If you’re looking for something new and exciting to eat for dinner, you have to try these Chicken Parmesan Meatball Subs with a quick homemade tomato sauce. Packed with plenty of flavor and topped with lots of melted cheese.
I’ve been in a menu planning slump lately. Each week, I struggle to figure out what I want to eat for the week and end up resorting to the same meals over and over, which usually involves too much pasta. I’m not very good at buying groceries on a whim and hoping that I can come up with something; I’m a planner who needs to make a list. I also tend to buy the same proteins over and over: bone-in chicken breasts, chicken quarters, shrimp, ground beef. Sometimes when I don’t know what I want to make, I’ll pick a protein for inspiration and roll with it. I haven’t had ground chicken in a long time, so I thought about what I could make. Meatballs immediately came to mind. Rather than making spaghetti and meatballs, I opted for Chicken Parmesan Meatball Subs, the cousin to traditional beef meatball subs with a quick homemade tomato sauce and of course topped with lots of cheese. No need to pound out or bread chicken breast – just mix everything together and go. This recipe can easily be made in an hour, especially if you cook the sauce while the meatballs are baking. You can even make the sauce ahead of time. The meatballs make great leftovers too as I usually have a sub or two for lunch or dinner again the next day. Take that, menu planning slump.
Meatballs need a ton of flavor as they can get pretty bland pretty quickly, so I made sure to use plenty of onion, garlic, Parmesan cheese, basil, and parsley. When it comes to cooking with herbs, I have a bad habit of buying fresh herbs then throwing them out because they wilted too quickly. A few summers ago, I was introduced to the company Gourmet Garden as they were demonstrating their products at an event I attended. They make stir in pastes and lightly dried herbs that taste like you are cooking with fresh herbs but last much longer, which you can find in the produce section. They also make garlic and ginger pastes, which I use the most because you don’t have to peel or chop anything (their next product should be onion paste. That would be amazing). I was impressed with their lightly dried herbs because you can tell they are dried just enough to still feel fresh, unlike the completely dried herbs you find in most spice aisles.
I prefer to bake my meatballs rather than frying, not only because it’s healthier but mainly because the cooking process becomes hands off. You can use that 25-30 minutes to make the sauce or work on some side dishes. Even though the meatballs may not be perfectly round, I find that baking them on a rack inside a baking pan helps keep them as round as possible while also letting the fat drip down into the pan. Besides, the slightly flat sides helps keep them from rolling off of the buns, right?
Chicken Parmesan Meatball Subs
Yield: 4-6
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Ingredients
Meatballs
- 1 pound ground chicken, thawed
- 1/2 cup Panko breadcrumbs
- 1/4 cup finely shredded fresh Parmesan cheese
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped onion
- 1 tablespoon garlic paste
- 1 tablespoon dried basil
- 1 tablespoon dried parsley
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 egg
Sauce
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/4 cup chopped onion
- 14 ounces canned diced tomatoes with juices
- 2 teaspoons garlic paste
- 2 teaspoons dried basil
- 2 teaspoons dried parsley
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400F. Line a rimmed baking sheet or roasting pan with foil and set a wire rack on top.
- In a large bowl, mix together the chicken, breadcrumbs, cheese, onion, garlic paste, basil, parsley, salt, and egg. Roll the meat mixture into 1-1/4 to 1-1/2 inch meatballs (roughly 16-18 meatballs) and place on the wire rack. Bake 25-30 minutes or until brown and the internal temperature reaches 165F. If serving right away, leave the oven on.
- While the meatballs are baking, make the sauce. In a large saucepan, heat the oil until hot. Add the onion and cook for 3-5 minutes or until softened. Add the tomatoes with juices, garlic paste, basil, parsley, sugar, and salt. Cook over medium-low heat for 20 minutes, stirring often.
- Carefully add the tomato mixture to a blender and puree until smooth. Pour the sauce back into the saucepan.
- Toss the cooked meatballs in the sauce and place 3-4 meatballs onto each sub roll. Top with Parmesan and mozzarella cheeses. Bake on a cookie sheet for 10 minutes or until the buns are toasted and cheese has melted. Serve immediately.
Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Gourmet Garden. For more recipes, you can follow them on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram. As always, thank you for reading and supporting brands I work with, which helps keep Chocolate Moosey running.
Beth says
7am is an acceptable time to think about eating lunch, right? :)
Anita at Hungry Couple says
Oh, big yum. I make chicken meatballs all the time but why I didn’t think to make them into subs is beyond me. I’ll be rectifying that in the future! Pinned.
Liz @ The Lemon Bowl says
I just stocked up on Gourmet Garden lemongrass and ginger and its a LIFE saver!!
Brianne @ Cupcakes & Kale Chips says
Those lightly dried herbs sound fabulous. I’ve been in a rut lately, so these meatballs may have to make an appearance at my house!
PurpleQueen says
Wow! This is another great recipe. I am an avid user of ground chicken. I put it into my stuffed peppers with orzo, strained tomatoes, and smoked mozzeralla, and love it for burgers, they turn out so much lighter than beef burgers. I will definitely try the chicken meat balls. I also use the Gourmet Garden spice pastes, they are a bit pricy, but last so much longer than fresh herbs do. Many thanks for such a fun post!
Lori @ Foxes Love Lemons says
I’m with you – I always plan all of my meals for the week in advance. I never go to the store without a plan! I also keep a little list of easy weeknight meal ideas, and I’ll be adding these subs to that list. I love how the Lightly Dried line is a nice compromise between fresh herbs that go bad too quickly, and dried herbs that last forever but don’t always have much flavor. Flavorful (lightly) dried herbs that last way longer than fresh herbs = win!
Liz says
Thank you for the nice recipe.
Linda | Brunch with Joy says
Ahhh..I should be your neighbor. I love pasta and don’t mind easting it everyday :) But this chicken parmesan subs sounds delicious and I might take this for breakfast!
Angie | Big Bear's Wife says
Mmmm I love meatballs subs! When I was younger I would eat one almost ever week! These look amazing! I’m like dying for one now!
Courtney @ NeighborFood says
I would like this for dinner tonight. If only you did take our orders. :)
Jennie @onesweetmess says
I absolutely love all of their products. This is such a great recipe. Like you, I’m always looking for new takes on classics. I can’t wait to make this. Pinned.
Rachel says
I’m with Anita–Why I never thought to make chicken meatball subs is beyond me! I’ll also be rectifying that very soon. :)
Miss @ Miss in the Kitchen says
This is totally the kind of dinner that my family would love!
Kayle (The Cooking Actress) says
yum yum yum!!! You’re way better about your dinners than I am! I love these subs
Romany says
These look absolutely delicious. I’ve definitely been in a meal planning slump recently myself and like you I like to plan everything out. Winging it doesn’t usually turn out great for me! Thanks for sharing, I will definitely be trying these out. — Romany
Susan says
I always buy the same protein, once in awhile I switch it up but I’m boring too. I hardly ever buy ground chicken but with all those herbs that would had such a great boost of flavor and who can resist meatball subs anyway.