Chicken Parmesan Meatball Subs on a Stick are a flavor packed and unique appetizer or family dinner! These are so fun and easy to make. All the great flavors of chicken parmesan and a meatball sub are brought together to create the ultimate meatball sub sticks! Topped with garlic butter and served with marinara to dip these are highly addictive!
Chicken Parmesan Meatball Subs on a Stick Recipe
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One of our most popular and viral recipes with over 100 million views is our Meatball Subs on a Stick! We love everything about meatball subs so we wanted to create a fun appetizer or family dinner version on a stick. Then we got thinking... what about a fun chicken parmesan version! Who doesn't love chicken parmesan and meatball subs. In comes our new chicken parmesan meatball subs on a stick.
These are so fun as a family dinner that the kids will LOVE! They are also a perfect game day appetizer, holiday appetizer, or a dish to bring to a potluck. They are a fan favorite that always disappears and has our family and friend's asking when we will make them again!
What are Chicken Parmesan Meatball Subs on a Stick
These meatball subs on a stick take two classic dishes, chicken parmesan and meatball subs, and bring them together to create the ultimate unique appetizer or dinner! Chicken meatballs are stuffed with mozzarella cheese, wrapped with pizza dough, and skewered. They are brushed with garlic butter and baked until golden brown. Once baked they are topped with even more garlic butter and parmesan cheese. Served with marinara sauce to dip they are such a fun and flavor packed appetizer or family dinner!
What to Serve with
Ingredients
- Pizza Dough - we love using a tube of pizza dough because it's already pre-rolled and the perfect size to make 12 skewers. You can also use a storebought or homemade ball of pizza dough and roll it into a rectangle.
- Chicken Meatballs
- Ground Chicken - you can use store bought ground chicken or in a food processor at home process a mix of chicken breast and boneless skinless chicken thighs. We love that this recipe uses a high protein lean meat, making it a well rounded family dinner!
- Parmesan - adds a great flavor to the meatballs. It's also used to garnish the meatball skewers once they are cooked.
- Onion - shredded onion adds great flavor to the meatballs and keeps them moist.
- Mozzarella - a small cube of mozzarella cheese is stuffed into the meatballs. You can also use any cheese you like to customize the flavor.
- Italian Seasoned Breadcrumbs - binds the meatballs together and also adds a great flavor.
- Egg - acts as a binder to keep the meatballs together
- Spices - parsley, basil, chili flakes (red pepper flakes) oregano. You could also swap for store bought Italian seasoning.
- Garlic Butter - a homemade garlic butter is brushed over the skewers before and after baking to give them an amazing flavor!
- Butter
- Garlic
- Parsley
How to Make Chicken Parmesan Meatball Subs on a Stick
Full Printable Recipe at Bottom of page
- Preheat oven to 350℉. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Or preheat Air Fryer to 350℉.
- In large deep bowl combine all the meatball ingredients. Mix until just evenly combined. Do not over mix or the meatballs will be tough and dense.
- Shape into 36 meatballs, approximate 1 ½” round and press one cube of mozzarella cheese into the center of each one. Roll the meatball firmly to seal the cheese in.
- If using a tube of store-bought pizza dough, unroll the dough and cut it into 12 long strips. If using a ball of store-bought pizza dough, roll the dough into a large rectangle and cut into 12 long strips.
- Insert a skewer through one end of the dough strip and then through a meatball. Wrap the dough around the top of the meatball and slide onto skewer. Repeat this process with 2 more meatballs, ending the skewer with the end of the dough strip. Repeat with remaining dough and meatballs. Space dough and meatballs away from each other by about ¼″.
Note: depending on the size of skewer used you can put 3 or 4 meatballs per skewer. - Combine all the garlic butter ingredients in a small bowl. Pour half of the garlic butter into a separate bowl (this eliminates cross contamination with the raw meat).
- OVEN BAKING METHOD
Place skewers on the baking sheet and brush with half of the garlic buttet mixture. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until meatballs are cooked through and the dough is golden brown.
AIR FRYER METHOD
Working in batches place 3-4 skewers in the Air Fryer (spaced ½ inch apart) and brush with garlic butter. Air Fry for about 15-18 minutes until the meatballs are cooked through and the dough is golden brown. - Brush with reserved garlic butter using a clean brush. Top with additional parmesan cheese and fresh parsley.
- Serve with marinara sauce to dip and enjoy!
Tips for the Best Recipe
- Meatballs - when shaping the meatballs it is important to ensure that the meat completely covers the cube of mozzarella cheese. If there are any gaps the cheese will melt out of the meatball too much while it's cooking. The meatballs are small and stuffed with a cube of cheese so they cook quickly and at the same time as the dough. If you choose to not stuff the meatballs with cheese you will need to make smaller meatballs to ensure that they cook at the same time as the dough. Instead of 36 meatballs you should make 74 and place 4 meatballs on each skewer.
- Skewers - you can use wooden or metal skewers for this recipe. It is important to note that the metal skewers will retain heat much more than the wooden. Be sure to handle the skewers with care especially if air frying them as the metal will be very hot!
- Serving - you can use your favorite pasta sauce to serve with the meatball sub sticks to dip. We love using marinara, rosé, alfredo sauce, pesto, or any homemade pasta sauce you like!
- Flavor Variations - the fun part about these skewers is that you can customize the flavors. The recipes makes 12 skewers. If you would like you can make half of them spicy by using a cube of spicy Havarti or jalapeno Monterrey jack to stuff the meatball. You can also add some extra red pepper flakes to the garlic butter to give them some more spice!
FAQ
Air Fryer – Preheat Air Fryer to 350˚F. Add to the air fryer basket or tray and cook for 4-5 minutes, or until warmed through.
Oven – Preheat oven to 375˚F. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and cook for 6-8 minutes, or until warmed through.
Microwave – microwave for 1 minutes and 30 seconds. Note this method will not make the pizza dough crispy.
Once fully cooled store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.
Cooked skewers can be frozen for up to 3 months in an air tight container or Ziploc bag. If freezing in a container, add a piece of parchment paper between layers to prevent them from sticking together. Reheat from frozen add 2-3 minutes to the reheating time.
You can shape the meatballs and stuff with the cheese and store covered in the fridge up to 1 day in advance. Up to 6-8 hours before serving you can assemble the skewers but do not brush the garlic butter on them yet. Store covered on the baking tray and just before baking brush with garlic butter and bake.
Use a gluten free homemade pizza dough and use gluten free seasoned breadcrumbs.
Use dairy free cheese and a dairy free butter such as a plant based butter.
More Fun Family Dinners
- Chicken Parmesan Sliders
- Buffalo Chicken Blooming Quesadilla
- Pull Apart Meatball Sliders
- KFC Popcorn Chicken Copycat
- Buffalo Chicken Nuggets
Enjoy!
- Sab
Chicken Parmesan Meatball Subs on a Stick
Ingredients
- 12 wood skewers (or metal skewers)
- 1 tube pizza dough (example Pillsbury, or store bought dough ball)
- 36 cubes mozzarella cheese (½ inch)
Meatballs
- 2 lb ground chicken
- 2 large eggs (lightly beaten)
- 1 cup Italian breadcrumbs
- ½ cup Parmesan cheese (grated)
- 1 small onion (shredded, yellow or white)
- 3 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon dried basil
- 2 tablespoon fresh parsley (chopped)
Garlic Butter
- ¼ cup butter (melted)
- 1 tablespoon garlic (minced)
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350℉. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Or preheat Air Fryer to 350℉.
- In large deep bowl combine all the meatball ingredients. Mix until just evenly combined. Do not over mix or the meatballs will be tough and dense.
- Shape into 36 meatballs, approximate 1 ½” round and press one cube of mozzarella cheese into the center of each one. Roll the meatball firmly to seal the cheese in.
- If using a tube of store-bought pizza dough, unroll the dough and cut it into 12 long strips. If using a ball of store-bought pizza dough, roll the dough into a large rectangle and cut into 12 long strips.
- Insert a skewer through one end of the dough strip and then through a meatball. Wrap the dough around the top of the meatball and slide onto skewer. Repeat this process with 2 more meatballs, ending the skewer with the end of the dough strip. Repeat with remaining dough and meatballs. Space dough and meatballs away from each other by about ¼″.Note: depending on the size of skewer used you can put 3 or 4 meatballs per skewer.
- Combine all the garlic butter ingredients in a small bowl. Pour half of the garlic butter into a separate bowl (this eliminates cross contamination with the raw meat).
- OVEN BAKING METHODPlace skewers on the baking sheet and brush with half of the butter garlic mixture. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until meatballs are cooked through and the dough is golden brown.AIR FRYER METHODWorking in batches place 3-4 skewers in the Air Fryer (spaced ½ inch apart) and brush with garlic butter. Air Fry for about 15-18 minutes until the meatballs are cooked through and the dough is golden brown.
- Brush with reserved garlic butter using a clean brush. Top with additional parmesan cheese and fresh parsley.
- Serve with marinara sauce to dip and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
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