Green Goddess Chicken Meatballs

By Dan Pelosi

Updated March 26, 2026

  • Christopher Simpson for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
Media 1 of 1
Ready In
25 min
Rating
5(338)
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Herby, creamy green goddess dressing is a perfect way to both flavor and fatten up chicken meatballs, ensuring they are juicy and delicious. Whether using homemade or store-bought dressing, these meatballs come together fast and would be welcome on your plate  at breakfast with eggs, at lunch on a salad or sandwich, or at dinner with pasta or rice. Perhaps their peak usage, though, is as an appetizer, with plenty of extra dressing for dipping. (Watch Dan Pelosi make this recipe in this video.)

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Ingredients

Yield:18 meatballs

  • ¾ cup homemade or store-bought green goddess dressing, plus more for serving

  • ¾ cup panko bread crumbs 

  • 1 large egg

  • 4 scallions, thinly sliced

  • 2 garlic cloves, grated 

  • Grated zest of 1 lemon

  • Salt and black pepper 

  • 1 pound ground chicken

  • Olive oil, for forming the meatballs

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (18 servings)

3 grams carbs; 32 milligrams cholesterol; 57 calories; 1 gram monounsaturated fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 3 grams fat; 91 milligrams sodium; 5 grams protein

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat the oven to 400 degrees.

  2. Step 2

    Add dressing, panko, egg, scallions, garlic, lemon zest and 1 teaspoon each salt and black pepper to a bowl and mix to combine, ensuring the panko is fully moistened. Add chicken and mix until just combined, being careful not to overmix.

  3. Step 3

    Using a bit of oil on your hands, form the meat mixture into 18 small balls (about 2 tablespoons each) and place onto a baking sheet. Bake meatballs for 10 minutes, until the bottoms of the meatballs are browned and cooked through, and release easily from the pan. Remove from the oven and let rest for 5 minutes.

  4. Step 4

    Serve with extra dressing on the side. Cooked meatballs can be refrigerated for up to 5 days and frozen for up to 3 months.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
338 user ratings
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Comments

dan pelosi

@ta thank you I am glad you enjoy the pesto meatballs! And that you are adjusting the salt levels to your taste! Be sure to note the differences in this recipe from the pesto meatballs - the absence of grated parm, the addition of scallions and lemon zest, as I found they all enhanced the flavors of the green goddess meatballs! Happy meatballing!

Pablo

These are pretty good. Closer to 20 minutes in the oven to get to that slightly crispy situation. Put them in a flatbread with some store-bought arugula salad.

tal

This is Dan’s Chicken Pesto Meatballs substituting Green Goddess dressing for the Pesto. I’ve made the Pesto version and like it a lot. I’ll suggest that, if using store-bought GG dressing or pesto, that the mixture is put together without the additional 1 tsp each salt and pepper. Make a small meatball, fry it and taste. Store bought dressing or pesto are plenty salty. I’ve found I don’t need to add a full tsp of salt or of pepper depending on which store bought item I buy.

Carla B.

Delicious. Takes a bit of time to make one's own Green Goddess sauce but worth it. Maybe use a bit less tarragon. Orange zested jasmine rice with a bit of chopped fresh tarragon accompanied the chicken. Also added a dollip of the sauce on top of rice.. Our vegetable was roasted brussels sprouts with garlic and bacon. Nice dinner.

Nancy

Made it exactly according to the recipe. Didn't love it. It seemed bland and they weren't browned but they were fully cooked. I won't make this again.

Leslie

I subbed 1/2 the Green Goddess dressing with cottage cheese, 1 Tbs of plain yogurt and minced chives. Delicious! Only did it because that’s all I had left from the last time I made these. Also, homemade GF breadcrumbs or GF panko work very well. Enjoy this easy and rewarding recipe

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