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This is my favorite way to eat chicken meatballs. They’re spiced up with a sweet, savory, and spicy firecracker sauce. They’re tender, filled with flavor, and require minimum work!
Thank God It’s Friday, y’all!
I thought this week would never end. It was an ongoing cycle of endless days, but the weekend is finally here!
This recipe for firecracker chicken meatballs has been stuck in my head on an endless loop for the last several weeks. I had been craving something with a little more spice, yet a little sweet too. And what’s more perfect than game day food that’s actually somewhat healthy (they’re baked!) and still has tons of flavor but isn’t your regular old meatball covered in marinara? FIRECRACKER. SAUCE. FTW!
These baked chicken meatballs are one of Anees’s favorite meals. This is obviously a recent development. Because up until a couple of weeks ago, they didn’t even exist.
These were so incredibly delicious and easy to make. I took leftovers for lunch and 12 couldn’t come fast enough. This recipe is a definite keeper.
How to make the original Firecracker Chicken Meatballs:
This recipe is super low maintenance. And if you’re not a fan of chicken meatballs, you can swap it out for turkey or any other kind of ground meat you please. But I do feel that chicken or turkey would pair the best with the sauce.
These are perfect for when you’re hosting a game day party and need something super flavorful on the table. I like to make a big batch for the two of us that we munch on all week long. Meatball subs made with firecracker chicken and melty cheese would be perfect for weekend lunches and a few meatballs paired with a side salad would be ideal for weekday lunches. And if you’re like me, with a fetish for food straight from the refrigerator, well then they’d make for a good snack too. Yup, cold. I like them like that sometimes!
What ingredients do you need to make the best firecracker chicken meatballs?
We’re keepin’ what goes into the meatballs simple because it’s that firecracker sauce that we want to stand out bright when you take that first bite.
For the chicken meatballs, I used simple ground chicken breasts. Again, ground chicken thighs or a combination of ground chicken + ground turkey would be good too.
The binding is simple. 2 large eggs and a little panko. For the spices, paprika, onion powder, and obvi, garlic. It’s all pantry staples on this one, folks!
You want to *just* combine the ingredients. When making meatballs, the less you work the meat, the better it is. I shaped mine into 3 tablespoon-sized balls. It’s totally up to you how big/small you want them. The size I indicated will take about 11-13 minutes in the oven.
What goes in the firecracker chicken meatballs sauce?
- little hot sauce (I recommend Franks)
- brown sugar
- red pepper flakes
- apple cider vinegar
- pinch of salt
It’s 10 ingredients total if you don’t count the salt and pepper. The sauce is enough to coat all the meatballs with a little leftover for a drizzle before serving. If you’re like me and you live to dip and dunk, double the sauce recipe. You can even serve these firecracker meatballs with a little white rice and broccoli and drizzle the sauce on there. I speak from experience, can you tell?
And the best part is, you can mix up the meat mixture from the night before and just bake and drizzle them with the sauce the day of. These tasty chicken meatballs are going to be the highlight of game day. Get ready to be host of the year!
How to Serve
I get this question a ton! I would serve them over a bed of white rice (or cilantro lime rice, even better) with roasted or sauteed veggies on the side!
If you like this recipe, you might also like:
- Slow cooker honey chipotle meatballs
- These CRAZY GOOD wings with the same sauce
- Easy Philly Cheese Steak Dip
Firecracker Chicken Meatballs
Equipment
Ingredients
meatballs:
- 1 ¾ – 2 pounds ground chicken or turkey
- 4 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1 ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup Panko breadcrumbs
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
firecracker sauce:
- ½ cup hot sauce I recommend Franks
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼-½ teaspoon red pepper flakes depending on spice preference
Instructions
- Position 2 racks near the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 475ºF. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper, set aside.
- In a saucepan, combine the ingredients of the firecracker sauce over medium high heat, allow to come to a boil, reduce the heat so it simmers. Let simmer for 8-10 minutes. Remove from heat and allow the sauce to cool. The sauce will thicken as it cools so don’t worry if it looks thin.
- In a large bowl, combine the ground chicken, garlic, salt pepper, eggs, panko, paprika, and onion powder. Use your hands to mix all the ingredients together. It’s easier to tell when he ingredients are combined when using hands. DO NOT OVERMIX, it will result in drier meatballs.
- Shape the meat mixture into ball, about 3 tablespoons of meat per ball. You can also do this with an ice cream scoop. Place shaped meatballs on prepared baking sheet. bake for 11-13 minutes or until the meatballs are completely cooked.
- Using 2 tablespoon, dip each individual meatball into the sauce. Alternately, you can brush each meatball with the sauce. Place back on the baking sheet and bake for an additional 1-2 minutes. Drizzle or brush with additional sauce as desired.
Notes
- A combination of ground chicken and turkey can be used to make these meatballs.
- If you would like to serve your meatballs with sauce, I would double the ingredients for the sauce portion as this recipe makes just enough for basting.
- The meatball mixture can be prepared the night before and baked the day of, if desired.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like This? Leave a comment & rating below!
Delicious! Was a big hit for Super Bowl party!
Is there nutrition for this recipe? Looks awesome
Hi Heather, I don’t have it calculated off hand but if you paste the link to this page in myfitnesspal.com it’ll generate it for you 🙂
My family loved this recipe. Especially the sauce!
Made these tonight and added a little BBQ sauce to tone down the spice. I paired the finished meatballs with an avocado cream sauce for dipping. Turned out great! Pretty darn spicy otherwise, so I recommend tasting the sauce as you make it and toning it to your liking.
These are the best chicken balls recipe I have ever made. It’s the perfect blend of hot and sweet. Thanks for sharing!
I loved these! Great recipe!
Hi, could you put these over rice or how do you serve them during a meal time? Can’t wait to make them!!
Hi Anne, that’s actually exactly how I serve these! I’d make additional sauce if you’d like to drizzle some on the rice too!
I just made these for NYE. SO GOOD! Thank you!
Wondered if I could use frozen chicken or turkey meatballs and just add the sauce. Cook them in the crockpot for a few hours. What do you think?
Hi Julie! If you’ve used frozen chicken or turkey meatballs in a slow cooker before, then it should work out just fine! I haven’t, so it would be difficult for me to say. Maybe if you sauté the meatballs in a bit of oil to just sear the outside and let them finish in the slow cooker with the sauce?
I made this Saturday for my husband. He loves spicy food. He raved about them so much that I am sending him the link to this page so his co-worker can try it. I know that we will be making this recipe many times in the future. Thank you for this yummy recipe!
Since you are the most recent comment I’m hoping you’ll remember how many meatballs you got out of this recipe. I’m making them for a Mew Years get together so I’m trying to decide if I should double or triple the recipe. Thanks!
These were the best! Thanks for the recipe!
What about doubling the sauce and letting the meatballs sit in the sauce in a crockpot on warm? I’m looking to make these for thanksgiving.
My best guess is that they should be fine for a few hours on the ‘warm’ setting. Haven’t tried it before but I do think that should work!
Hey Samantha! Did you end up making these for Thanksgiving? I’m getting ready to make them now and am thinking of just baking them tonight and keeping on warm in the crockpot tomorrow. I’m just wondering if you made them, how did they turn out?
Thanks!
Nicole
Samantha, did you tru the crockpot? I would like to bake and freeze in sauce and put in crock later
Thanks!
Hi, what herb did you put on last? Is that parsley?
Yup, it’s parsley 🙂
In a pinch, could you use ground beef instead?
Sure, think it should work out just fine! 🙂
I made these today and they were very well liked.
I left out the red chile flakes and added some ketchup to the sauce to cut the heat a bit since I was dealing with non-spicy food people.
I cooked the meatballs in a 550 degree convection oven to try and get some browning in the short cooking time and I glazed them 3 times to try and build up the glaze.
Broke out the kitchenaid with the grinder attachment to grind up some boneless, skinless chicken thighs.
Good recipe. Thanks.
OMG!!!! I just made these meatballs and they were great! I followed the recipe exactly. It is spicy but I loved it!
OMG Marzia! These firecracker meatballs are awesome! Even my husband, who does not get excited about food, raved about them, lol! I subbed with ground turkey only because that is what I had and it turned out great. Thanks for sharing such a great recipe!!! 🙂
So delicious! I made it for the fourth of July, and my family LOVED it! Definitely will make this in the future.
I love these meatballs! I am going to be making them tonight, but wondered if instead of making meatballs do you think they would turn at well as a burger patty?
Glad to hear it! Not sure about the burger patties, Abby, this would require further recipe testing. I’m worried the patties may not hold.
I love this recipe Marzia! I made them for a hot nibbles party and I had people asking for more! It has since become a firm favourite in our household. Thank you! Great job!