Chicken Greek Meatballs With Tzatziki Sauce!

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

Meatball Ingredients

• 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 Ingredients

• 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.