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Baked chicken meatballs on a white platter with a bowl of cucumber tzatziki, dill and lemon wedges.

Chicken Meatballs Tzatziki Recipe: 40-Minute Baked Party Bites

Lean ground chicken and panko bake up juicy without frying, and a quick cucumber tzatziki turns them into an easy New Year's Eve party bite you can prep ahead.
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: Greek

Ingredients
  

  • 1 lb ground chicken 93% lean
  • 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
  • 1 large egg lightly beaten
  • 1/4 cup red onion finely chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic minced, divided
  • 1 tbsp fresh dill chopped, divided
  • 1 lemon zested, then juiced
  • 1 cup plain Greek yogurt 2% or whole milk
  • 1/2 English cucumber grated and squeezed dry
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tsp kosher salt 3/4 tsp for meatballs, a pinch for tzatziki
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper freshly ground

Method
 

  1. Heat the oven to 400°F and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
  2. Grate the cucumber on the large holes of a box grater, wrap it in a clean kitchen towel and squeeze out the excess liquid. Stir together 1 cup of the yogurt, the cucumber, 1 minced garlic clove, 2 tsp of the dill, 1 tbsp of the lemon juice and a pinch of salt. Refrigerate until serving.
  3. In a large bowl, combine the ground chicken, panko, egg, red onion, remaining garlic, remaining 1 tsp dill, lemon zest, 3/4 tsp salt and the pepper. Mix gently with your hands just until combined; do not overmix.
  4. Shape the mixture into 24 meatballs, about 1 tbsp each, and arrange them on the prepared baking sheet. Brush with the olive oil.
  5. Bake 18-20 minutes, until lightly browned and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of a meatball reads 165°F.
  6. Rest 5 minutes, then serve warm with the chilled tzatziki and lemon wedges.