Chicken Parmesan Meatball Crostini.
It’s time we get serious about these game day eats.
I know we’ve chatted about some seriously good recipes this week, but let’s be honest, we all know the best game day eats are the snacky ones…or at least I like to call them snacks…snacks are just way more fun <– says the kid in me! ?. Especially the ones that are cute and mini and easily eaten in a bite or two. And these chicken parmesan meatball crostini bites are exactly that.
These fun bites are just like chicken parmesan, only instead of the pasta I swapped in a whole grain baguette and sort of reinvented the classic to make a fun Super Bowl (or really, anytime) snack! Pretty excited about it!
Also…I am pretty excited that today is February first! For one, today is my brother Brendan’s birthday. He’s turning 27 and man, all I have to say is that time is going waay too fast. Soon enough that will be me, and it’s already freaking me the heck out….YIKES!
Second, I love the month of February for many reasons, but most importantly because it’s an entire month full of all things chocolate…YES! I’m talking Valentine’s Day chocolate! Even though I’m not huge on Valentine’s Day, I love the idea of a month filled with sweet treats. And while I am for the most part going to stick to the well-balanced meals and desserts I have been showing you guys throughout Healthy January, I’m excited to share a few chocolate goodies too!
Anyway, I can’t think of a better recipe to kick off the month of February than these chicken parmesan crostini bites. Not only are they great for Sunday’s Super Bowl, but they would be equally great as a Valentine’s Day recipe. Got to love a versatile recipe!
I know I’ve told you this before, but typically when brainstorming recipes I’ll write a whole bunch of ideas down, pick my favorites and then send them to a handful of family members and ask them to pick their favorites. Since I wanted this week’s recipes to be geared towards fun game day recipes, this time, I sent my ideas off to my brothers. The results were unanimous, Tuesday’s buffalo cheddar pretzels and these chicken parmesan crostini. I was kind of surprised that they picked this recipe, but only because I didn’t think they even knew what crostini are. So I asked them about it. They all said they weren’t sure what crostini are, but the sound of chicken parmesan sounded amazing, so they were sold.
Well, OK then, I guess chicken parmesan is a winner in any form…cool. cool.
For real though, what could you not love about this recipe. Oven toasted bread with fresh basil, lots of parmesan and marinara sauce. Then top all of that off with a basil and parmesan meatball. Yum!
Oh and of course, you have to melt a little mozzarella over top of the meatballs, because all the best chicken parmesan recipes are finished with ooey, goey melted mozzarella, it’s just a must.
The great part about these crostini are that you can prepare everything in advance, even assembly. Then just bake and melt the mozzarella before you’re ready to serve. Entertaining is stressful enough, so I love that I can have a handful of go-to easy, but delicious, recipes like this one on hand. Plus, like I said, these are beyond amazing, and come on, who could not love chicken parmesan on crusty toasted bread? It’s the best combo.
Oh, and if you wanted to make just the meatballs and serve them over pasta, that works too. Just sayin’.
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Chicken Parmesan Meatball Crostini.
By halfbakedharvest
Course: Snack
Cuisine: American
Keyword: meatball
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground chicken
- 1/4 cup panko bread crumbs
- 1/4 cup grated pecorino or parmesan cheese
- 1 egg
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- kosher salt and pepper
- 1 loaf whole grain french bread sliced
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 cup fresh basil chopped
- 1 cup marinara sauce
- 8 ounces mozzarella cheese
- fresh basil and or arugula for serving
Instructions
-
In a medium bowl, combine the ground chicken, bread crumbs, pecorino, egg, Italian seasoning and a pinch each of salt and pepper.
-
Roll mixture into scant tablespoon size balls, you should get around 16 meatballs.
-
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
-
Arrange the bread slices on a baking sheet and drizzle lightly with olive oil to coat. Sprinkle the fresh basil over the bread. Transfer to the oven and bake for 8-10 minutes or until toasted.
-
Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium heat and add a tablespoon of olive oil. When the oil shimmers, add the meatballs and cook for 3-5 minutes per side or until lightly golden, about 8-10 minutes total.
-
Remove the bread from the oven and top each piece with a little marinara. Add a meatball and then top with mozzarella. Return the baking sheet to the oven and bake for 5-10 minutes or until the cheese has melted.
-
Serve the crostini warm, topped with fresh basil and extra parmesan.
And since they are mini, that means going back for seconds and thirds is cool, right? Obviously, YES.
This is brilliant! I’m keeping this recipe in mind for whenever I’m hosting or attending a party. Whenever that happens! haha 🙂
This recipe does sound yummy. Invite me. I will sample a few.
Yes! Perfect party recipe! Hope you love it!
these are perfectly sized! i love chicken parm but it can get a bit heavy, so two bite-sized crostini seems a lot better (more room for other things!) than a whole entree of it.
Totally agree, and I love bite sized foods! Thanks Heather!
These crostini look soo good! It’s the perfect size for snacks/appetizers, and it’ll definitely be a hit at any gathering. Plus, it looks relatively easy to make too!
They are pretty easy, and who doesn’t like snack sized foods! Thanks Andrea (:
Yum! This looks delicious!
Thanks girl!
What an awesome idea Tieghan! My husband and I have decided to not eat as much bread this year, so this recipe totally works for us. Perfect for game day!
Ah what perfect timing, hope you guys love them!
Your brothers picked a good one. These look delicious.
Ah yes they did! Thanks Laura!
So much going on here, but it all looks amazing!
Thanks so much Sara!
These awesome little game day bites are so creative and fun!
So happy you like them Matt! Hope you have a great game day!
These are such a sweet idea – bookmarking this for something suitable to serve them for here in the UK!
Awh, so happy you like them Rachel! Thank you.
I can’t wait to try these; I have all the ingredients in the house except the fresh bread !
Ah can’t wait to hear how it goes!
These look perfect for a party! Every time you post a recipe, I always know it’s something my husband will love – these included. Can’t wait to see those Valentine’s recipes you mentioned too!
Awh thats so nice Christine(: Thanks so much, I hope you love them!
This is just brilliant!!! LOVE this idea!
Thanks so much Alice!
I have to bring an app to a friend’s house and was just trying to think of something easy and delicious, these are PERFECT!
Ah yes, so perfect for that!! Hope they love them!!
These are my kind of crostini! Absolutely love these bites for game day!
Haha Just said nachos for the game tomorrow but YES these too!!
Definitely needs to happy for game day!
Yes, so perfect!!
Thinking you could make the crostini like a garlic bread?! Love your recipes and have been a fan for awhile!
Yes, I am sure you could! Sounds delicious! Hope you love this! 🙂
so I made these yesterday for the Super Bowl, and they were fantastic! I did have trouble with the mixture, it was very soft, as in not holding together. I just added another 1/4 cup of bread crumbs and it seemed to work. But wondering if anyone else had an issue?
Sorry you had trouble. I have not had that issue, but sounds like the 1/4 cup bread crumbs was a great idea. Glad you loved the recipe! 🙂
It’s an honor to see your article. Your article surprised me. At the same time, I’m very curious about how you did it. I would like to take this opportunity to promote my website. https://totoguy.com/
Hello! I know this is a bit off topic but do you know where I can find the captcha plug-in for my comment form? I’m using the same blog platform as you, is there any difficulty finding it? Thank you very much! 먹튀검증