These Greek chicken meatballs are light and perfectly spiced. They are seasoned with sun-dried tomatoes, feta cheese, and aromatic spices. Spice up your meatball game and try these delicious meatballs!
I love to serve these meatballs with tzatziki sauce, lemon garlic rice, and a simple tomato cucumber salad.
Ingredients
Below you will find information about the ingredients and how to prepare the recipe. For the measurements and detailed instructions scroll down to the printable recipe card.
Here´s what you need to make this easy recipe:
- Ground chicken: I highly recommend ground boneless chicken thighs for this recipe but you can use any type of ground meat for this recipe that you have on hand for example ground turkey, ground beef, a mix of ground beef and pork, or a mix of ground beef and chicken. I think the delicate flavor of chicken pairs well with all the aromatic seasonings. It´s a good way to season lean ground chicken so that it tastes great.
- Sun-dried tomatoes – must be from a jar in oil. You don´t have to rehydrate them, they taste better, and we are also using aromatic oil from the jar to flavor lean chicken meat.
- Feta cheese – a must for this recipe, it adds so much flavor to the meatballs.
- Seasonings: oregano, cumin, lemon zest, onion powder (you could also add raw grated onion or sauteed onion instead), fresh chopped dill, and parsley.
- Breadcrumbs and milk for the panade that will make meatballs more moist and help them hold their shape.
- Eggs – help the meatball mixture hold its shape.
Step-by-step instructions
Make the panade: To a small bowl, add breadcrumbs and milk. Let sit for a minute until the milk is absorbed, then mash until smooth.
Add the panade, ground chicken, and all the other ingredients (except feta cheese) for the meatballs to a large mixing bowl. Please add salt to your liking, it’s a personal preference. I prefer well-salted foods, but your preferred salt levels may be different.
Mix well for about 5 minutes using either your hands or using a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. In the beginning, the mixture may seem too loose but after some time it should nicely hold its shape. When the meat mixture is ready, gently mix in feta cheese.
Scoop the meat mixture onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Roll the balls between your hands.
Cook meatballs until the internal temperature reaches 165°F (74°C).
In a pan: heat frying oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the meatballs about 1 – 1 1/2 inches (4cm) apart. Cook until browned on all sides and cooked through in the middle.
In the oven: Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C). Place the meatballs on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, they should be spaced apart. Bake for 13-15 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 165°F (74°C). The baking time may vary depending on the oven and the size of the meatballs.
In an air fryer: cook the meatballs in the air fryer for about 10 minutes at 425°F (220°C). Please note that this recipe was tested in a countertop oven with an air fryer setting (in an air fryer basket) and I feel that it cooks food more slowly than regular smaller air-fryer models. Please adjust the cooking time to your appliance.
Enjoy!
Difference between cooking methods: In terms of flavor, all types of meatballs taste similar. Pan-fried meatballs are of course more crispy and the outside has the most flavor because of the browning. Baked meatballs are slightly more juicy than pan-fried meatballs. Air-fried meatballs are slightly better than baked meatballs because they are slightly more browned on the outside.
Sides for Greek chicken meatballs
I love serving this recipe with tzatziki sauce, lemon garlic rice, and a simple tomato cucumber salad. You can choose other sides if you like.
You will find the recipes for these sides in a recipe card below the recipe card for the meatballs at the bottom of the post. I also have a separate post on tzatziki sauce and lemon garlic rice if you´d like to have more details.
Storage
These meatballs reheat well and taste as good the next day. You can reheat them in the oven at 325°F (160°C) until warm or in an air fryer.
Keep them in the fridge for up to 3-4 days.
More meatball recipes
Did you make this recipe? RATE THE RECIPE or tell me in the COMMENTS how you liked it! You can also add a photo of your dish. It would make me very happy and will help other readers. Thank you!!
Greek Chicken Meatballs
Ingredients
- 2 pounds (900g) ground chicken*
- 1/4 cup (30g) fine breadcrumbs
- 1/4 cup (60ml) milk
- 2 eggs
- 1 tablespoon oregano
- zest grated from 1 lemon
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1/4 cup finely chopped sun-dried tomatoes from a jar
- 1 tablespoon oil from the sun-dried tomato jar
- 3 cloves garlic pressed
- 1 1/2 teaspoons onion powder
- 1 tablespoon chopped dill
- 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
- 1 tablespoon fine sea salt or to your taste!
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup (65g) crumbled feta cheese
- 2 tablespoons frying oil if cooking the meatballs in a pan
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Instructions
- Make the panade: To a small bowl, add breadcrumbs and milk. Let sit for a minute until the milk is absorbed, then mash until smooth.
- Add the panade, ground chicken, and all the other ingredients (except feta cheese) for the meatballs to a large mixing bowl. Please add salt to your liking, it’s a personal preference. I prefer well-salted foods, but your preferred salt levels may be different.
- Mix well for about 5 minutes using either your hands or using a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. In the beginning, the mixture may seem too loose but after some time it should nicely hold its shape. When the meat mixture is ready, gently mix in feta cheese.
- Scoop the meat mixture onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Roll the balls between your hands.
- Cook meatballs until the internal temperature reaches 165°F (74°C).
- In a pan: heat frying oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the meatballs about 1 – 1 1/2 inches (4cm) apart. Cook until browned on all sides and cooked through in the middle.
- In the oven: Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C). Place the meatballs on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, they should be spaced apart. Bake for 13-15 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 165°F (74°C). The baking time may vary depending on the oven and the size of the meatballs.
- In an air fryer: cook the meatballs in the air fryer for about 10 minutes at 425°F (220°C). Please note that this recipe was tested in a countertop oven with an air fryer setting (in an air fryer basket) and I feel that it cooks food more slowly than regular smaller air-fryer models. Please adjust the cooking time to your appliance.
- Enjoy!
Notes
- Ground chicken: I highly recommend ground boneless chicken thighs for this recipe but you can use any type of ground meat for this recipe that you have on hand for example ground turkey, ground beef, a mix of ground beef and pork or a mix of ground beef and chicken. I think the delicate flavor of chicken pairs well with all the aromatic seasonings. It´s a good way to season lean ground chicken so that it tastes great.
- Difference between cooking methods: In terms of flavor, all types of meatballs taste similar. Pan-fried meatballs are of course more crispy and the outside has the most flavor because of the browning. Baked meatballs are slightly more juicy than pan-fried meatballs. Air-fried meatballs are slightly better than baked meatballs because they are slightly more browned on the outside.
- Calories: 1 serving (6 meatballs – 1/4 of the recipe). This is only an estimate!
Recipes for tzatziki sauce, lemon garlic rice, and cucumber tomato salad
Ingredients
tzatziki:
- 1 English cucumber
- 1 1/2 cups (370g) Greek yogurt
- 1 clove garlic grated
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 teaspoons white wine vinegar or to your taste, depending how sharp you want your tzatziki sauce
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped dill
- salt and pepper to taste
lemon garlic rice:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil or butter
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 1/2 cups (270g) uncooked long-grain rice
- 2 1/4 cups chicken broth
- zest of 1/2 lemon
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
- salt and pepper to taste
tomato cucumber salad:
- 1/2 English cucumber
- 3 medium tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
- 1 teaspoon honey
- salt and pepper to taste
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Instructions
Lemon garlic rice:
- Finely chop garlic (preferably with a knife and not a garlic press). Heat the olive oil in a medium pot over low heat. When hot add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds until fragrant.
- Add the rice and cook, stirring, for about 30-60 seconds, until all the rice grains are coated in oil.
- Add chicken broth, close the pot with a tightly-fitting lid (preferably transparent so you can see when the rice starts to boil), bring to a boil then reduce the temperature to low and cook for 14 minutes.
- Take the pot off the heat and leave it (covered) to rest for 10 minutes.
- Fluff the rice with a spatula or wooden spoon and season with lemon zest, lemon juice, parsley, salt, and pepper. Stir gently until combined.
Tzatziki:
- Peel the cucumber and grate it on the large holes of a box grater. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of salt and let stand for about 20 minutes to help draw out moisture from the cucumber
- Wrap the grated cucumber in a clean kitchen cloth and wring as much water as possible. Discard the water.
- In a medium bowl, combine drained cucumbers, Greek yogurt, grated garlic clove, olive oil, vinegar, lemon juice, and finely chopped dill.
- Season the sauce with salt and pepper.
Tomato cucumber salad:
- Cut cucumber and tomatoes into small cubes.
- Combine with olive oil, lemon juice, parsley, and honey. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
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