Greek Chicken Meatballs with Tzatziki (35g Protein)

Name: Greek Chicken Meatballs with Tzatziki
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 25 min
Ingredients: 1 lb ground chicken (I like 93% lean); 1 large egg; ⅓ cup panko breadcrumbs (gluten-free if needed); ⅓ cup red onion (diced); 3 cloves garlic (minced); ⅓ cup fresh parsley (chopped); 1 tsp dried oregano; ½ to 1 tsp salt (to taste); ½ tsp black pepper (to taste); 3 hearts romaine (chopped); 1 pint cherry tomatoes (halved); 1 medium English cucumber (diced); 1 cup kalamata olives (pitted and halved); ½ cup red onion (diced); ⅓ cup crumbled feta cheese; 1 cup plain Greek yogurt (0%, 2%, or 5%); ½ cup cucumber (grated on a box grater); 1 - 2 Tbsp fresh squeezed lemon juice; 2 cloves garlic (minced); 2 Tbsp fresh dill (chopped); ½ tsp salt; ½ tsp ground black pepper

Juicy Greek chicken meatballs packed with oregano, parsley, and garlic, served with homemade tzatziki. Bake them, air fry them, or sear them on the stovetop in about 25 minutes. I make a batch every week for meal prep lunches at 35g of protein per serving.

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Healthy Greek chicken meatballs on a Greek salad with tzatziki, feta, cherry tomatoes, and cucumber in a bowl.

Greek Chicken Meatballs with Tzatziki At A Glance

✅ Recipe Name: Greek Chicken Meatballs with Homemade Tzatziki (35g Protein)
🕒 Ready In: ~25 minutes
👪 Serves: 4
🍽 Calories: ~379 per serving
💪 Protein: 35g per serving
🔥 Three Ways to Cook: Oven 425°F for 15 to 18 minutes, air fryer 380°F for 8 to 12 minutes, or stovetop sear for 3 minutes then 10 minutes covered
🥣 Main Ingredients: Ground chicken, egg, panko breadcrumbs, red onion, garlic, fresh parsley, dried oregano, Greek yogurt, cucumber, fresh lemon juice, fresh dill
📖 Dietary Info: Gluten-free with GF breadcrumbs, high-protein
⭐ Why You'll Love It: Most Greek chicken meatball recipes send you elsewhere for the tzatziki. This one includes the full sauce, and the meatballs are small enough to cook through in 15 minutes.

SUMMARIZE & SAVE THIS CONTENT ON

Greek is the flavor profile my kitchen defaults to. Oregano, garlic, lemon, fresh herbs, and something cool and creamy to go with. You can see it across the site: Greek yogurt marinated chicken, grilled Greek chicken kabobs, Greek pasta salad, and these meatballs, which have been in my weekly rotation for years.

The meatballs themselves are moist and herby, not dense. What makes them is the tzatziki. Cold, garlicky, and thick enough to actually coat the meatball rather than run off it.

What I love about this one is how far a batch goes. Make them Sunday, and you've got lunches all week, over a salad, in a pita, or with rice. If you want carbs with it, my crispy oven-roasted potatoes are insane.

Jump to:

Greek Chicken Meatballs with Tzatziki At A Glance
Are Greek Chicken Meatballs Healthy?
Ingredients You'll Need
Substitutions and Variations
How to Make Juicy Greek Chicken Meatballs (Step-by-Step)
Oven vs. air fryer vs. stovetop
Top Tips from My Kitchen
What to Serve with Greek Chicken Meatballs
Storage, Freezing, and Reheating
Greek Chicken Meatballs FAQs
More Greek Recipes You'll Love
📖 Recipe
💬 Comments

Are Greek Chicken Meatballs Healthy?

Yes. Greek chicken meatballs are a lean, high-protein dinner. A serving has 35 grams of protein and 379 calories, with the flavor coming from oregano, garlic, and fresh herbs instead of cheese or cream, and a tzatziki made from Greek yogurt instead of mayo.

Most of the protein is the ground chicken and the yogurt. Most of the calories are from the feta and olives, so that's where to look if you want to shift the ratio.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

SO delicious and simple. Easy ingredients thrown together in under 30 minutes for a delicious dinner. I'm sold!

- Morgan M.

Ingredients You'll Need

Greek chicken meatballs need ground chicken, egg, panko, red onion, garlic, fresh parsley, and dried oregano. The tzatziki is Greek yogurt, cucumber, lemon, garlic, and dill. Here's what each one does and what you can swap.

Ingredients for Greek chicken meatballs and tzatziki: ground chicken, egg, panko breadcrumbs, red onion, garlic, parsley, dill, romaine, cucumber, cherry tomatoes, kalamata olives, feta, Greek yogurt, and lemon..

Ground Chicken: I use 93% lean. I've made these leaner and they come out noticeably drier, since ground chicken doesn't have much fat to spare. It's my favorite protein to cook with, and if you want another way to use a pound of it, my cilantro lime chicken burgers are on repeat here too.
Egg: One egg binds everything so the meatballs hold their shape.
Panko Breadcrumbs: These keep the meatballs light instead of dense. Gluten-free panko works exactly the same.
Red Onion: Dice it small or shred it. Big pieces steam inside the meatball, leaving gaps. Yellow or white onion works if that's what you have.
Garlic: Fresh, minced. Three cloves. Garlic powder doesn't give you the same thing here.
Fresh Parsley: Goes in by the handful. This is a herb-forward meatball, not a herb-flecked one.
Dried Oregano: The one place dried beats fresh. It's more concentrated, and it's what makes these read as Greek.
Salt and Pepper: For seasoning.
For the tzatziki: Plain Greek yogurt, grated cucumber, fresh lemon juice, garlic, and dill. I use 2% yogurt, but 0% or 5% work well too!

Scroll to the recipe card for quantities.

Substitutions and Variations

Make them gluten-free: Swap the panko for gluten-free panko or almond flour, one-for-one. Nothing else about the recipe changes, and the texture holds up.
Use ground turkey: 94% lean ground turkey works the same way here. Anything leaner and you'll run into the same dryness problem you get with 99% lean chicken. It's the same lean I use in my Greek feta turkey burgers.
Make them dairy-free: Coconut or almond yogurt in the tzatziki gets you most of the way there. Skip the feta if you're serving these on a salad.
Add feta to the mixture: Crumble a quarter cup into the meat before you roll. It melts into pockets, and the meatballs come out a little richer.
Swap the herbs: Fresh dill or mint for some of the parsley. Both are traditional in Greek meatballs, and both are stronger than parsley, so use less than you think.

How to Make Juicy Greek Chicken Meatballs (Step-by-Step)

Greek chicken meatballs take about 25 minutes from bowl to plate. Here's how they come together, with photos for each step.

Ground chicken, panko, egg, diced red onion, minced garlic, and fresh parsley in a white mixing bowl before mixing.

Step 1: Make the meatball mixture. Combine ground chicken, egg, panko, red onion, garlic, parsley, oregano, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Mix gently with your hands until just combined. Overmixing makes them dense.

Raw Greek chicken meatballs spaced evenly in an oiled white skillet before searing.

Step 2: Roll and cook. Wet your hands lightly so the mixture doesn't stick, then roll 18 to 20 meatballs. Cook them in the oven at 425°F, the air fryer at 380°F, or a skillet on the stovetop.

Greek chicken meatballs browning in a white skillet, golden on the seared sides.

Step 3: Cook until golden and the internal temperature reaches 165°F. They should be browned on the outside and cooked through. A thermometer is the only way to know for sure without cutting one open.

Grated cucumber, fresh dill, minced garlic, and black pepper on top of Greek yogurt to make tzatziki.

Step 4: Make the tzatziki. Grate the cucumber and squeeze out the water, then stir it into Greek yogurt with lemon juice, garlic, dill, salt, and pepper. Chill it while the meatballs cook.

Greek chicken meatballs served over romaine with cherry tomatoes, cucumber, kalamata olives, and feta, drizzled with tzatziki.

Step 5: Assemble and serve. Pile the meatballs over a Greek salad, into a pita, or with rice, and spoon the tzatziki over the top.

Oven vs. air fryer vs. stovetop

All three work. Here's how to pick.

Air fryer: 380°F for 8 to 12 minutes. Fastest, and you get the most browning, which matters since ground chicken doesn't color much on its own. This is my weeknight default. I run 380°F instead of 400°F because meatballs this size cook through before the outside catches up. More on that in my air fryer chicken meatballs.
Oven: 425°F for 15 to 18 minutes. One sheet pan, no batches, nothing to stand over. This is what I use for a big meal prep batch; same as my Greek turkey meatballs with lemon rice.
Stovetop: sear for 3 minutes, then cook for 10 minutes over medium heat. Best crust of the three, but you're turning meatballs the whole time and working in batches unless you have a big skillet.

Whichever you pick, pull them at 165°F inside.

Top Tips from My Kitchen

Wet your hands before you roll. Ground chicken sticks to everything, and dry hands make it worse. I keep a small bowl of water next to the sheet pan and dip as I go. The mixture releases cleanly, and the meatballs come out round instead of lumpy.
Use a meat thermometer. Ground chicken goes from juicy to dry in about a minute, and you can't tell by looking. Pull them at 165°F and stop guessing.
Let the tzatziki sit before you serve it. Ten minutes is enough; 30 is better. The garlic and lemon need a little time to soften into the yogurt, and the difference between fresh-mixed and rested is real.

Greek chicken meatball cut in half to show juicy, moist middle.

What to Serve with Greek Chicken Meatballs

Greek chicken meatballs work as a main with a side, in a bowl, or stuffed into a pita. Here's what I reach for.

Over a Greek salad. Romaine, tomatoes, cucumber, olives, red onion, and feta, with the tzatziki thinned into a dressing. My Greek spinach salad works here too.
With something crispy. Air-fryer sweet potato wedges, air-fryer carrot fries, or air-fryer pita chips. All three run in the same air fryer as the meatballs.
Alongside a soup. A few meatballs turn a bowl into dinner. My Greek chickpea soup is the natural pairing.
In a pita. Lettuce, tomato, and plenty of tzatziki. Fastest lunch of the bunch.
With rice or orzo. If you want something to soak up the extra tzatziki.

Storage, Freezing, and Reheating

Store: Keep the meatballs in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 to 4 days. Store the tzatziki separately, where it keeps 5 to 7 days.
Freeze cooked: Cool the meatballs completely, then freeze in a single layer on a sheet pan before transferring to a bag. They keep 2 to 3 months.
Freeze raw: Freeze the mixture in a bag with the air pressed out, then thaw in the fridge overnight before rolling and cooking.
Reheat: Microwave 1 to 2 minutes, or warm at 350°F for 10 to 15 minutes. The air fryer works too and gets the outside crisp again.
Don't freeze the tzatziki. Yogurt separates when it thaws and never comes back together right.

Greek Chicken Meatballs FAQs

Why are my chicken meatballs dry?

Two usual causes. You used chicken leaner than 93%, which doesn't leave enough fat to work with, or you cooked past 165°F. Ground chicken goes from juicy to dry fast, so a thermometer is worth it.

Can I make Greek chicken meatballs in the air fryer?

Yes. 380°F for 8 to 12 minutes, shaking the basket halfway. It's the fastest of the three methods and gives you the most browning.

Can I bake Greek chicken meatballs instead of frying them?

Yes. 425°F for 15 to 18 minutes on a parchment-lined sheet pan. This is the easiest method for a big batch since everything cooks at once.

Do Greek chicken meatballs need breadcrumbs?

They hold together without them, but panko keeps them lighter and less dense. If you're skipping breadcrumbs, expect a firmer meatball.

How far ahead can I make the tzatziki?

Up to 3 days. The flavor actually improves after the first few hours as the garlic and lemon settle into the yogurt. Stir before serving since it separates slightly.

Can I make Greek chicken meatballs gluten-free?

Yes. Swap the panko for gluten-free panko or almond flour, one for one. Nothing else changes, and the texture holds up. Everything else in the recipe is already gluten-free.

Greek chicken meatballs on a Greek salad with tzatziki and crumbled feta, garnished with fresh dill.

More Greek Recipes You'll Love

If you liked these, here are a few more Greek recipes on repeat in my kitchen.

Did you make this recipe?

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📖 Recipe

Recipe tested and developed by Tati Chermayeff, creator of Healthful Blondie. A former Division I rower, Ironman triathlete, and recipe developer based in Austin, TX, Tati creates high-protein and healthy recipes that actually taste like the real thing.

Comments

5 from 9 votes (2 ratings without comment)