Managing glucose levels is easy and delicious with these Greek Chicken Meatballs. They're even gluten free, oven baked, and bursting with flavor from chopped parsley, crumbled feta, fresh garlic, and grated red onion.
We love to serve these Greek Chicken Meatballs with our creamy Lemon Yogurt Sauce, which takes just minutes to make. Don't blame us if you get addicted to this sauce and want to drizzle it on EVERYTHING. It's really that good!
And, because we make sure our recipes are balanced and glucose-friendly to help improve insulin resistance, this meal is great for anyone dealing with prediabetes or diabetes. Check out how this recipe is dietitian-approved in Jen's section below.
Ingredients for Greek Chicken Meatballs
- Ground Chicken: Lean ground chicken is a great healthy protein option. If you have a meat grinder, use chicken breast to grind your own.
- Red Onion: I like the sweetness of red onion, but use whatever you have on hand.
- Fresh Parsley: Bright, fresh parsley pairs beautifully with the feta and chicken.
- Garlic: Crushed fresh garlic is essential here. Its pungent flavor permeates the chicken meat as it cooks.
- Dried Oregano: A cornerstone of Greek cooking, dried oregano imparts an earthy, unmistakably Mediterranean flavor.
Ingredients (cont.)
- Kosher Salt: As always, Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt (affiliate link) is my favorite. I think you'll never go back once you get used to cooking with it. (See notes in recipe card.)
- Egg: This is the binder that holds the meatballs together.
- Almond Meal: Add this versatile gluten free flour alternative to your pantry. Find it in the baking aisle of most grocery stores.
- Feta Cheese: Block feta is much more flavorful and doesn't contain anti-caking agents. Opt for block feta and crumble it yourself.
How to Make Greek Chicken Meatballs
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Line a baking sheet (affiliate link) with parchment paper.
- Grate the red onion if you have time. If not, it's okay to dice it small, but grating adds moisture.
- Whisk the egg in a small bowl.
- Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix with a fork until well incorporated, but don't over-mix.
- Measure out about a tablespoon of the chicken mixture and form it into balls with wet hands. You will end up with 12-15 meatballs, depending on size.
- Arrange the meatballs on the baking sheet.
- Bake for about 25 minutes, until an instant read meat thermometer (affiliate link) reads 165°F.
Common Questions
I've tried these with grated parmesan cheese and they were equally delicious. You could also try shredded mozzarella.
You can heat them in the microwave covered with a moist paper towel, or in an oven-safe dish covered with foil in a 300°F oven until heated through.
These meatballs are ideal for meal planning, so feel free to make an extra batch!
Yes, you can freeze them for up to 6 months in an airtight container, and thaw them overnight in the refrigerator.
Yes, other healthy options are ground turkey or lean ground beef.
What to Serve With Greek Chicken Meatballs
- Lemon Yogurt Sauce and Side Salad: Serve them over our easy and delicious Lemon Yogurt Sauce. Then make a simple salad of mixed baby greens, tomatoes, cucumbers, and kalamata olives drizzled with olive oil and lemon like we did in these photos.
- Make a simple marinara (or use store-bought marinara without added sugar) and reheat the cooked meatballs in the sauce. Serve with a side salad.
- Serve with sautéed spinach and roasted potato wedges.
- Crumble warm meatballs into scrambled eggs for a high protein breakfast.
Recipe
Greek Chicken Meatballs
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground chicken
- ¼ c red onion shredded and then drained
- ⅓ c parsley finely chopped
- 2 garlic clove crushed
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1½ teaspoon diamond crystal kosher salt
- 1 egg
- ¼ cup almond meal
- ½ c feta cheese crumbled
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400℉.
- Line a baking sheet pan with parchment paper.
- Grate the red onion if you have time. If not, it's okay to dice it small but grating adds moisture.
- Whisk the egg in a small bowl.
- Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix with a fork until well incorporated, but don't over mix.
- Measure out about a tablespoon of the chicken mixture and form it into balls with wet hands. You will end up with 12-15 meatballs, depending on size.
- Arrange the meatballs on the baking sheet pan.
- Bake at 400℉ for about 25 minutes, until the internal temperature of the meatballs reaches 165℉.
Nutrition
Dietitian Approved by Jen Birge, MS, RDN, CDCES
At Buena Wellness, we make sure our recipes have a good protein to carb ratio with at least 1 gram of protein to no more than 2 grams of carbs. This promotes a healthy glucose response, which helps improve insulin resistance and even promotes a healthy weight.
Greek Chicken Meatballs have 34 grams of protein with only 6 grams of carbohydrates for about 4-5 meatballs, depending on how big you make them. They are absolutely delicious when you add the Lemon Yogurt Sauce. Both of these recipes are super simple and quick to make!
And, if you want to add more carbs, we recommend adding whole food carbs like potatoes, beans or a small amount of quinoa. Don't skip the recommended garden salad though, because that will increase your non-starchy veggies for the day.
Tip: Eating fewer carbs is especially helpful at dinner time because we tend to be more insulin resistant in the evening. We are also less active in the evening hours and this means that we aren't going to burn up any extra glucose we get from carbohydrates.
As always, we love hearing from you. If you make our Greek Chicken Meatballs, tell us how they turned out and how you made them your own. And please, leave us a comment and rating below!
We look forward to bringing you more glucose-friendly recipes!
Cami says
Another GREAT recipe. These meatballs are so tasty (actually bursting with flavor) and easy to make. I'm froze half the meatballs for later. I put them on my salad. But will add them to stir fry veggies tomorrow.
Jen Birge, MS, RDN, CDCES says
Thanks Cami - such a great idea to freeze some for another meal!
Louise B Becker says
So I loved them! I read the other review that stated they were dry. So I changed it up a bit. I only had Almond flour. I couldn't find Almond Meal. I used a little less than a quarter cup. I also checked the meatballs at about 22 minutes, and they were already at temperature. So how long you cook them might depend on how big your meatballs are or how hot your oven runs. Better to check their temperature a little before the stated time. I made 17 meatballs. So mine might have been a little small. My husband went back for seconds. I love the aftertaste. Not sure if it's from the meatballs themselves or from the lemon yogurt sauce that I also made. Very delicious! Will make them again.
I am also wondering if these wouldn't make a nice chicken burger, cooked on the grill. Might try that in the future!
Jackelin Slack says
Thank you for that great insight, Louise. That's a really good point - in addition to the fact that all ovens are a little different, the size of the meatballs will determine how quickly they cook, so great idea to check them early with a meat thermometer! I'm glad the almond flour adjustment worked well for you. I agree - that lemon yogurt sauce is practically drinkable! Such a great combo with the meatballs.
Juli Thomas says
Yummy,
I couldn't find ground chicken so I used ground turkey which worked but I am sure they would be better with the chicken. I will make them again but I will check them at 20 minutes because I over cooked them a bit.
The lemon yogurt sauce was a great addition!
Jackelin Slack says
Hi, Juli! It can be tricky because everyone's oven is a little bit different, so be sure to use an instant read meat thermometer and pull them out of the oven as soon as the temperature reaches 165. Thank you for your feedback and I hope the next batch comes out perfect for you!