Chicken Florentine Meatballs

by Sabrina Snyder

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10 Comments

5 from 5 votes
6 Servings
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
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Chicken Florentine Meatballs are a lighter take on classic homemade meatballs, packed with rich flavor and perfect for a satisfying meal.

This Chicken Recipe is a delicious alternative to regular Beef Meatballs and Slow Cooker Meatballs. You can serve it up with your favorite pasta dishes for an easy family Main Course. 

Sabrina’s Chicken Florentine Meatballs Recipe

These meatballs are incredibly versatile and weeknight-friendly. Serve them over pasta, tuck them into a toasted sandwich, or pair them with roasted vegetables for a lower-carb option. They also hold up well for meal prep, making them a great choice for lunches or easy dinners throughout the week.

Recipe Card

Dinner, then Dessert

Chicken Florentine Meatballs Recipe

Chicken Florentine Meatballs are a lighter take on classic homemade meatballs, packed with rich flavor and perfect for a satisfying meal.
Yield 6 Servings
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Course Dinner
Cuisine American
Author Sabrina Snyder
Bowl of noodles with meatballs and fork
PrintRate

Ingredients
 

  • 10 ounces frozen chopped spinach , thawed
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1/2 cup dry bread crumbs
  • 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1 clove garlic , minced
  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
  • 1 pound lean ground chicken
  • 3 cups marinara sauce

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
  • Squeeze the spinach in small handfuls to remove as much moisture as possible.
  • In a large bowl, combine the spinach, eggs, bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, garlic, kosher salt, and pepper.
  • Add in the chicken and mix until just combined.
  • Shape the chicken mixture into 1 1/2″ balls.
  • Place the meatballs onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or sprayed with cooking spray.
  • Bake for 20-25 minutes.
  • Add marinara sauce to a large, heavy skillet on medium-high heat to bring to a simmer.
  • Add in meatballs and simmer on medium heat for 5 minutes.

Nutrition

Calories: 229kcal | Carbohydrates: 16g | Protein: 21g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 131mg | Sodium: 920mg | Potassium: 973mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 6197IU | Vitamin C: 11mg | Calcium: 146mg | Iron: 3mg

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Chef’s Note

For the most tender meatballs, avoid overmixing the chicken mixture. Gently combine everything just until incorporated — overworking it can make the meatballs dense instead of soft and juicy. If the mixture feels too wet from the spinach, give it a light squeeze or add a tablespoon of breadcrumbs at a time until it holds its shape.

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About this Recipe

What makes this recipe stand out is how it delivers all the cozy, satisfying qualities of traditional meatballs without feeling heavy. Ground chicken keeps things lean, while a simple mixture of herbs, cheese, and breadcrumbs creates a soft, juicy texture. The addition of spinach not only adds color, but also a subtle earthiness that pairs beautifully with creamy sauces or a light marinara.

Ingredients

  • Ground Chicken: The chicken in this recipe tastes amazing with parmesan, spinach, and other ingredients. It’s also a lighter option than typical ground beef meatballs. 
  • Eggs: Eggs act as a binder and add moisture and tenderness to the meatballs. They create a soft, cohesive interior instead of a crumbly or tough bite.
  • Bread Crumbs: Bread crumbs are an important ingredient in meatball recipes. They absorb moisture from the ground meat and keep the meatballs from drying out in the oven. 
  • Spinach: The frozen spinach is a great addition to this recipe that gives it a classic Tuscan feel. 
  • Cheese: Parmesan cheese is also a delicious addition, that mixes easily with the ground meat and adds plenty of flavor. 
  • Marinara Sauce: Marinara Sauce is the perfect pairing for meatballs and can be used in different dishes like pasta, sandwiches, or casseroles.

Can this be made ahead of time?

  • In order to get a head start on your meal, you can make these the night before. Follow the recipe up until you shape the meatballs and place them on the baking dish. Then cover them and store them in the fridge until the next day when you bake them. You might need to add a little extra bake time as they’ll be colder going into the oven than making them fresh.
  • If you need to make the meatballs more than a day before you’ll serve them, go ahead and bake them. Then let them cool down to room temperature and store them in the fridge. You can reheat them within a few days and serve them, or pair them with any recipe you choose for your meal.

Serving Ideas

  • There are lots of ways you can enjoy this simple meatball recipe. The first is to simply serve it with homemade Easy Marinara Sauce and spaghetti noodles.
  • Try serving it over Instant Pot Rice for a little twist on a tomato sauce dish.
  • If you want to cut back on carbs, you could also serve the meatballs with sauce and spaghetti squash instead of regular pasta. Spiral cut zucchini noodles or any other type of noodles made from squash would be delicious too.
  • To easily change up the pasta dinner try different kinds of sauce like pesto sauce, or Alfredo Sauce. Serve them on top of buttered noodles to make the meatballs the big star or the dish.
  • If you have any leftovers, you could also serve the meatballs as the protein in an Italian Chicken Soup.
  • Additionally, enjoy them in a hoagie roll for an easy meatball sub. Top off the sub with your choice of cheese and sauce, and then toast it under the broiler for an excellent hot meal. There are so many ways you can use the meatballs to add to your favorite recipes. 

How to Store

  • Serve: Don’t leave Chicken Meatballs at room temperature for more than 2 hours. 
  • Store: If you have any leftovers, you can put them in an airtight container to store in the fridge for 3-4 days. 
  • Freeze: You can also freeze the meatballs for 3 months. Place them on a baking sheet to reheat in the oven when you’re ready to serve. 

Frequent Questions

What makes a recipe “Florentine” style?

If a recipe is Florentine, it references a style from Florence, Italy. Typically the recipe will include a protein, plus spinach. Grated cheese is also typically involved, and sometimes a white sauce.

How can I adjust the size of my meatballs?

If you like, you can make larger meatballs by using a larger scoop. Bigger meatballs will take a longer baking time so be mindful of that. Be careful not to go too large, otherwise they might not be fully cooked in the middle. You can easily make them smaller by using a tablespoon measure, or smaller spoon to scoop them. This might be helpful to be used in soups, for kids, for bite-sized appetizers, or just for personal preference.

Variations

  • Seasonings: To experiment with the flavor of the meatball recipe, you can add delicious seasonings like fresh parsley, fresh basil, oregano, rosemary, red pepper flakes, and paprika. 
  • Cheeses: You can add other kinds of Italian cheeses like mozzarella or gorgonzola to go along with the Parmesan. 
  • Meat: Instead of ground chicken, you can use other kinds of ground meat like ground beef, ground turkey, or ground pork. 
  • Vegetables: If you want to add some vegetables to the mixture, you can cut them into small pieces using a food processor. Small pieces of yellow onion, bell pepper, or carrots would all taste great. 

More Delicious Meatball Recipes

meatballs collage

Photos used in previous version of post

Meatballs in serving bowl showing interior
Meatballs simmering in marinara sauce
Meatballs in serving bowl with pasta and sauce
two bowls of pasta and chicken meatballs
Collage of prep steps for chicken meatballs

About the Author: Sabrina Snyder

Sabrina is a professionally trained Private Chef of over 10 years with ServSafe Manager certification in food safety. She creates all the recipes here on Dinner, then Dessert, fueled in no small part by her love for bacon.

Sabrina Snyder is a professionally trained personal and private chef of over 10 years who is the creator and developer of all the recipes on Dinner, then Dessert.

She is also the author of the cookbook Dinner, then Dessert – Satisfying Meals Using Only 3, 5 or 7 Ingredients, published by Harper Collins.

She started Dinner, then Dessert as a business in her office as a lunch service for her coworkers who admired her lunches before going to culinary school and becoming a full time personal chef and private chef.

As a personal chef Sabrina would cook for families one day a week and cook their entire week of dinners. All grocery shopping, cooking and cleaning was done along with instructions on reheating. As a private chef she cooked for private parties and cooked in family homes in the evenings for families on a nightly basis after working as a personal chef during the day.

Sabrina has been certified as a ServSafe Manager since 2007 and was a longstanding member of the USPCA Personal Chef Association including being on the board of the Washington DC Chapter of Chefs in the US Personal Chef Association when they won Chapter of the year.

As a member of the community of food website creators Sabrina Snyder has spoken at many conferences regarding her experiences as a food writer including the Indulge Food Conference, Everything Food Conference, Haven Food Conference and IACP Annual Food Professionals Conference.

Sabrina lives with her family in sunny California.

See more posts by Sabrina

Dinner, then Dessert, Inc. owns the copyright on all images and text and does not allow for its original recipes and pictures to be reproduced anywhere other than at this site unless authorization is given. Read my disclosure and copyright policy. This post may contain affiliate links.

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Comments

  1. Love your recipes! What a great way to change beef to turkey or chicken. Dishes are always a hit!
    Thank you!!

    Reply

  2. Made this for dinner tonight. I used turkey, and swapped out the bread crumbs for rolled oats. I also swapped the black pepper out for cyanne as someone eating it is allergic to black pepper.
    So Yummy!

    Reply

  3. These are delicious! And a healthy and different take on spaghetti and meatballs. I love any chance to add some veggies to a meal and these were a hit with the whole family.

    Reply

    1. So glad you enjoyed the Chicken Florentine Meaballs Adrienne, and thanks for the 5 star review!

      Reply

  7. This is such a great take on chicken forentine! And oh my gosh, are they delicious – I don’t even need any sauce, I can just eat them as they are, nom nom nom.

    Reply