Preheat a large, oven-safe saute pan, or frying pan with tall sides, over medium heat. Drizzle in the olive oil and add the yellow onions. Sweat the onions for about 5 minutes, until they start to soften and become translucent, stirring occasionally. Add the minced garlic and sweat another 30-60 seconds, until they become fragrant.

Stir in the tomato paste and let cook for about 3 minutes, until the color deepens to a dark red, stirring occasionally.

Pour in the San Marzano tomatoes and any sauce in the can, using a wooden spoon to break the tomatoes into smaller pieces. Add the basil sprigs, dried oregano, and a large pinch of salt and pepper to the sauce. Simmer the sauce on low while you fry the bread crumbs and meatballs.

To form the meatballs, add the panko breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese, garlic powder, and a pinch of salt and pepper into a large bowl. Mix the ingredients together, until they are evenly distributed. Add the eggs and ground chicken to the bowl and use your hands to mix everything together. Set aside and let the meat rest.

Heat a large frying pan over medium heat. Melt the unsalted butter in the pan and then add the panko bread crumbs and parmesan cheese. Stir to coat the breadcrumbs in the butter.

Fry the breadcrumbs and parmesan in the butter until they become golden brown, stirring often to stop the parmesan cheese from sticking to the bottom of the pan. About 4-5 minutes. Transfer the breadcrumbs to a paper towel lined plate, season with salt, and set aside.

Divide the ground meat mixture into 16 equally sized portions (about 2.4-2.7 ounces each). Roll each portion into a ball and set them aside on a plate or tray. 

In the same pan used to make the crunchy topping over medium heat, add a drizzle of olive oil and carefully arrange the chicken meatballs in the pan, leaving about two inches between each one (work in batches if needed). 

Brown the meatballs for about 5 minutes and then flip each one to brown on the other side for an additional 5 minutes (they should be brown on the outside, but will not be cooked through at this point). 

Transfer the browned meatball into the pan with the tomato sauce. Continue browning meatballs in batches.

Remove the basil sprigs from the tomato sauce and stir to coat the chicken meatballs with the sauce.

Layer the slices of provolone or mozzarella over the meatballs and sauce. Transfer the pan to the oven and bake for 12-14 minutes, until the cheese is melted and the meatballs are cooked through. 

Meanwhile, boil the spaghetti noodles according to the package directions. Drain the noodles and add them back into the pot used to boil them. Add the butter and lemon zest to the noodles. Toss until the butter has melted and coated the noodles. 

Serve the chicken meatballs over noodles with the crunchy parmesan topping sprinkled over the top. Garnish with extra fresh basil and parmesan cheese.