Chicken

Greek Chicken Meatballs

February  6, 2014
4.4
5 Ratings
Photo by James Ransom
  • Makes about 16 meatballs
Author Notes

These were inspired by the Swedish meatballs my mom made every year for New Year's. I always looked forward to them as a kid, and meatballs will forever make me think of a party. These certainly aren't Swedish, but they are an updated take on a party meatball. And you know what? My parents made these this past New Year's Eve instead of the traditional Swedish ones. I was surprised and honored that they made one of my recipes to celebrate the occasion. —foxeslovelemons

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Ingredients
  • For the meatballs:
  • Nonstick cooking spray
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 egg, lightly beaten
  • 1/3 cup minced white onion
  • 1/4 cup panko
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
  • 1 teaspoon dried mint
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 pound ground chicken (I like a mix of white and dark meat for a moist meatball)
  • Crumbled feta cheese, for garnish
  • Finely chopped English cucumber, for garnish
  • For the yogurt sauce:
  • 1 cup Greek yogurt
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
Directions
  1. To prepare the meatballs, preheat oven to 350º F and spray a rimmed baking pan with cooking spray. In a large bowl, stir together the garlic, egg, onion, breadcrumbs, oregano, mint, and salt. Add chicken and stir (or mix with hands) until just combined. Do not over mix. Using hands, gently form into golf ball-sized meatballs and place on the prepared baking pan
  2. Bake meatballs 18 to 20 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 165º F.
  3. Meanwhile, prepare the yogurt sauce: In small bowl, stir together all of the ingredients until well combined.
  4. Garnish meatballs with feta and cucumber and serve with the yogurt sauce.
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8 Reviews

Monica P. March 19, 2020
I puréed the onion and garlic and only had to bake them for 12 minutes making a smaller than golf sized mini meatball. Would make again!
Michelle March 13, 2019
The thing I would change is to grate your onion rather than mince them to ensure total cooking. I had to cook my meatballs a little more than 20 mins bc my onions were still a little onnthe raw side despite me mincing them very finely.
Michelle March 13, 2019
These were flavorful. I would grate the onions instead rather than mincing them to ensure they cook through. I minced mine but they were still some that were still a little raw so I had to cook my meatballs a little more than 20 mins. I didnt serve with the yogurt sauce but rather a Spiralized Cuccumber Greek salad from the Skinnytaste blog along side some hummus and toasted pita bread.
btglenn May 10, 2015
I prefer the classic avgolemeno sauce for these meatballs instead of the feta and yogurt in this recipe. Great on rice.
Two T. May 6, 2015
These were delicious! I made a few swaps, using fresh minced thyme and a pinch crushed fennel seeds in place of the dried herbs. Added lemon zest and about 1 Tbsp white wine as I only had ground breast meat available and wanted to ensure a little more moisture (trick from The Meatball Shop recipe...). I also crumbled some of the feta into the meat mix. I seared all sides in a skillet for about 5 minutes then finished in oven as indicated for about 8-10. Love these flavors, thanks : )
sevenfaces April 28, 2015
I made these tonight, doubling the recipe because I knew I'd like them - and I really did! I fried up the garlic, onions and oregano first before adding it to the mix. The diced cucumber went into the yoghurt sauce for a raita-type situation. Yummo!
Alaparc - I crumbled about 100g (3.5oz) of feta into 1kg (2.2lbs) of chicken mince and it was a very good thing. I didn't decrease the amount of salt and I thought they were nicely seasoned.
alaparc April 16, 2015
Could you crumble the feta in the meatballs?
Two T. May 6, 2015
I did, as well as sprinkle on top after cooking : )