Name: Slow Cooker Chicken Parmesan Meatballs
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 4 h
Total time: 4 h 15 min
Ingredients: 2 pounds ground chicken; 1 egg; ½ cup parmesan cheese, grated; ¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped; ½ cup Italian style breadcrumbs; ⅓ cup ricotta cheese; 1 teaspoon salt; 1/4 teaspoon pepper; 24 oz marinara sauce; 1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded

Imagine it’s dinnertime. You walk to the kitchen and take the lid off your slow cooker to find piping hot Italian chicken meatballs covered in marinara sauce with cheese bubbling on top. Dinner’s ready to go.

Slow Cooker Chicken Parmesan Meatballs are perfect if you’re craving chicken parmesan—but don’t want to go to all the work of breading and cooking chicken breasts. It’s an easy weeknight dinner and perfect for serving a large group of people. These meatballs would also be an amazing dish to take to a potluck or serve as an appetizer at a party.

Simply mix up the meatballs, throw them in your Crockpot, and the slow cooker does all the hard work for you.

Serve these Italian-inspired meatballs on pasta, couscous, creamy polenta, or on some buns for meatball subs! However you serve them up, they’re sure to be a hit.

Slow Cooker Chicken Parmesan Meatballs with spaghetti in a slow cooker.

Why KJ Loves

Slow Cooker Chicken Parmesan Meatballs



Slow Cooker Chicken Parmesan Meatballs

I love how flavorful and easy these meatballs are! Slow cooking the chicken parmesan meatballs keep them nice and tender while packing them full of flavor. You don’t want to miss out on this slow cooker recipe!

Chicken parmesan meatballs in the slow cooker before cooking.

Slow Cooker Chicken Parmesan Meatball Ingredients

Ground chicken

I like to use this ground chicken for my recipes. You can use lean ground chicken or a darker ground chicken—whatever you prefer!

Egg

Adding an egg to the chicken meatball mixture binds all the ingredients together.

Parmesan cheese

You’ll want to grab grated parmesan cheese for this meatball recipe.

Parsley

Fresh parsley is best here and makes for more flavorful results.

Italian-style breadcrumbs

Breadcrumbs bind the meatballs together and add an extra touch of Italian flavor to this dish.

Ricotta cheese

This dreamy, creamy cheese keeps the meatballs moist and tender.

Marinara sauce

Grab your favorite jar! You’ll need 24 ounces of sauce for this recipe.

Shredded mozzarella cheese

You can’t have chicken parm without mozzarella cheese. We’ll add this near the end and let it get all gooey and bubbly.

Salt and pepper

Marinara sauce poured over the top of the meatballs before cooking in the slow cooker.

How to Make Chicken Parmesan Meatballs in a Slow Cooker

Start with a large, 6-quart slow cooker and pour half of the sauce into the bottom.

Add the ground chicken to a large bowl with the egg, parmesan cheese, parsley, breadcrumbs, ricotta cheese, and seasonings. Use your fingers to gently combine the meatball mixture until it has just formed, being careful not to over-mix.

Roll the mixture into 2-inch round meatballs and place into the sauce in the slow cooker. Cover with the remaining sauce and cover the Crockpot with a lid.

Cook the chicken parmesan meatballs in the slow cooker on low for 6 hours or on high for 4 hours.

Within the last 15 minutes of cooking, remove the lid and sprinkle the mozzarella cheese over the top (or dump a whole bunch on!). Put the lid back on and cook for the remaining 15 minutes.

Cooked chicken parmesan meatballs with melted cheese on top.

Serve up!

Slow cooker chicken parmesan meatballs are delicious simply served over your favorite pasta.

If you want to try something different, try spooning them over creamy polenta or couscous.

These slow-cooker meatballs are also perfect for meatball sandwiches. Grab some buns, spoon the hot, cheesy meatballs in, and take a big bite.

Buon appetito!

A close-up photo of a chicken parmesan meatball.

Slow Cooker Italian Chicken Meatballs FAQ:

Can the slow cooker chicken parmesan meatballs be made in advance?

Yes! You’ve got two options.

Refrigerate them: Make and roll the chicken parmesan meatballs in advance and place them on a baking sheet. Cover the baking sheet with plastic wrap and refrigerate them up to a day in advance.

Freeze them: Make the chicken parmesan meatballs, place them on a baking sheet, and freeze them. Then, you can transfer the frozen meatballs to a freezer-safe bag to keep in the freezer before use. When you are ready to cook the frozen meatballs, add 1 hour if you’re cooking them on high or 2 hours if you’re cooking them on low.

How do you make homemade meatballs stay together?

You can bind together homemade meatballs with a lightly beaten egg and some breadcrumbs. This recipe uses Italian-style breadcrumbs for added flavor.

Will meatballs fall apart in a slow cooker?

Italian chicken meatballs cook wonderfully in a Crockpot. They’re tender and moist, but not so much that they fall apart!

Slow cooker chicken parmesan meatballs in a slow cooker with spaghetti and one of the meatballs cut open.

Print