Greek Chicken Meatball Sandwiches
These delicious Greek Chicken Meatball Sandwiches are filling, flavorful, and perfect for lunch or dinner. Perfectly seasoned meatballs made from ground chicken, spinach, garlic, and feta cheese are smothered in a cool, creamy homemade tzatziki sauce and wrapped in a pita with lettuce and tomato for a super satisfying sandwich! Last week I posted a recipe for just the Greek Chicken Meatballs and suggested they’d be great in a wrap, salad, or grain bowl, but I thought it would be helpful to also post one of my favorite healthy ways to eat them as an example. I think you’ll love this simple and satisfying option! Each Greek Chicken Meatball Sandwich is 325 calories, 34 grams of protein, or 3 WW Point on the current Weight Watchers program (or 4 WW Points if following the diabetic WW plan). To view your current WW Points for this recipe and track it in the WW app or site, click here!
Recipe Notes:
- Cucumber: For this recipe you want to use cucumber that you’ve shredded and squeezed to remove any excess liquid so that it doesn’t make the tzatziki runny. Don’t worry, this is easy! I shred the cucumber on the largest-hole side of my box grater and then wrap it in paper towels and squeeze it over the sink a few times. Easy-peasy!
- Tzatziki Chill Time: Making the tzatziki first and letting it chill allows for all the flavors to meld together for the best possible flavor. Since the meatballs also have to chill, I usually make the tzatziki, put it in the fridge, then make the meatballs and put them in there too and then start the clock for at least 30 minutes. You can alternatively make these in the morning or the night before so they’re ready to go at lunch or dinner time.
- Ground Chicken: I used 92% lean ground chicken breast for the meatballs in this recipe, and I’m happy to say that it works perfectly! If you have trouble finding ground chicken, you can substitute ground turkey without issue.
- Making the Meatballs: I highly recommend spraying your hands with cooking spray before trying to roll your little piles into meatballs. Ground chicken is sticky and coating your hands with nonstick spray really helps make them into balls without making a mess. I usually have to wash my hands and reapply the cooking spray halfway through. It really helps!
- Meatball Chill Time: Don’t skip this step! Chilling the meatballs in the fridge for 30 minutes helps them firm up so that they stay together without issue when transferring to the pan and while cooking. This can also be handy if you want to form the meatballs ahead of time and then chill until you’re ready to cook them.
- Pita: I use Joseph’s Flax, Oat Bran and Whole Wheat Pita Bread because they taste good, are a good size, and are only 60 calories or 1 WW Point each! I buy them at Wegmans, but it looks like they are also sold at Walmart and many other stores. If you choose to use a different pita you may need to adjust the WW Points and estimated nutrition information.
More Lightened-Up Greek-Inspired Recipes
Looking for more delicious, lightened up comfort food recipes inspired by Greek flavors? Check out my Mediterranean Chicken Chopped Salad, Greek Roasted Potatoes with Feta, Mediterranean Topped Grilled Chicken, Open-Faced Greek Steak Sandwiches, Mediterranean Couscous Salad, Greek Turkey Burgers, Greek Chicken Bites, Feta Tomato Mini Frittatas, Greek Chicken Quinoa Salad, One-Pot Mediterranean Chicken with Orzo, Spinach and Chicken Phyllo Bake, Greek Layer Dip, and more tasty recipes in the Greek section of my recipe index!
Greek Chicken Meatball Sandwiches
Ingredients
For the Tzatziki:
- ⅓ cup grated and squeezed dry cucumber
- 5.3 oz container plain nonfat Greek yogurt
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- ¾ teaspoon dried dill weed
For the Meatballs:
- 1 large egg
- ⅓ cup panko breadcrumbs
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 teaspoons minced/chopped dried onion
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon dried basil
- ¼ teaspoon dried rosemary
- ½ cup chopped fresh spinach leaves
- 1 oz crumbled feta cheese
- 1 lb uncooked 92% lean ground chicken
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
For the Sandwiches:
- 4 pitas, (I use Joseph’s Flax, Oat Bran and Whole Wheat Pita Bread)
- 4-8 lettuce leaves, (such as romaine or green leaf)
- 4-8 slices plum tomato, cut in half
Instructions
- To Make the Tzatziki: In a small mixing bowl, combine the Greek yogurt, squeezed grated cucumber, minced garlic clove, lemon juice and dill, stirring until thoroughly mixed. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes so that the flavors meld together. The meatballs also need to chill before cooking, so it’s good to prep them together so you can chill them all at once.
- To Make the Meatballs: In a mixing bowl, add the egg, panko, garlic, dried onion, salt, pepper, oregano, basil, and rosemary, and stir together with a fork until well combined. Add the chopped spinach, crumbled feta, and ground chicken and stir the chicken into the other ingredients with a fork until just mixed.
- On a clean surface, divide the meat mixture into 16 evenly sized piles. Mist your clean hands with cooking spray and roll each meat pile into a meatball. Place the meatballs into a single layer in a sealed container and refrigerate them for at least 30 minutes to firm them up.
- When the meatballs are chilled, drizzle the olive oil into a large sauté pan and bring over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the meatballs in a single layer with a bit of space in between them. Cook, flipping them every couple minutes to brown all sides, for 8-10 minutes. Cover the pan with a lid and reduce the heat to low. Cook covered, removing the lid once or twice to stir the meatballs and then covering them again, for about 5 minutes until the meatballs are cooked through.
- To Make the Sandwiches: Place 1-2 lettuce leaves in the center of each pita and top with 1-2 slices of tomato. Top that with 3 tablespoons of tzatziki and four meatballs on each sandwich and serve.
Notes
325 calories, 18 g carbs, 3 g sugars, 14 g fat, 2 g saturated fat, 34 g protein, 3 g fiber, 399 mg sodium (from myfitnesspal.com) Weight Watchers Points Plus:
8 per sandwich (PP calculated using a Weight Watchers PointsPlus calculator and the nutrition info)
Can you bake meatballs instead of frying of them?
I used to think those pitas were good until I found out about all the additives in them…can you even pronounce some of them? Your meatballs look great tho.
Should you peel the cucumber before grating it?
This was really good! It felt like eating a gyro. The prep was a little more than I would have liked, but I just rested in between steps. My boyfriend loved it too and said we’re adding it to our make it again list!