Lemony Chicken Meatballs with Whipped Feta and Pesto

Lemony chicken meatballs on whipped feta, with a spoon.

Lemony Chicken Meatballs, at a Glance

⏰ Total time: 25 minutes

🍽 Servings: 4

🛒 Key Ingredients: Ground chicken, lemon, garlic, Greek yogurt, breadcrumbs, olives, feta, basil pesto

🧠 Skill level: Easy

🔥 Cooking Method: Air fryer, oven, or stovetop

💪 Protein: 38g per serving

🥗 Perfect For: Easy weeknight dinners, casual entertaining or dinner parties, high-protein meal prep

💕 Why You’ll Love: Lovely, zesty, lemony chicken meatballs that look gorgeous, taste just as good, and work perfectly for casual dinners, or fuss-free entertaining.

My meatball era continues

Juicy meatballs are a go-to for me on weeknights. They’re so easy to pack flavor into, endlessly versatile, and cook super quickly.

And these very lovely, very juicy, very lemony chicken meatballs have become a new favorite. Summery, light, fresh, but delicious, and something I genuinely crave, any day of the week.

They’re inspired by Greek and Mediterranean flavors – lots of lemon, fresh herbs, olives – and they have me excited for warmer weather. Pairing them with whipped feta and a big dollop or two of fresh basil pesto seemed like the perfect combination.

They’re kind of tailor-made for long, lazy lunching in the garden – I’m excited to serve them up as a crowd-pleasing centerpiece.

While I love serving them all piled on top of the whipped feta, family style, you can stuff them into burger buns or wraps, or pile them on top of loaded baked rice. They also work brilliantly served alongside crispy no-peel potatoes, or even with a smashed potato salad for a more spring-summer option.

As ever, thank you so much for being a member of Zageer Plus. I appreciate you being here so much, and I really hope you love this exclusive recipe 💕

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Air fry, pan fry, or bake

While I LOVE making these meatballs in the air fryer for speed and ease, you can pan-fry or bake them if you like.

Pan frying: This is best for developing a gorgeous, caramelized crust.

Baking: This is best for making a larger batch (very good for dinner parties!)

Air frying: My go-to on regular weeknights – it’s quick, and develops a great golden crust.

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 @Zageer on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok if you’ve made one of my recipes. Seeing your recreations really makes my day 😊.

Lemon chicken meatballs on whipped feta with pesto.

Juicy lemony chicken meatballs are the kind of easy, fresh dinner I could genuinely eat on repeat. Packed with herbs, garlic, and lemon, they’re served over creamy whipped feta with a big basil pesto drizzle, and feel just as at home on a weeknight table as they do at a dinner party. Prep Time 15 mins
Cook Time 10 mins
Total Time 25 mins

Servings: 4 servings

Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Mediterranean

Ingredients Method Nutrition Notes

Ingredients

For the lemony chicken meatballs –

1 lb ground chicken, (500g)
Zest of 1 lemon
3 garlic cloves, crushed
¼ cup pitted olives, finely chopped
⅓ cup breadcrumbs
⅓ cup Greek yogurt
1 tablespoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon chili flakes, or red pepper flakes
Small handful of parsley, finely chopped
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon fish sauce
Black pepper

For the whipped feta –

7 oz creamy feta, (200g)
¼ cup Greek yogurt
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Black pepper

To serve –

Fresh basil pesto
A handful of chives, finely chopped
1 teaspoon chili flakes, or red pepper flakes

Method

Mix the meatballs. To a large bowl, add the ground chicken, lemon zest, crushed garlic, ¼ cup of chopped olives, ⅓ cup breadcrumbs, ⅓ cup Greek yogurt, 1 tablespoon of dried thyme, 1 teaspoon chili flakes, chopped parsley, ½ teaspoon of salt, 1 teaspoon of fish sauce, and a good grind of black pepper.Use a spatula or spoon to combine into a cohesive mixture.
Roll the meatballs.Lightly wet your hands (this prevents the mixture from sticking to them), then scoop up a heaped tablespoon of the meatball mixture. Roll it into a ball in your hands. Place directly into your air fryer basket, then repeat with the remaining mixture.
Air fry the meatballs (see notes below for pan-frying and oven instructions). Air fry for 10 minutes at 400°F (200°C), until lightly golden and cooked through. Depending on the size of your air fryer, you may need to cook them in batches – you don't want them massively piled on top of each other in the basket.
Make the whipped feta. While the meatballs cook, add the feta, ¼ cup Greek yogurt, 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, 1 tablespoon of olive oil, and a very good grind of black pepper to a food processor or blender. Blend until smooth and creamy.Add a little extra olive oil or Greek yogurt if it's a bit thick or struggling to blend.
Assemble and serve. Spoon most of the whipped feta onto the base of a serving platter. Arrange the chicken meatballs on top, then drizzle with the pesto, scatter with chives, and an extra sprinkling of chili flakes, or red pepper flakes, for color.

Nutrition

Serving: 200g
Calories: 470kcal
Carbohydrates: 14g
Protein: 38g
Fat: 28g
Saturated Fat: 10g
Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g
Monounsaturated Fat: 12g
Cholesterol: 125mg
Sodium: 1150mg
Fiber: 2g
Sugar: 3g
Vitamin A: 120IU
Vitamin C: 8mg
Calcium: 240mg
Iron: 2mg

Notes

HOW TO TELL IF YOUR MEATBALLS ARE COOKED: You’ll know they’re cooked through if they’re not pink in the middle when you cut into them – and if you have a probe thermometer, the internal temperature should be at least 165°F (74°C). PAN-FRYING INSTRUCTIONS: Drizzle 1 tablespoon of olive oil into a large frying pan or skillet and set it over medium-high heat. Add the meatballs, and cook for about 10 minutes, turning often, until they’re golden and charred on the outside, and cooked through. If you find they’re taking on too much color, reduce the heat slightly. OVEN BAKE INSTRUCTIONS: Heat your oven to 425F (220°C fan) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Arrange the meatballs on the baking sheet, then pop them into the oven for 15 to 20 minutes, until gorgeously golden and cooked through. PREP AHEAD: Mix and roll the meatballs up to 24 hours ahead of time, then store them in a covered container in the fridge and cook them when you’re ready. Once they’re cooked, they’ll keep for 3 to 4 days in the fridge – you can enjoy them cold or reheat them in the microwave or air fryer. INGREDIENT NOTES AND SUBSTITUTIONS: Swap the ground chicken for ground turkey, beef, pork, lamb, or a plant-based alternative. If you don’t like olives, you can leave them out, or add capers, or sundried tomatoes instead. You can skip the fish sauce if you don’t want to use it – I really recommend it for adding a lovely, deep, umami flavor that salt alone can’t replicate, and I promise it doesn’t make the meatballs taste fishy!