Chicken Greek Meatballs with Tzatziki Sauce are a delicious and easy weeknight family dinner! You can also make them ahead and freeze for months to save time and have them on hand ready to go.
Greek Chicken Meatballs are so moist and bursting with big flavors from garlic, feta, parsley, and oregano. You can make them ahead and freeze for months. Then simply bake for 25-30 minutes and enjoy! Paired with a tangy and bright Tzatziki sauce and served with Greek Orzo Salad or your favorite side, it’s the perfect dinner!
Because they are made with lean chicken and are baked, not fried, they are a healthy protein. I highly recommend doubling up on this recipe and immediately freezing half of the meatballs for another week or even month! If you like that idea, try these other Five, 5-Ingredient Freezable Dinners – with Grocery List!
See How Easy this Greek Chicken Meatballs Recipe is!
Meatballs are a Versatile Go-To Dinner Option!
If you’ve followed my recipes for a while then you know how much I love meatballs for dinner. If not, welcome to my meatball world! And when I say ‘world’ I really mean taking a trip around the world with Meatballs. They are easy to make tons for family dinners and fill them with flavors from different cuisines.
Here are links to some of my favorite Meatball Recipes:
- Asian Teriyaki Meatballs with Veggie & Noodle Stir Fry
- Meatballs in Cauliflower Dill Sauce
- Chipotle Meatballs in Mexican Corn Cream Sauce
- Moroccan Meatball Stuffed Pitas
Quick note! This post contains affiliate links, which means I earn a commission (at no extra cost to you) if you purchase from them. This commission is what helps me keep this blog afloat :). But, I also share these links because I have used the products, genuinely love them, and want you to know exactly what I used.
Easy Ingredients for these Greek Chicken Meatballs with Tzatziki
Meatballs
- Ground Chicken or ground turkey – I always have some raw ground chicken on hand in my freezer, as when sealed airtight, it can last for up to 6 months. Check out all of my tips for Prepping and Storing Chicken for Easier Dinners.
- Fresh Garlic cloves, minced – Fresh is best when it comes to garlic, but you can buy pre-minced garlic to save time or mince it in bulk and freeze it for use when you need it! If you do not have fresh garlic, you can substitute dried garlic flakes or garlic powder.
- Fresh Parsley – You can leave this out if you don’t have any on hand. But fresh parsley really does add a nice freshness and brightness.
- Seasoning: Dried Oregano, Salt, Ground Black Pepper
- Egg – The egg helps to hold the meatballs together. If you need to substitute, you can use another thick substance like mayonnaise, yogurt, or sour cream.
- Breadcrumbs – I used Panko breadcrumbs, but you can use any plain variety. You can also use gluten free breadcrumbs. If you don’t have breadcrumbs, you can blend up crackers in a food processor.
- Feta, crumbled – This is a primary, salty, slightly funky cheese flavor in the meatballs. You can buy this in block or crumbled form. If you cannot get or don’t want feta, you can substitute with parmesan, ricotta salata, mozzarella, goat cheese, or even just cheddar.
Tzatziki
- Plain Greek Yogurt – if you don’t have yogurt, you can substitute sour cream.
- Scallions (green onions) – I love scallions for the green color and mild onion-flavor. You can swap with chives or finely minced yellow or red onion or even shallots.
- Fresh Garlic cloves, minced – Fresh is best when it comes to garlic, but you can buy pre-minced garlic to save time or mince it in bulk and freeze it for use when you need it! If you do not have fresh garlic, you can substitute dried garlic flakes or garlic powder.
- Lime – For the fresh lime juice, you can substitute in lemon or white wine vinegar if you don’t have lime. If you don’t have lime zest, you can leave it out.
- English Cucumber – I love english cucumbers because the skin is delicate and can be eaten. That means less work to peel it and more vitamins and nutrients from the skin. Of course, you can use regular cucumbers. Just be sure to peel them before cutting and adding to the salad.
- Salt, Ground Black Pepper – I use coarse salt, but any salt will be fine. Either fine or coarse black or white pepper is great.
No Special Equipment Needed
Nothing special for this one! Just a large sheet pan (I use a 17×11).
Oh, mincing garlic is made super easy with a Garlic Press.
Time Saving Prep-Ahead Steps for Greek Chicken Meatballs
We are all extremely busy and making dinner during the week can be overwhelming. Here are the steps you prepare in the day(s) in advance and store in the fridge as your meal Kit… (See the full recipe below)
For this recipe, you can prep all of the ingredients: mince the garlic, chop the parsley, slice the scallion, zest and juice the lime. Follow the recipe for the details on this prep.
To make the meatballs, just add the ground meat, garlic, parsley, a teaspoon kosher salt or table salt, a teaspoon ground black pepper. Then add the egg, breadcrumbs, and crumbled feta cheese to a large mixing bowl and combine.
Then form meatballs using a heaping tablespoon of mixture for each. Place them on a sheet pan lined with parchment or aluminum for easy clean-up. Of course, you do not need to line the pan, but if not, then coat the bottom with olive oil.
Making the Tzatziki
You have prepped most of the ingredients above per the recipe, so now it’s on to the cucumber. For my Tzatziki, I love a lot of crunchy cucumber. You can certainly add less if you want, such as only ¼ of a cucumber.
Cucumbers are 95% water!
Yes, that’s right! So, cucumbers are a great snack during the hot summer months for helping you to stay hydrated. But, you must squeeze out the water before adding the cucumber to your sauce because it will make your sauce very watery and separate on you. Of course, you can save that cucumber water for a smoothie or lemon water or even a cocktail!
I use my grater vs. a food processor for the cucumber shredding process, as it’s quick with minimal clean up.
Once you have your cucumber grated, transfer it to a clean towel and squeeze the water out, then add it to the greek yogurt with the rest of the Tzatziki ingredients and stir to combine.
Cook Your Chicken Greek Meatballs with Tzatziki
Preheat the oven to 400 F degrees. Place the meatballs on an oiled sheet pan and bake in the oven for 15 on one side. Then remove and flip the meatballs over to get browned on the other side. Bake for another 10 minutes.
ENJOY! 😍 Carrie
Greek Meatball Recipe FAQs
Can I swap another Meat for the Chicken?
Yes, you can use ground turkey or ground beef in this recipe.
What kind of Ground Chicken Should I buy?
There different types based on how the chickens are raised. I prefer the free-range chicken with no antibiotics used. This will be found on the label. Just because it says organic, doesn’t mean it was free range.
There are also different cuts used for the ground chicken, such dark meat cuts (thighs, legs) or white meat (breast). The white meat is leaner. Some ground chicken is a mix and some will say white meat only. I used 99% lean white meat ground chicken. However, you use any ground chicken variety.
You could use ground beef at any fat content you prefer (80%, 90%, etc.). Same thing applies to beef as with chicken. There is grass-fed, no-antibiotics, no hormones, etc. And of course you can use ground turkey.
Can I use other Fillings for Greek Meatballs?
I’ve tested many different ingredients in meatballs and for this recipe I really love this combo. That said, you can certainly make some swaps if you need or want to. I used dried oregano for big Mediterranean flavor in a small amount. I use fresh parsley mostly for color and a touch of freshness. You could use dried Italian seasoning or dried basil instead using the same measurement as the oregano. For the fresh herbs, you could also swap the parsley for fresh mint or baby spinach. Consider wilting the spinach down first in a sauté pan and then squeezing out the excess water before adding it to the meat. You could add up to ½ cup wilted spinach to the meat mixture.
How can I make these meatballs Gluten Free?
You could swap the breadcrumbs with parmesan cheese or even gluten free breadcrumbs.
What can I serve with these meatballs?
The best side dish for these meatballs is my Orzo Greek Salad. However, you can also serve them with a simple Cilantro Lime Quinoa or a fresh Salad with Parmesan Crisps. Because there is the delicious Tzatziki sauce, you could just go with a steamed rice or couscous or quinoa.
Have you tried this recipe? If so, please leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ star rating in the recipe below! I love to hear your feedback and your rating helps others to find this recipe. Thanks so much!
Greek Chicken Meatballs with Tzatziki Sauce
Ingredients
Meatballs
- 16 ounces Lean Ground Chicken, raised without antibiotics ground turkey is good too
- 2 cloves Garlic minced
- 3 Tablespoons Parsley Chopped
- 1 teaspoon Oregano
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 1 teaspoon Fresh Ground Pepper
- 1 Tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1 Egg, large
- ¼ cup breadcrumbs
- ½ cup Feta, crumbled
Tzatziki
- 1 cup Plain Greek Yogurt
- 1 Tablespoon Scallion, finely chopped
- 1 clove Garlic, minced
- 1 Lime (all zested, half juiced)
- ½ English Cucumber, medium-sized
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- ½ teaspoon Black Pepper
Instructions
Prep Ahead Steps
- You need 1 large mixing bowl for the meatball mixture and 1 small bowl. Place the ground chicken into the large bowl. Place the yogurt into the small bowl.
- Mince the 3 cloves garlic, 2 go into the large mixing bowl with the chicken and 1 goes into the small bowl with the yogurt.
- Chop parsley and add it to the chicken in the large bowl. Slice the scallion greens and add them to the yogurt in the small bowl.
- Zest the Lime and add it to the yogurt. Juice half the lime into the yogurt.
- For the meatball mixture in the large bowl, add the rest of the ingredients: the ground chicken, garlic, parsley, egg, crumbled feta, oregano, salt, pepper, and breadcrumbs. Mix to fully combine all ingredients.
- Then form meatballs by scooping a heaping tablespoon of the mixture and rolling it in your hands. Place them on a sheet pan lined with parchment or aluminum for easy clean-up. Of course, you do not need to line the pan, but if not, then coat the bottom with olive oil. At this point, you can cover them and store in the fridge for up to 3 days before baking. Or place the pan in the freezer to flash-freeze them. Then transfer to a freezer bag or container once frozen.
- Using a grater on the medium grate size, grate the cucumber with the skin on. Transfer the cucumber to a clean towel so that you can squeeze the water out of the cucumber before adding it to the yogurt.
- If you are not eating the Tzatziki within the next day, then I mix the yogurt sauce without the cucumber and store the cucumber in a separate bowl lined with paper towel to soak up any additional water that comes out of the cucumber. When you are ready, add the cucumber plus salt and pepper to the yogurt, then mix the ingredients into the yogurt. Cover and store in the fridge.
Cooking Steps
- Preheat the oven to 400 F degrees. Place the meatballs (frozen or thawed) on an oiled sheet pan and bake in the oven for 15 on one side. Then remove and flip the meatballs over to get browned on the other side. Bake for another 10 minutes. (Note: if they were baked frozen, test one meatball to ensure it is cooked through. If there is any pink, bake for another 3-5 minutes.)
- Finish the Tzatziki sauce by mixing the shredded cucumber to the yogurt and mix to combine. Serve with the meatballs and ENJOY!
Video
Notes
- Can I swap another Meat for the Chicken? Yes, ground turkey or ground beef will work in this recipe.
- How can I make these meatballs Gluten Free? You could swap the breadcrumbs with parmesan cheese or even gluten free breadcrumbs.
Cheryl M says
Great recipe! A little salty for my preference, so I may leave out the added salt next time as the feta is salty enough on its own, but overall very yummy. I didn’t have Greek yogurt for the tzatziki and used regular, whole milk yogurt. Still delicious! Thanks for sharing the recipe!
Carrie Tyler says
Thanks so much, Cheryl! I’m so happy you liked these. I can definitely see where the salt may be too much and thank you for letting me know so I can update the recipe to note that for others!
BEst Wishes and Happy Cooking 🙂
Carrie
Christina says
This was a huge win for my family! Also very easy and quick. Loved it!
Christina says
This was a huge win for my family! Also super simple and quick. Loved it!
Carrie Tyler says
Thanks, Christina! I love love love to hear that!!!
Best Wishes,
Carrie
Catie says
Made this tonight and everyone loved it!! Great recipe!
Carrie Tyler says
Thanks so much, Catie!!
Linger says
Greek Food is one of my favorite. The flavors are unbelievable. It doesn’t look like this recipe would disappoint at all. The meatballs sound fabulous, especially with your Tzatziki sauce. I’m gonna have to put this in my rotation of meals. Yuuum!! Thanks for always sharing great dishes.
Sandra says
Sounds good and healthy. What Mediterranean side do you suggest serving with this. Making meatballs to freeze.
Carrie Tyler says
Hi Sandra! I love this Greek Orzo Salad with it: https://talkingmeals.com/greek-orzo-salad/ This one you would need to make fresh.
You could also try this Broccoli Pesto Pasta, where the Broccoli Pesto can be made ahead and frozen, then when you cook the meatballs, just heat up the sauce, cook the pasta, and mix! https://talkingmeals.com/broccoli-pesto-pasta/
Randi Mager says
These are absolutely delicious! Even the kids loved them!
Mimi Rippee says
What a fabulous idea! Of course, I’ll dip anything in tzatziki!
JLaw says
These are wonderful! I made a quadruple recipe (4# ground chicken) and traded frozen (thawed/squeezed dry) spinach for the parsley and parmesan cheese for the bread crumbs. We ate a few fresh, and froze the remainder of the meatballs uncooked. Our college student came home for a week and proceeded to eat all of the meatballs we had in the freezer over that week’s time- it was pretty much all she ate while home. She is a picky eater and has digestive issues, so it was a total win for her to love these and be able to eat them every day for a week without setting off her gut! I will say that I found that a few minutes shorter baking time was sufficient and less drying, and that we prefer a more traditional tzatziki sauce recipe over the included one with lime.
Carrie Tyler says
Hi! Thanks so much for the comment and feedback! I love the addition of spinach to these meatballs and I also use parmesan in place of breadcrumbs for meatballs often.
Happy Cooking!
Carrie
Lzbth says
I made these meatballs for dinner last night and they were outstanding. I didn’t have any panko, so I just used a piece of bread pulsed in the food processor. I served with a greek lemon rice and my own receipe for tzatziki. Will definitely be making these often. Probably the best chicken meatballs I’ve ever had!
Carrie Tyler says
Thank you so much!! I’m so happy that you loved the recipe and were able to improvise with the breadcrumbs 🙂
Mimi Rippee says
This is a fabulous recipe. Love tzatziki and could probably put in on just about anything!
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