Calabrian Chicken Meatballs
Made with ground chicken, spicy Calabrian chili peppers, garlic, fresh basil, and two types of cheese, these Calabrian Chicken Meatballs are loaded with flavor! Great with your favorite pasta, or serve with toothpicks for an easy appetizer.
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I have started making a lot of chicken recipes in the last couple years.
One, chicken is healthier than beef and pork. Also, have you seen how inexpensive ground chicken is?
Because chicken isn’t usually super flavorful by itself, I’m incorporating some fresh garlic, fresh and dried herbs, crushed Calabrian chili peppers, and both mozzarella and parmesan cheese.
The result: awesome, flavorful meatballs that are good enough to eat by themselves, but absolutely wonderful on pasta or hoagie rolls for chicken parmesan meatballs subs!
What are crushed Calabrian chili peppers?
Crushed Calabrian chili peppers are whole Calabrian chili peppers that have been crushed and combined with oil, basil, salt, and vinegar.
These flavorful peppers add a spicy, piquant flavor to whatever you add them to.
Crushed Calabrian chili peppers come as a chunky, thick paste in a jar, which makes it easy to incorporate them into recipes.
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Ingredients needed to make this recipe (scroll down to recipe card for complete recipe):
- Ground chicken – not extra lean
- Egg
- Breadcrumbs – Italian or panko
- Garlic
- Crushed Calabrian chili peppers
- Mozzarella cheese
- Parmesan cheese
- Dried oregano
- Fresh basil
- Sea salt
How to serve Calabrian Chicken Meatballs
These delicious chicken meatballs are very versatile! Here are some different ways to serve them:
- Pasta and your favorite sauce is always a good idea!
- They make a perfect appetizer. Just serve with toothpicks!
- Make meatball sub sandwiches with marinara and mozzarella or provolone cheese, then bake them to get the cheese nice & melty.
- Serve them as part of a low-carb meal with roasted veggies and a salad.
- Place one meatball on a slider roll with some sauce and cheese then bake them for a fun dinner idea.
What else can I make with Calabrian chili peppers?
If you buy that wonderful jar of crushed Calabrian chili peppers and wonder what else you can make with it, we love:
Calabrian Chili Garlic Bread (shown below) and Cheesy Baked Spicy Italian Dip!
How long do chicken meatballs last? Can you freeze them?
The baked meatballs can be kept in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days.
Chicken meatballs can be frozen for up to 2 months.
Looking for more meatball recipes? Here are some favorites:
- Baked Chicken Parmesan Meatballs
- The Best Italian Meatballs
- Slow Cooker Spicy Korean Meatballs (shown below)
- Baked Italian Chicken Meatballs
NOTES:
- If you can’t find crushed Calabrian chili peppers in the store, you can get them HERE from Amazon.
- In the photo shown below, the meatballs are served with penne pasta in a rose sauce and topped with shredded parmesan cheese and chiffonade fresh basil.
Calabrian Chicken Meatballs
Equipment
- baking sheet
Ingredients
- 1 lb. ground chicken regular, not extra lean
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup breadcrumbs Italian or Panko
- 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella
- 1/4 cup shredded parmesan
- 2 tbsp crushed Calabrian chilies
- 1/2 tsp. dried oregano
- 5 fresh basil leaves chopped or chiffonade
- 3-4 garlic cloves minced
- 1/2 tsp. sea salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°. Either spray a baking sheet with cooking spray or use parchment paper.
- Combine all of the ingredient in a large bowl. When fully incorporated, grab small handfuls and roll into meatballs. I get about 15 golf ball-sized meatballs.
- Bake meatballs on baking sheet for 20 minutes.
- These meatballs are great with pasta, served as appetizers with toothpicks, or on hoagie rolls for meatball subs with marinara and cheese! Enjoy!
Did you make this recipe? Rate it and let me know in the comments below! ♥
I also have a fun Facebook group for us foodies to share recipes and talk about food. I’d love to have you! Request to join HERE. Cheers!
