These golden, ultra-juicy chicken Caesar meatballs are packed with classic Caesar flavor in every bite. Served over a vibrant, creamy green goddess Caesar sauce and finished with crispy bacon and crunchy parmesan crisps, this one’s a serious crowd-pleaser. Perfect for dinner parties or busy weeknights.
Table of Contents
Chicken Caesar Meatballs, at a Glance
⏰ Total Time: 35 minutes
🍽 Serves: 4
🛒 Key Ingredients: Ground chicken, ricotta, parmesan, panko breadcrumbs, bacon, cottage cheese, white miso paste, avocado
🧠 Skill Level: Beginner-friendly
🔥 Cooking Method: Air fryer or oven
💪 Protein: 43.7g per serving
🥣 Prep Ahead: Mix and shape the meatballs up to 2 days ahead, then cook when ready. Or, freeze them raw or cooked, then reheat.
💃 Perfect For: Busy weeknights, meal prep, dinner parties, easy entertaining
💕 Why You’ll Love: All the flavor of chicken Caesar salad, in a gorgeous little bite-sized meatball.
Meatballs, but make them Chicken Caesar
These aren’t your average meatballs. They’re loaded with all the bold, savory flavors of a classic Caesar salad and piled high on a creamy, vibrant green goddess sauce that’s as good for you as it is delicious.
I’ve been on a serious meatball kick lately. And as a big Caesar salad fan, combining my two favorite things felt like a no-brainer. These chicken Caesar meatballs have quickly become a kitchen staple for me.
And that green goddess Caesar sauce underneath? It’s packed with protein from the cottage cheese and boosted with fresh avocado, basil and spinach for a bright, creamy, slightly tangy twist on the classic Caesar dressing. The sauce and meatballs share lots of the same ingredients, so despite how it looks, this recipe is surprisingly quick and easy to pull together.
If you’re also in your meatball era, try these lovely juicy dumpling meatballs, sweet and sour chicken meatballs, lemony chicken piccata meatballs, ‘Marry Me’ chicken meatballs or creamy satay chicken meatballs next.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Ground chicken. If you can’t find ground chicken, blitz 1lb (500g) of boneless, skinless chicken thighs in a food processor to make your own. Or, use ground turkey, pork or a plant-based alternative.
- Ricotta. I like to use ricotta instead of the more traditional egg in these meatballs. They keep them super light and fluffy and pair well with the Caesar flavors. Use an egg if you prefer.
- Fish sauce. This is my shortcut to classic Caesar flavor instead of using whole anchovies. You’ll need this in the meatballs and the sauce itself. I promise it doesn’t make anything taste fishy, it just gives a lovely, deep savory flavor.
- Cottage cheese. I’ve used low-fat cottage cheese and it works perfectly, but full-fat is great too. Use plain Greek yogurt if you don’t like cottage cheese.
How to Make Caesar Meatballs
This is a step-by-step photo overview of how to make the meatballs – the full instructions with ingredient quantities are at the bottom of the page for you.
- Add the ingredients for the meatballs to a bowl.
- combine into a cohesive mixture.
- Using wet hands (this helps the meatballs from sticking to your hands), roll them into small balls.
- Air fry (or bake) until golden and glorious.
- While the meatballs cook, add all the ingredients for your green Caesar sauce to a blender or food processor.
- Blitz into a super smooth, bright green sauce.
- To serve, spoon the sauce onto a serving platter and top with the meatballs. Scatter with crispy bacon, chives and crunchy parmesan crisps to serve.
Watch How to Make Caesar Meatballs
Chicken Caesar Meatballs FAQs
Yes! You can mix and shape the meatballs up to two days in advance and keep them covered in the fridge, then just cook them when you’re ready.
Once cooked, they’ll keep well for four days in the fridge. They also freeze well (either raw or cooked) and can be reheated straight from frozen in the air fryer or the oven.
You’ll need to add a little more time if you do cook them from frozen – start with an extra five minutes and see how they look.
They very easily can be. Just swap the panko breadcrumbs for gluten-free breadcrumbs or almond flour.
It’ll keep well for about four or five days in the fridge – just keep it in an airtight container. The green color may dull over time as the avocado is exposed to the air, but it’ll still taste gorgeous.
Like this recipe? Try these meatballs next
If you make this recipe, I’d love to hear from you! You can leave a recipe rating and a comment below. And remember to tag @DishedByKate on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok if you’ve made one of my recipes. Seeing your recreations really makes my day 😊.
Chicken Caesar Meatballs with Green Goddess Caesar Sauce
Ingredients
Method
- Make the parmesan crisps (optional). Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Spoon small mounds of the grated parmesan onto the baking sheet and flatten slightly to form thin circles. Bake for about 8 minutes, or until golden and crisp around the edges. Remove from the oven and let them cool on the tray (they’ll crisp up as they cool).
- Cook your bacon. Air fry the bacon at 400°F (200°C) for 8 to 10 minutes, or until super crispy. You can also pan-fry it over medium heat until crispy if you prefer.
- Mix your meatballs. In a large mixing bowl, combine the ground chicken, most of the chopped bacon, ½ cup grated parmesan, ½ cup panko breadcrumbs, ½ cup ricotta, 1 tablespoon fish sauce, 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard, 1 tablespoon miso paste, crushed garlic, chopped basil, lemon zest and a good grind of black pepper. Mix until fully combined.
- Roll your meatballs. Wet your hands (this helps prevent sticking), then roll a heaped spoonful of the mixture into a small meatball. Place directly into your air fryer basket or onto a parchment-lined baking sheet if you’re using the oven. Repeat with the rest of the mixture.
- Cook the meatballs. Air fryer: Cook at 400°F (200°C) for 11 minutes, until golden and cooked through. Oven: Bake at 425°F (220°C) for about 20 minutes, or until golden and fully cooked.
- Make the green Caesar sauce. While the meatballs cook, add 1 cup cottage cheese, the flesh of your avocado, 1/2 cup basil leaves, 1 packed cup of spinach leaves, ½ cup grated parmesan cheese, 2 garlic cloves, 1 tablespoon fish sauce, 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard, ½ tablespoon white miso paste, a very good grind of black pepper and 1 tablespoon of olive oil to a food processor or blender. Blend until smooth and creamy. If the sauce is too thick, add a splash of water to help it blend into a silky texture.
- Garnish and serve. Spread about three-quarters of the green Caesar sauce on a serving platter. Pile the warm meatballs on top, then break the Parmesan crisps into shards and scatter them over the meatballs. Finish by sprinkling over the reserved bacon and chives. Serve the remaining sauce on the side for dipping.
What a brilliant pairing! Love the meatballs, and I love this sauce!
It really works so well! So incredibly moreish xx
This is so delicious .will be making again !
So so happy to hear this! xx