Jump to Recipe· 5 from 5 reviews

These Italian Chicken poppers are packed with protein, veggies, and Italian flavors! They’re paleo, whole30, and AIP friendly.

Italian chicken poppers

They’re back! Guys, I love chicken nuggets so much. They’re the absolute best. And who doesn’t like Italian food? So why not put it altogether and throw in some veggies for good measure while we’re at it to make it healthy and paleo-friendly?

These Italian chicken poppers are made with ground chicken, spinach, zucchini, and fresh herbs, making them the perfect little healthy bite while still being flavorful and delicious. They’re perfect for meal prep, bringing along to work or school as a packed lunch, or serving over some zucchini noodles or spaghetti squash as sort of a meatball. And of course, don’t forget to dip them in sauce 😉

Italian Chicken Poppers

How to make the Italian Chicken Poppers

  • Preheat the oven to 400 F and line a baking sheet with lightly greased parchment paper.
  • Using a food processor, shred the zucchini, spinach, basil, and parsley until the zucchini is shredded and the spinach is chopped. Alternatively, you can chop the spinach and herbs with a knife and shred the zucchini with a grater.
  • Pour the zucchini and spinach mixture into a large bowl and add the remainder of the ingredients. Stir well until all of the ingredients are well incorporated into the chicken mixture.
  • Roll the chicken mixture into meatballs, slightly flattening them with your hand to make “poppers”. Evenly space on the baking sheet.
  • Place the poppers in the oven for 25-28 minutes, flipping halfway through. The internal temperature should read 165 F.
  • Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly before serving with tomato sauce (or nomato sauce for AIP) for dipping!

 

What to serve with Italian chicken Poppers

Serve them over noodles or spaghetti squash with sauce

They make the perfect addition to a little pasta dish.

Add them to a salad 

I honestly never thought to do this, but I see tons of readers eating my sweet potato chicken poppers in salads. These would be perfect over a bed of arugula with some red onion and vinaigrette!

 

The Ingredients for the Italian Chicken Poppers

Ground chicken

If you don’t have ground chicken on hand, simply add chicken breast to a food processor!

Spinach and zucchini

Tons of nutrients and a light flavor.

Parsley, basil, oregano, garlic, and onion powder.

This blend really adds the Italian flavor!

Nutritional yeast

This is an optional ingredient, but it makes the poppers taste cheesy! If you can tolerate cheese, swap this out with some actual parmesan.. yum.

Coconut flour and olive oil

You can also use cassava flour and other types of oil, but I find these work best.

Italian Chicken Poppers

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Italian Chicken Poppers (Paleo, Whole30, AIP)

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 5 reviews
  • Author: Michelle
  • Prep Time: 10
  • Cook Time: 30
  • Total Time: 40 minutes
  • Yield: 4 servings 1x
  • Category: Main Dish
  • Method: oven
  • Cuisine: Italian
Print Recipe

Description

These Italian Chicken poppers are packed with protein, veggies, and Italian flavors! They’re paleo, whole30, and AIP friendly.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 small zucchini, ends removed
  • 2 cups spinach
  • 1 tbsp fresh basil
  • 1 tbsp fresh parsley
  • 1 lb ground chicken
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 tsp onion powder
  • 1 tsp oregano
  • 1 tsp sea salt
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper (omit for AIP)
  • 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
  • 2 tbsp coconut flour
  • 2 tbsp olive oil

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 400 F and line a baking sheet with lightly greased parchment paper.
  2. Using a food processor, shred the zucchini, spinach, basil, and parsley until the zucchini is shredded and the spinach is chopped. Alternatively, you can chop the spinach and herbs with a knife and shred the zucchini with a grater.
  3. Pour the zucchini and spinach mixture into a large bowl and add the remainder of the ingredients. Stir well until all of the ingredients are well incorporated into the chicken mixture.
  4. Roll the chicken mixture into meatballs, slightly flattening them with your hand to make “poppers”. Evenly space on the baking sheet.
  5. Place the poppers in the oven for 25-28 minutes, flipping halfway through. The internal temperature should read 165 F.
  6. Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly before serving with tomato sauce (or nomato sauce for AIP) for dipping!

Notes

All nutrition facts are an estimation.

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 serving
  • Calories: 319
  • Fat: 16.3g
  • Carbohydrates: 5.6g
  • Fiber: 2.6g
  • Protein: 36.5g

Italian Chicken Poppers1