These Mini Chicken Parm Meatballs Are Cute and Delicious

Raise your hand if you love chicken Parmesan. The combination of pan-fried chicken, melted mozzarella, and warm tomato sauce is a tried-and-true classic. This recipe, however, takes that trio and turns it on its head. Instead of serving individual chicken breasts for dinner tonight, try making these mini meatballs instead.

This dish is basically the love child of meatballs with marinara sauce and chicken Parmesan. You mix ground chicken, panko breadcrumbs, Parmesan, eggs, and dried spices; form the mixture into balls; and stuff each with some fresh mozzarella. After a quick flour dredge, you crisp the meatballs in a skillet until they get that delicious golden-brown crust, and then finish them off in the oven. While the meatballs are cooking, you can make a super-simple tomato sauce (or open a jar of your favorite store-bought sauce).

The recipe yields around 40 mini meatballs, so you can either eat some now and then freeze the rest for future dinners, or you can serve them all as an appetizer at your next party with toothpicks and tomato sauce for dipping.

Between the mozzarella stuffed inside and the Parmesan throughout, these cheesy meatballs just might be better than the dish that inspired them!

→ Get the Recipe: Chicken Parmesan Meatballs from Chelsea’s Messy Apron