Baked Spicy Chicken Parm Meatballs (Print-Friendly)

Juicy spicy chicken meatballs baked in zesty marinara with melted mozzarella—a fun twist on Italian-American comfort food.

# What You'll Need:

→ For the Meatballs

01 - 1 lb ground chicken
02 - 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
03 - 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
04 - 1 large egg
05 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
06 - 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
07 - 2 tablespoons hot sauce
08 - 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
09 - 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
10 - 1 teaspoon kosher salt
11 - 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

→ For Baking and Assembly

12 - 2 cups marinara sauce
13 - 1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
14 - 2 tablespoons olive oil

# How To Make It:

01 - Preheat oven to 400°F. Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking dish with olive oil.
02 - In a large mixing bowl, combine ground chicken, breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, egg, minced garlic, parsley, hot sauce, smoked paprika, red pepper flakes, kosher salt, and black pepper. Mix until just combined, being careful not to overmix.
03 - Form mixture into 16 meatballs approximately 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Distribute evenly in the prepared baking dish.
04 - Spoon marinara sauce evenly over all meatballs, ensuring complete coverage.
05 - Bake uncovered for 20 minutes.
06 - Remove from oven and sprinkle mozzarella cheese over meatballs. Return to oven and bake for 10 additional minutes until cheese is bubbly and meatballs reach an internal temperature of 165°F.
07 - Allow to cool for 5 minutes before serving. Garnish with additional fresh parsley if desired.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • These meatballs come together in under an hour and taste like you spent all afternoon in the kitchen.
  • The heat sneaks up on you in the best way—it's not a one-note burn, but layers of warmth from paprika, hot sauce, and red pepper flakes working together.
  • Baking instead of frying means less cleanup and fewer oil splatters on your stovetop.
  • One pan, one oven, and you've got enough to feed four people or have leftovers that taste even better the next day.
02 -
  • Don't peek constantly—every time you open the oven door, you're letting heat escape and adding minutes to your cooking time.
  • The meatballs will continue cooking slightly as they rest, so pulling them out when the cheese is bubbly but not burned is the sweet spot.
03 -
  • Use a cookie scoop if you have one—it makes all your meatballs the same size so they finish cooking at exactly the same moment.
  • Don't be tempted to crank the oven temperature higher to speed things up; 400°F is the sweet spot where the outside sets up before the inside dries out.
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