Chicken Pesto Meatballs
Published May 22, 2024
- Total Time
- 25 minutes
- Prep Time
- 5 minutes
- Cook Time
- 20 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
Advertisement
Ingredients
- ¾cup homemade or store-bought pesto, plus more for serving
- ½cup panko bread crumbs
- 1large egg
- Salt and black pepper
- Red-pepper flakes
- 1pound ground chicken
- ½cup grated Parmesan
Preparation
- Step 1
Heat the oven to 400 degrees.
- Step 2
Add pesto, panko, egg, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon black pepper and a pinch of red pepper to a bowl and mix to combine, ensuring the panko is fully moistened. Add chicken and cheese and mix until just combined, being careful not to overmix.
- Step 3
Form the meat mixture into 15 small balls (about 2 tablespoons each) and place onto a baking sheet. Bake meatballs for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and let rest for 5 minutes.
- Step 4
Serve with extra pesto sauce on the side or with pesto-coated pasta.
- Alternatively, pan-fry meatballs over medium heat on the stovetop in a little oil until golden brown.
Private Notes
Comments
Just coming back to let you know that I made a double batch last week and froze them raw on a cookie sheet before adding to freezer bags. Last night I removed 4 and cooked them from frozen in the air fryer for 15 min and they were perfect!
Absolutely delicious and so easy. Used ground turkey because that is what we always have on hand. If ever there was a use for Costco pesto, this is it. Served on a spinach salad with tomato and fresh mozzarella with a little drizzle of pesto thinned with a bit of olive oil (also Costco brand). Will definitely make again.
These were delicious! I’m thinking of flattening them out a bit next time and using them for chicken caprese sliders, or maybe burgers if I make them bigger - has anyone tried making them as burgers? Any tips?
Thank you, Dan Pelosi; these meatballs are superb! I've made them twice and now can't wait to make them again. They're so easy to mix, they bake quickly, and they are delicious over fettuccine with the green pan juices drizzled over. I'm going to make 1-tablespoon balls to serve as an appetizer. Oh, and I agree with the reviewer who mentioned Costco pesto. I've always loved its flavor, and it works so well in this recipe. I freeze it in small batches and use it in many dishes.
I made these as specified minus the added extra salt and they were fabulous! They went fast at an appetizer event with many people commenting on how great they were. I needed to make them about an hour ahead of time and transport them, so they were served at room temp and were just fine. However, the one I had hot right out of that 5 minute rest time hot was downright amazing! Highly recommend as a quick, tasty, and small or large crowd pleasing meal.
These are so easy and so good. I made a quick pan sauce for them with chicken stock and cream, let it simmer to thicken, and stirred maybe a tablespoon or so more extra pesto into it at the end. Served with the meatballs over rice.