The perfect weeknight comfort meal is here! This meatball chicken parmigiana has that simmered-all-day flavor. With the most perfectly seasoned tomatoes and topped with buttery garlic toasted breadcrumbs each bite brings you home to the comfort we all crave after a long day. This is the ideal crockpot weeknight meal, it will be a must-have in your weekly rotation.
Chicken Parmigiana
Everyone loves the classic Italian chicken parmigiana because of the crispy breaded chicken topped with the best tomato sauce smothered in creamy melty cheese, it’s a magical bite.
This weeknight crockpot version does not skimp out, you get the same satisfaction with less effort!
Make it in the Crockpot!
Crockpot recipes make life easier and the simmer-all-day tomato sauce is hard to beat. Tomatoes get better with time and this is the easiest way to make the most delicious home cooked meal.
The key to this success is the meatballs. You want to make sure your meatballs are frozen so that they heat through evenly in the crockpot. Depending on the recipe, some homemade meatballs may fall apart when they are heated all day, starting them frozen will help prevent this.
When you’re ready for dinner, just top it with cheese and pop them in the oven for 15 minutes.
Chicken Meatballs
Chicken or turkey meatballs will work! This is the perfect recipe for leftover freezer meatballs or grocery store frozen meatballs.
If you want to make homemade meatballs, you can make them with chicken or turkey, the recipe below calls for about 20 balls.
My favorite grocery frozen meatballs are so flavorful and they taste like they were grandma-homemade. I haven’t tried all of the different kinds, but they make them gluten-free or with hidden vegetables, whatever your diet may need.
The Toasted Breadcrumb Topping
Because the chicken in the original chicken parmigiana recipes has a breadcrumb crust, to achieve the same wonderful crunch and texture in this meatball chicken parmigiana, perfectly toasted breadcrumbs are a must. They are so easy to make, they take less than 10 minutes and you can do it while waiting for the cheese to melt on the meatballs.
Meatball Chicken Parmigiana
Ingredients
- 20 Chicken or Turkey Frozen Meatballs more if they are small
- 28 oz Crushed Tomatoes
- 1½ TBSP Italian Seasoning divided
- ¼ tsp Salt
- 4-6 slices of Provolone Cheese
- 8 oz Fresh Mozzarella Ball - sliced into about 8 ¼ thick slices
- 1 TBSP Butter
- 1 cup Regular Breadcrumbs
- 1 cup Panko Breadcrumbs
- 1 TBSP Garlic Salt
- A few fresh basil leaves
Instructions
- In a crockpot add the frozen meatballs, crushed tomatoes, 1 TBSP of Italian seasoning and salt. Cook on high for 4 hours. After 4 hours, simmer on warm until you're ready for dinner.20 Chicken or Turkey Frozen Meatballs, 28 oz Crushed Tomatoes, ¼ tsp Salt
- Preheat the oven to 400F.
- Pour the meatballs into an oven-safe dish.
- Top the meatballs with the sliced provolone cheese. Layer the sliced fresh mozzarella cheese and sprinkle on the remaining ½ TBSP of Italian seasoning.4-6 slices of Provolone Cheese, 8 oz Fresh Mozzarella Ball - sliced into about 8 ¼ thick slices
- Bake for 10-15 minutes - until the cheese is melted.
- While the meatballs bake, toast the breadcrumbs. In a small pan, add the butter, breadcrumbs and garlic salt. Over medium heat toss the breadcrumbs until they are a perfectly toasted brown. Stir often to prevent burning. Once they are toasted, set aside.1 cup Regular Breadcrumbs, 1 cup Panko Breadcrumbs, 1 TBSP Garlic Salt, 1 TBSP Butter
- Remove the dish from the oven, add the toasted breadcrumbs over the meatballs. Top with freshly chopped basil.
