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September 2, 2009

Chicken Spinach Meatballs

Home Β» Chicken Β» Chicken Spinach Meatballs

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Tired of the same old meatballs? These oven-baked meatballs are made with ground chicken and spinach and easy to make. These chicken spinach meatballs are a spin on the traditional and perfect with all your favorite pasta dishes.
 
chicken and spinach meatballs in a serving bowl
 
There are some meals you can always count on to make everyone happy. At our house spaghetti night, taco night, and pizza night rotate frequently through our menu plan. For spaghetti night I usually make the same ground beef meatballs, so this week I decided to switch things up and try something new substituting ground beef for ground chicken and adding spinach.
 
chicken and spinach meatballs on a baking sheet

How to Make Chicken Spinach Meatballs

The new meatball features some of the usual suspects like basil, Parmesan cheese, and garlic, so the switch-up came in the form of ground chicken and spinach. Using a pound of ground chicken and a 10-ounce box of frozen spinach I was able to make 18 decent sized meatballs– we had some for dinner and I froze the rest to have on hand for those busy days when dinner needs to be ready in a hurry. Since it was spaghetti night we had ours with, well, spaghetti. However, I think these would make great sandwiches, as well. Overall, the chicken spinach meatballs were a nice change from our old stand-by meatballs.

Ingredients

  • Ground chicken
  • Frozen Spinach
  • Basil
  • Garlic and onion
  • Eggs
  • Breadcrumbs
  • Parmesan cheese
  • Salt and Pepper

All you do is combine all of the ingredients in a large bowl. I like to make meatballs about golf-ball sized.

Line them up on a baking sheet and bake them for 25 to 30 minutes at 350Β°F.

Recipe Tips and FAQs

Can I cook the meatballs on the stove?

Yes, you can cook them on the stove instead of baking them. Brown the meatballs in a pan with olive over medium heat until they are cooked through, about ten minutes. Or, you can brown them first and then add your sauce and simmer them in the sauce until they are cooked through.

Can I use fresh spinach instead of frozen spinach?

Readers have tried using fresh spinach with success! One reader finely chopped the fresh spinach and just mixed it up with the ground chicken mixture.

If you want to cook the spinach first, you will need approximately 1 pound of fresh spinach so you end up with about 10 ounces cooked, which is the same amount that is in a box of frozen spinach. Just cook the fresh spinach in a large pot with some olive oil (a few teaspoons should be enough). As the spinach cooks it will release its moisture. Once it’s cooked down, let it cool and then add it to your chicken meatball mixture.

Can I make these chicken spinach meatballs ahead?

Yes, you can make a batch of these meatballs ahead and keep them in the refrigerator or freezer.

  • Refridgerator: store the meatballs in an airtight container. They should keep well in the refrigerator for up to three or four days.
  • Freezer: cool the meatballs completely and place them in an airtight container or freezer bag. They should keep well for three to four months in the freezer.

Happy meatball-making!

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chicken and spinach meatballs in a skillet with tomato sauce

More Dinner Recipes

  • Citrus-Glazed Chicken Meatballs
  • Skillet Chicken Lasagna
  • Zucchini Turkey Meatballs with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce
  • One-Pan Creamy Chicken and Rice
 

πŸ“£ Do you love this recipe? I would love to know! Leave a comment below the recipe along with your recipe star rating.

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Chicken & Spinach Meatballs


★★★★★

5 from 7 reviews

  • Author: April @ Girl Gone Gourmet
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 30 minutes
  • Total Time: 40 minutes
  • Yield: 6 servings 1x
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Description

These chicken meatballs are easy to make and full of flavor!


Scale

Ingredients

  • 1 pound ground chicken
  • 10-ounce box frozen spinach, thawed, drained and chopped*
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
  • 2 large garlic cloves, minced
  • 1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • 1/4 cup plain breadcrumbs
  • 1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
  • 1/2 teaspoon of salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. In a large bowl mix all the ingredients together until just combined. Form the mixture into golf ball sized balls (I made 18 meatballs) and place on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray or lined with parchment paper. Bake at 350Β°F for 25-30 minutes.

Notes

For the spinach: Be sure to thaw completely and then wrap it in a clean dish towel to wring out all the excess moisture before chopping.

  • Category: Dinner
  • Method: Bake
  • Cuisine: American

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 3 meatballs
  • Calories: 206
  • Sugar: 1.3g
  • Sodium: 461.2mg
  • Fat: 10.6g
  • Saturated Fat: 3.9g
  • Unsaturated Fat: 4.1g
  • Trans Fat: 0.1g
  • Carbohydrates: 7.3g
  • Fiber: 1.9g
  • Protein: 21.1g
  • Cholesterol: 132.7mg

Keywords: chicken meatballs, chicken spinach meatballs, baked meatballs

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @girlgonegourmet on Instagram and hashtag it #girlgonegourmet

The nutrition information in this recipe is an estimate only and was calculated using Nutrifox, an online nutrition calculator.


49 Comments

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Comments

  1. Alaina says

    July 9, 2020 at 5:24 pm

    How would I reheat them the best if they’re frozen!?

    Reply
    • April Anderson says

      July 10, 2020 at 9:53 am

      You can warm them in the microwave or on the stove. If you’re serving them with a sauce you can simmer them in it until they are warmed through.

      Reply
  2. sheena says

    July 9, 2019 at 3:49 pm

    could these be cooked in the sauce instead of baked? I cannot bring myself to bake meatballs the thought makes me cringe!

    Reply
    • April Anderson says

      July 9, 2019 at 5:12 pm

      Hi Sheena – you may want to brown them first in the pan and then finish them in the sauce. I’ve haven’t tried it with this recipe, but sure it will work fine!

      Reply
  3. erin says

    September 6, 2018 at 9:54 pm

    Hi,
    Have you ever made these meatballs without breadcrumbs? or with a substitution?

    Reply
    • April says

      September 7, 2018 at 11:12 am

      Hi Erin – I haven’t made these without breadcrumbs, so not sure how they would turn out. You could leave them out, but the meatballs might not be as tender.

      Reply
  4. Licia says

    June 4, 2018 at 8:47 am

    Sounds fabulous, just curious could I salute the onion first, col it down and add to meatballs? We have a “picky” onion eater, if she even thinks it is not a soft cooked onion she puts her nose up…Thanks going to make this with my san marzano marinara

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • April says

      June 4, 2018 at 11:10 am

      I haven’t tried cooking the onions first, but I don’t see why it wouldn’t work!

      Reply
  5. Jacqueline DiNuoscio says

    May 9, 2018 at 10:24 am

    I love this twist on a classic dish! So much healthier and packed full of flavor!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  6. Marjory says

    May 9, 2018 at 9:21 am

    These little meatballs really switch things up! Love the recipe. BTW spaghetti, pizza and Taco Tuesday are the favorite nights at our house too!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  7. Julia says

    March 8, 2018 at 11:47 am

    Can you use fresh spinsuch?

    Reply
    • April says

      March 8, 2018 at 5:48 pm

      Hi Julia, I haven’t tried this with fresh spinach, but I think it will work. You will need approximately 1 pound of fresh spinach to get the same amount as frozen. I think for it to work best you would need to cook it down first in a pan with a little oil and then let it cool before making the meatballs. Not sure how it will work if you just add the spinach to the meatballs raw.

      Reply
      • Valerie says

        October 17, 2018 at 4:00 pm

        I love this recipe! Made it many times. I make a big batch of mixture & freeze portion sizes. I Make the meatballs on day I want them. I also have also only used fresh spinach. Chop it up a little bit to your liking.

        Reply
        • April says

          October 18, 2018 at 5:53 pm

          So glad you like the recipe!

          Reply
  8. Deana says

    December 26, 2017 at 11:23 pm

    I notice one picture shows these in a tomato sauce. Is this a recipe or just a picture showing how they can be used? It looks delicious!!

    Reply
    • April says

      December 27, 2017 at 7:32 am

      Hi Deana, the recipe is just for the meatballs, but they are delicious with tomato sauce (I just used my favorite jarred sauce for that photo).

      Reply
  9. Jameen says

    July 30, 2017 at 5:39 pm

    I made it and they came out awesome! Add Worcestershire sauce!
    Definitely a keeper!

    Thank you ☺️

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • April says

      July 31, 2017 at 12:22 pm

      That’s great! So glad you enjoyed them πŸ™‚

      Reply
  10. Deborah says

    October 5, 2016 at 2:41 pm

    I want to adapt this to a meatloaf (as a whole loaf or individual meatloaf ‘cupcakes’ how long would you suggest I cook this in an oven?

    Reply
    • April says

      October 5, 2016 at 6:12 pm

      Hi Deborah, for a whole meatloaf I recommend baking at 350 for 45 min to 1 hour or until the internal temperature is 160ish degrees. Let it rest at least 10 minutes – the internal temperature will raise to 165 degrees while it rests. For smaller “cupcakes” you should only need to bake an additional 10-15 minutes, depending on how big you make them. I haven’t tried this, so just giving you my best recommendations πŸ™‚

      Reply
  11. Christina says

    March 13, 2016 at 9:33 pm

    I just made these for meal prep, they came out delicious! Thank you for the recipe.

    Reply
    • April says

      March 14, 2016 at 5:42 am

      Yay! So glad you enjoyed them Christina — thank you for letting me know πŸ™‚

      Reply
  12. Diane says

    September 10, 2015 at 11:25 pm

    April, I love the delicious look of these healthy meatballs. Spinach, chicken and cheese are great with spaghetti sauce. Nice work!

    Reply
    • April says

      September 11, 2015 at 4:07 pm

      Aw, thanks!

      Reply
  13. Byron Thomas says

    September 9, 2015 at 2:09 pm

    These look so healthy and delicious, and that red sauce is so vibrant. YUM!

    Reply
  14. Brian Jones says

    September 9, 2015 at 4:34 am

    I have never made chicken meatballs and usually use a combination of pork and beef but these sound utterly delicious, the addition of spinach is inspired, love it!

    Reply
    • April says

      September 9, 2015 at 7:18 am

      I love beef meatballs, but these are a nice change – a little lighter and healthier πŸ™‚

      Reply
  15. Karen @ Karen's Kitchen Stories says

    September 9, 2015 at 12:34 am

    I’m definitely trying these! They sound and look delish!

    Reply
  16. Tracy @ Served From Scratch says

    September 8, 2015 at 11:06 pm

    I love these! What a great alternative to beef meatballs.

    Reply
  17. Chrissie (thebusybaker.ca) says

    September 8, 2015 at 10:29 am

    This recipe is perfect for my family as we don’t eat a lot of beef. Definitely pinning this recipe to add to our meal plan!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • April says

      September 10, 2015 at 7:36 am

      I hope you enjoy them, Chrissie!

      Reply
  18. Whitney @ That Square Plate says

    September 8, 2015 at 1:07 am

    These sound and look amazing! I’ve never made chicken meatballs, but the combo sounds spectacular! My boyfriend would love them too! Yum!!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  19. Renee says

    September 8, 2015 at 12:21 am

    Yummy! Spaghetti and meatball night! I love the change in the meatballs, I bet they were delicious!!

    Reply
    • April says

      September 8, 2015 at 9:28 am

      They’re a nice change from classic meatballs – a little bit healthier, but still tasty πŸ™‚

      Reply
  20. Rosemary @anitalianinmykitchen says

    September 7, 2015 at 3:28 pm

    These meatballs sound delicious, can’t wait to try them.

    Reply
  21. Tina Marie says

    September 7, 2015 at 2:01 pm

    These look amazing!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  22. Sara @ Life's Little Sweets says

    September 3, 2015 at 12:22 am

    I actually really want to try this, I cook a lot of chicken on week nights for my family and this would be a nice way to change things up.

    Reply
  23. Kim | Mom, Can I Have That? says

    July 29, 2015 at 3:41 pm

    Yum! These are right up my alley! I love changing up the meat in a classic to make it new. What a great recipe. Thanks!

    Reply
  24. Simply Life says

    September 6, 2009 at 4:47 pm

    So creative and it looks delicious!

    Reply
  25. FoodTravelDiva says

    September 4, 2009 at 4:59 am

    I love it when I come across great recipes! Today is a great day πŸ™‚ If you don’t mind I’d love to direct our readers to your blog. Just add your choice of widget to this post and you’re all set!

    Reply
  26. Anderburf says

    September 4, 2009 at 1:10 am

    This looks really good! I just got some organic pepper and Himalayan sea salt from Sustainable Sourcing https://secure.sustainablesourcing.com and I think I’ll try them both out in this recipe over the weekend. Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
  27. Jessie says

    September 3, 2009 at 1:28 pm

    what a wonderful idea! very creative and I love that you used spinach in the meatballs.

    Reply
  28. mathildescuisine says

    September 3, 2009 at 2:10 pm

    Very creative and innovative meatballs, I love the combination of chicken and spinach

    Reply
  29. Ruth says

    September 3, 2009 at 8:19 am

    Excellent recipe! I love Spinach and Im going to try this!

    Reply
  30. Diana Bauman says

    September 3, 2009 at 11:43 am

    Love it!! Your pictures make me want to dive right in!

    Reply
  31. Debi (Table Talk) says

    September 3, 2009 at 12:40 am

    I look forward to making these with my daughter–this is a healthy weeknight dinner everyone at the table will enjoy.

    Reply
  32. Nicole says

    September 2, 2009 at 11:28 pm

    Coming from an Italian family, we also frequent meatballs in our menu. i will have to try this to switch things up!

    Reply
  33. tastyeatsathome says

    September 2, 2009 at 4:00 pm

    These look really delicious. Now, if I can just convince my family to eat spinach… πŸ™‚

    Reply
  34. Divina Pe says

    September 2, 2009 at 1:19 pm

    That’s a really nice change from a meatball to a chicken ball and they’re baked. Best of all, it sounds and looks really tastey without the added calories.

    Reply

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