Low Carb Chicken Parmesan Meatballs
These keto chicken parmesan meatballs are so simple and delicious. I get asked all the time "How can you make meatballs low carb"? Well it is pretty easy, actually. Instead of using a high carb binder like breadcrumbs or crushed crackers, you can use low carb binder substitutions like crushed pork rinds or parmesan cheese. They hold these low carb, keto meatballs together perfectly, while keeping the meatballs incredibly juicy.
Just a few notes about these low carb chicken parmesan meatballs. Ground chicken is very soft and is hard to form into meatballs. But, once you get them rounded, they will keep their shape. Alternately, you can also substitute ground turkey or ground beef. You can even use ground pork if you like. Using ground beef or ground pork will increase the fat content, making them more keto friendly. I used my Low Carb Marinara Sauce for this recipe. Feel free to substitute a store-bought sauce to make this dish, but be sure to look for a variation free of added sugars. Look for a brand that only uses ingredients like fresh herbs and vegetables. I have no doubt that these low carb meatballs will be going into heavy rotation in your low carb meal planning.
Other recipes you might enjoy:
- White Cheddar and Sun Dried Tomato Avocado Stuffed Meatballs
- Tomato Dijon Turkey Meatballs
- Loaded Mock Potato Salad
- Keto Chicken Fried Cauliflower Steaks
- Buffalo Blue Cheese Chicken Meatballs
- Keto Chicken Cordon Bleu
- Italian Meatball Zoodle Soup
- Blackened Steak Salad
- Garlic Butter Steak Bites
- Easy Peasy Wonton-less Soup
Chicken Parmesan Meatballs
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 28 minutes
- Total Time: 43 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground chicken
- ½ cup Three Cheese Garlic Marinara Sauce (get the recipe here)
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a large baking dish.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine ground chicken, 2 tablespoons of the Three Cheese Garlic Marinara Sauce, Parmesan cheese, parsley, garlic, Italian seasoning, onion powder, salt, and pepper
- Form the mixture into 12 equal meatballs. Place the meatballs in the prepared baking dish, leaving space between each meatball. Bake for 25 minutes on the middle rack.
- Remove the baking dish from the oven, and spoon the remaining sauce over the top of each meatball. Then top each meatball with mozzarella cheese.
- Increase the oven heat to broil and transfer the meatballs back to the oven until cheese is melted and golden brown – About 2-3 minutes.
- Cuisine: Nut Free, Egg Free, Keto, Gluten Free
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 3 Meatballs
- Calories: 257kcal
- Fat: 15g
- Carbohydrates: 4g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 26g
Laci B says
whats a good side dish??
losingitlittlebylittle says
Thanks for posting this! Chicken parm is one of my hubby's favorite dishes, and now that I am gluten-free I wasn't quite sure how I could still do it. I think this just might do the trick! 🙂
Shannon Hammonds says
I'm trying this one tonight... can't wait!!
Jessica Ouimet says
These sounds so good! Thank you!
Hayley @ Low Carb Central says
I would just like to say Kyndra - I am STILL drooling over these! I have them saved as a favourite to make once we move (clearing out lots of food at the moment so we have less to move!) but I keep coming back to them and thinking hmm maybe I can make an exception and go buy the stuff for these!
Anonymous says
these are amazing
Sarah Montgomery says
Have these in the oven right now 🙂 can't wait!!!
Misty says
These meatballs are AMAZING! They really do taste like chickem parm. I only had "the green can" parmesan so I subbed that. This was such a delicious dish that I can't believe I made this in my kitchen.
Jennifer says
What is in the middle bowl in the second picture? It looks like quinoa, but it's not listed in the ingredients?
Kyndra Holley says
It's minced garlic and it is listed in the ingredients
Jennifer says
That is 1 TBS garlic? It looks huge in the pic! lol Ok, off to make them now 🙂 Thanks!
Anonymous says
Looks amazing!
Kathlene says
I don't think glass baking pans are safe to put under the broiler. That said, this looks amazing and I'll definitely be trying it. Thanks for sharing. 🙂
Michelle says
May I ask where do you get ground chicken? I can find ground turkey in the grocery stores but not ground chicken. I don't think I'd care for doing this with turkey but would love to try this recipe!
Kyndra Holley says
I had to go to a couple of grocery stores before I found it. It wasn't with the other poultry items. I usually can find it at Albertsons but almost always have to ask someone from the meat department to point me in the right direction
susan says
sounds Yummy! can't wait to try it. I make my own ground chicken in the food processor. good value for the money especially when boneless chicken breasts are a dollar and change a pound.
Allison Webb says
I buy ground chicken at both Walmart and Kroger. Also, Walmart's store brand pizza sauce is low-carb, delicious, and $1 a jar if anyone wants a quick ingredient. I can't wait to try this tonight!
Mary says
I tried this with ground turkey - they were delicious! Thanks!
Courtney Stewart says
Could you cook these in the crock pot??
Ellen says
Loved these!!! My two year old granddaughter really loved them too!????
Diane Corbett says
All I can say is WOW!!! We have ground chicken on sale right now, and will be making lots and freezing them to have when we want them. Hubbie really like them.. Said they taste like pork.
Julie says
Hi Kyndra! This looks so good and I'm planning to make it, but was wondering ... do you think this could be made into a meatloaf? I hate to sound lazy, but I'd like to try that, if possible. How long would such a loaf bake?
Thank you for all your great recipes. Lasagna stuffed bell peppers are my favorite!
Jess says
Loved these! I got nervous they wouldn't stick together so I added an egg and a half cup or so of Bob's almond flour. So delicious, thanks for the recipe.
Michele says
Awesome! My boyfriend is doing a low-carb diet and this was a home run with him! Making more this weekend to freeze. Thank you!
Jeannine says
I have made these several times, and they are excellent.
★★★★★
Ivy says
These were amazingly good!
★★★★★
Corinne A says
Easy to make. Tasty. Next time might add some bacon grease for binding as a test.
★★★★★
Christine Millette says
Love these!
★★★★★
Tessa says
Question...you mention you use pork rinds to bind the meatballs but they're not in the ingredient list. Do you recommend using them and if so, how much?
Tessa says
NVM that question. I just made them with the ingredients as listed and they held together perfectly and tasted oh so Yum!
★★★★★