This appetizer is sure to impress!

Tender chicken parmesan meatballs are tucked inside a buttery, flaky fillo dough!

When you think of meatballs as appetizers, your mind immediately goes to saucy cocktail meatballs with cute little toothpicks, doesn’t it? It’s those toothpicks! Honestly, food on sticks get our attention every single time!  Bite-sized finger foods hold some power over me.  I think I convince myself that because I’m eating bite-sized foods that I can eat as many of them as I want without consequence.

These chicken parmesan meatballs are going to revolutionalize the cocktail meatball.  For starters, there are no toothpicks!  Instead, I used Athens Fillo Dough to surround each tender little meatball.  The delicate, buttery dough adds a crisp contrast to the soft, succulent meatball.  And speaking of the meatball, these guys are lean but flavorful; ground chicken and spices are combined and then baked just until golden.  Mozzarella cheese gets added to each little fillo pouch just before baking.  Serve these appetizers with a very simple, homemade marinara and you have yourself an impressive chicken parmesan appetizer that will be a huge hit wherever they will be served!

Notes about the recipe:

• Do not over mix your meatball ingredients!  Over-mixing leads to tough meatballs.  Mix by hand JUST until combined.  
• I used my hands to form my meatballs, but a small cookie scoop would work.  My meatballs were roughly the size of a large gumball or 2-inches.
• When working with fillo, always keep your dough topped with a piece of plastic wrap and a damp kitchen towel.  This will keep the dough from drying out and becoming brittle.  Once the dough becomes brittle, it becomes very difficult to work with.   
• Work quickly with your dough and be generous with the butter! I cut my stack of dough into 6 equal squares, but if your meatballs are larger, you may have to adjust the size of your squares.
• I lightly sprayed the tops of my bundles with non-spray just before baking.

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Fillo Wrapped Chicken Parmesan Meatballs

Yield: 3 dozen

Prep Time: 40 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 55 minutes

Fillo dough is wrapped around tender chicken meatballs and mozzarella then served with a homemade marinara!

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Ingredients

For the meatballs

• 2 lbs ground chicken
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 2 tablespoons fresh parsley
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup Italian style bread crumbs
• 3/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 3/4 cup butter, melted
• 1 box Athens® Foods Fillo Dough (16 oz)
• Non-stick spray

For the marinara

• 1/2 teaspoon olive oil
• 1/4 cup diced onion
• 1 clove garlic, mined
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Italian blend seasoning
• 1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
• 3 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt

Nutrition Information

Yield 36 Serving Size 1
Amount Per Serving Calories 109 Total Fat 7g Saturated Fat 4g Trans Fat 0g Unsaturated Fat 3g Cholesterol 39mg Sodium 253mg Carbohydrates 4g Fiber 1g Sugar 2g Protein 7g

Want more ways with Fillo?  Visit Athens Foods:

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Disclosure: I received compensation from Athens Foods for recipe development purposes. All opinions are my own.