Tender, versatile Greek Chicken Meatballs are easy to make and packed with delicious Mediterranean flavors. Serve in bowls, salads, or pita with your favorite veggies and drizzles of tzatziki or homemade Greek dressing. I love to bake them for the hands-off convenience, but they’re easy to pan fry, as well.

Bowl of Greek chicken meatballs served with lettuce and veggies.

These meatballs just might win the prize for MVP of your weekly meal plan — most valuable and most versatile player. They are quick and easy to make but still have tons of fresh quality ingredients.

Using lean ground chicken keeps them healthy yet full of protein, and they are so dang delicious, whether you add them to a salad, stuff them into a tender pita bread, or pile on a plate with your favorite Mediterranean-inspired sides.

Ingredients & Common Substitutions

Labeled photo of prep bowls holding ground chicken, lemon juice, mint, dill, oregano, salt and pepper, red onion, garlic, feta, and Panko.

Here are a few notes and shopping tips about the ingredients you’ll need to make this, as well as possible substitutions. Full ingredients & amounts are in the recipe card below.

  • Ground chicken: Lean and quick cooking. You can use ground chicken breast, chicken thighs, or a mixture. I’ve written this recipe for 2 pounds of meat, which does yield a fairly large batch. You can cut it in half if preferred. You can also substitute ground turkey if you like with no other changes.
  • Panko breadcrumbs: Adds texture and helps the meatballs hold together. No Panko? Substitute regular breadcrumbs instead. Prefer to keep this gluten-free? Use any gluten-free breadcrumb you like.
  • Crumbled feta cheese: Adds a delicious creaminess and mildly salty flavor directly into the meatballs. Don’t love feta? Just leave it out.
  • Red onion: Slightly tangy, slightly sweet, absolutely perfect. Substitute shallot, yellow onion, or sweet onion if you like.
  • One egg.
  • Garlic: Fresh minced garlic is ideal. Jarred is a good substitute. Use garlic powder if needed. The rule is about 1/8 teaspoon of garlic powder to replace 1 minced clove.
  • Fresh herbs: Mint and dill are an amazing combination with Mediterranean dishes in general. But if you don’t have these it’s OK–the meatballs will still be very flavorful without them.
  • Lemon juice: A little goes a long way to freshen up and bring out all the other flavors here. Feel free to substitute or add extra lemon zest, too, if you really like lemon.
  • Spices — dried oregano, salt, and black pepper: Why dried oregano? I just find it mixes in better, and the flavor is so important, I like to be sure there’s a little in every bite. Feel free to use fresh if you have it — just be sure you use A LOT of it. 🙂

How To Make Greek Meatballs with Chicken

This is an overview with step-by-step photos. Full instructions with timing & temperatures are in the recipe card below.

Step One: Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl, beginning with the egg, so that you can whisk it lightly before adding the other ingredients. Stir well — a table fork works perfectly — then portion them out into heaping rounds and roll into smooth balls.

Step Two: Arrange the meatballs on a parchment-lined baking sheet with a bit of space in between them. Bake at 425 degrees F until fully cooked — this usually takes about 18 minutes for me, but can vary slightly depending on the size of your meatballs and whether your oven is true to temperature.

Step Three: Serve with all the fixings your heart desires!

Can I pan fry these instead?

Absolutely! Cooking meatballs on the stovetop requires a little more attention, but delivers terrific browned exteriors. To do this, just set a large skillet — cast iron works especially well — over medium-high heat, then add a thin slick of olive or avocado oil. Place shaped meatballs in the hot skillet and cook for approximately 3-4 minutes per side. They are done when well browned and 165 degrees F inside.

Work in batches to prevent crowding in the skillet. Meatballs packed in too tightly will not brown as well.

You can also sear them all in batches and then transfer all the meatballs together into the oven to finish cooking. You have options!

Tips and Tricks for Perfect Meatballs

These little tips will help you have success with this and any other meatball recipes you enjoy.

  • Use a medium or large cookie dough scoop to portion out the meatball mixture, then roll them between your hands. This is so much faster and easier than using spoons!
  • When rolling, get your hands a little wet — I run my hands through running water, then lightly shake them out, and repeat as needed so they stay damp until all the meatballs are rolled. This significantly cuts back on sticking and makes each meatball more smooth.
  • If cooking in the oven, line the baking sheet with parchment paper. It helps the meatballs brown on the bottom and makes clean-up a breeze. Parchment is usually compostable, too.
  • Grab an instant read thermometer to ensure perfectly cooked meatballs every time, with no guesswork or fussing. Meatballs made from ground chicken should reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.
Two Greek bowls with chicken meatballs, olives, veggies, pita bread, and hummus.

Serving Suggestions

Did I mention these are so versatile? That is one of the many reasons I love them!

  • Build-your-own Greek salad bowls for dinner. Serve these meatballs with an array of romaine lettuce or mixed baby greens, chopped cucumber, chopped tomato, Kalamata olives, more feta, dill or other fresh herbs, pita chips, hummus, and tzatziki sauce. Add triangles of pita bread on the side and everyone will be in absolute heaven.
  • Stuff into pita. My older kid — the choosy one — will eat these with chopped up cucumber stuffed into a pita. Even though I personally like to add more ingredients to my meal, I call it a win nevertheless. 🙂
  • Serve as a party appetizer or snack. Make these meatballs on the smaller side — bonus, they’ll cook faster that way — and set out with tiny toothpicks and tzatziki for dipping. Irresistible! A little fresh parsley or dill will look extra pretty on the serving plate.

Want to go the extra mile? Serve these with homemade whole wheat pita bread — so soft, fluffy, flavorful, and wholesome, you’ll never love store-bought the same way again!

Storage, Freezing & Reheating

This recipe yields a lot, and you have lots of options for managing leftovers, so it’s great for meal prep and batch cooking.

  • Store for short term: Place cooked, fully cooled meatballs in an airtight container and keep in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
  • Freeze before cooking: Roll the meatballs, then place on a parchment-lined baking sheet or plate and stick that in the freezer for 30-60 minutes to flash freeze. Transfer the partially frozen meatballs to a freezer-safe zip-top bag or other airtight container and store for up to 3 months.
  • Freeze after cooking: Fully cook meatballs, let cool, then combine in a freezer-safe zip-top bag or other airtight container and store for up to 3 months.
  • Cook straight from frozen: Yes, you can cook these meatballs directly from frozen! Place them in an oven-safe skillet or baking dish and cover tightly with foil. Bake at 425 degrees F until fully cooked — plan on it taking around 35 minutes.
  • Defrost: Meatballs can alternatively thaw in the fridge overnight, then either cook or reheat as directed.
  • Reheat: If meatballs are already cooked, they can be reheated quickly on the stovetop, in the oven on 350 degrees, or in the microwave in bursts of 50% power. Using half power for chicken in the microwave helps to prevent overcooking and drying out.

Whew, that’s a lot of options! I hope one works well for you. 🙂

More Greek-Inspired Recipes

Love these Mediterranean flavors? With good reason! They’re so delicious and usually good for you, too.

Try these recipes next: chopped Greek chickpea salad, zesty Mediterranean shrimp skewers, a Greek salmon salad, Greek-style marinated chicken, and a one-skillet dish of chicken thighs with olives.

If you try this Greek chicken meatball recipe, don’t forget to rate it and leave a comment below. I love hearing how recipes turn out in your kitchen, and it helps other readers, too.

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4.75 from 4 votes

Greek Chicken Meatballs

Tender, versatile, easy to make, and packed with delicious Mediterranean flavors. Serve in bowls, salads, or pita with your favorite veggies and drizzles of tzatziki or homemade Greek dressing. I love to bake them for the hands-off convenience, but they're easy to pan fry, as well.

Ingredients

  • 1 large egg
  • 2 pounds ground chicken
  • 1/4 cup plus 2 Tablespoons Panko breadcrumbs
  • 1/4 cup crumbled feta
  • 1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
  • 4 cloves garlic minced
  • 2-3 tablespoons chopped fresh mint optional but encouraged
  • 2-3 tablespoons chopped fresh dill optional but encouraged
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 2 teaspoons dried oregano
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil.
  • Place the egg in a large mixing bowl and whisk lightly or stir with a fork. Add the remaining ingredients — ground chicken, Panko, feta, onion, garlic, mint, dill, lemon juice, oregano, salt, and pepper — and stir well with a fork. The mixture should be evenly moistened and well-combined.
  • Scoop the mixture out into heaping rounds using a large dough scoop or two spoons. Use slightly damp hands to roll the rounds into smooth balls. Place on baking sheet with space between them.
  • Bake for 16-20 minutes, until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F. Broil for the final 2-3 minutes, if desired, to get a slightly brown top.
  • Serve as desired — we love them in bowls or in pitas with any combination of lettuce, rice, cucumber, tomatoes, olives, fresh dill, tzatziki sauce, hummus, and Greek dressing.

Notes

  • Prefer to pan fry? You can definitely fry these meatballs to get more of a crisp outer coating. Warm a thin slick of olive oil in a large skillet or cast iron pan over medium-high heat. When hot, add meatballs and cook for 3-4 minutes per side, until browned and slightly crisp. You can cook them all the way on the stovetop or transfer to the oven to finish cooking to 165 degrees inside; it’s your call.

Nutrition Estimate

Calories: 66 kcal, Carbohydrates: 1 g, Protein: 7 g, Fat: 4 g, Saturated Fat: 1 g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1 g, Monounsaturated Fat: 2 g, Trans Fat: 0.03 g, Cholesterol: 41 mg, Sodium: 145 mg, Potassium: 211 mg, Fiber: 0.2 g, Sugar: 0.2 g, Vitamin A: 22 IU, Vitamin C: 1 mg, Calcium: 16 mg, Iron: 0.5 mg
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