese
- 1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450°F and position the oven rack to the top position. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and oil lightly.
- Place the breadcrumbs in a large mixing bowl and pour in the milk. Stir and let stand for 5 minutes to allow the breadcrumbs to absorb the liquid.
- Add the remaining ingredients including the shallot, garlic, red pepper flakes, ground chicken, cheese, and herbs. Use clean hands to mix it well until all of the ingredients are evenly distributed.
- Use a large cookie scoop to form the meatball mixture into approximately 15, 2-ounce balls, packing them tightly. Wet your hands with water to prevent it from sticking.
- Place the meatballs on the prepared baking sheet and drizzle lightly with olive oil. Bake for 15-18 minutes, until golden, and the internal temperature reaches 165°F.
- To make the whipped feta, add all of the ingredients to a high-speed blender or food processor and blend until smooth, 2-3 minutes. Add more milk 1 Tablespoon at a time if it's too thick.
Notes
- ¾ cup mayo (we use Primal Kitchen)
- ¼ full-fat canned coconut milk shaken to mix together
- OR sub mayo and coconut milk for 1 cup plain greek yogurt
- 1 grated English cucumber
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon fresh dill or 1 teaspoon dried dill
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- Use 1/2 cup almond flour instead of breadcrumbs
- Omit the parsley, dill and thyme
- Add 1 large egg
- Sear the meatballs in olive oil over medium-high heat for 8-10 minutes, turning 2-3 times until golden brown.
Video
Equipment
- Large baking sheet (Note 1 Skillet)
- Large Mixing Bowl
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Could I make the meatballs ahead of time and freeze? How long can the whipped feta stay in the fridge? Will either of these change the flavors? Thank you!
Hey Nancy! Yes, I actually have some in our freezer right now. You can bake straight from frozen at 400 for 15 ish minutes or air fry them at 375 for about 8 minutes. The feta will stay fresh for up to 4 days. Thanks!
So delicious! Will definitely make these again! I did reduce the amount of feta and added more yogurt and some sour cream. I served it with a Greek type salad and I couldn’t have been happier with how it turned out.
Thanks, Ann! I’m working on a grilled greek chicken next that I think you’ll love!
How to yo temper the saltiness of the Feta cheese?
I was skeptical on these meatballs. I am a beef kind of gal and questioned if these would be any good. Boy were they! I did add a couple tablespoons almond milk to the almond flour to make sure they would be nice and moist. Loved these with the sauce and made greek vegetables for the side. Delicious!
Question….
The suggested sides ding include the recipe for the side pictured (roasted potatoes) with the meatballs. I tried searching the site but don’t see any recipes that match. Can you please provide the link or recipe?
Hey Erica! If you scroll up in the body of the post there are quick directions for the roasted greek veggies! Just add potatoes in there as well:)