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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!
How would you reheat them? I am thinking a sauce pan on low not the microwave? I made these for a party last year and YES!! so good.
Made these for a baby shower this past weekend. Very well received and all were eaten lol. For me personally, they were a bit too sweet even though I added 1/4c cider vin as opposed to just 2T. I will make these again but perhaps do 2T cider and 2T white distilled vinegar. Wonderful and pretty easy appetizer though and a good recipe to have in the repertoire. Thanks!
I love this recipe, halves well too. I’ve been adding 1 can chopped/diced water chestnuts and like the additional texture & crunch. Great with half lean ground pork and half chicken. Have used all fresh breadcrumbs (about 1 1/2 cups) instead of panko with wonderful tender results. Highly recommended!
I LOVE this recipe! I make it all the time! Thank you for sharing!!
call me crazy- but when i read the recipe it does not include the amount of several ingredients: paprika, hot sauce, salt and red pepper flakes.
Can you give me some guidance on this please? I want to make these for Christmas
Hello. These are delicious. Wondering what is the best method of reheating if making a day ahead? I’d like to make these for Xmas and keep warm in my crockpot.
Can you keep these warm in a crockpot?
I love this recipe and make it often! I am making it tonight for our condo association Christmas party!
I made this for a game day party tonight. They were a HIT! I did put the sauce on the side just in case, but followed the instructions to a T. Everyone asked for the recipe, will be making it again!
Fantastic!
Great amount of heat and flavor. Meatballs were juicy. Thank you.
LOVE this! I am a huge chicken fan and these meatballs and sauce are AMAZING!
I made this with gluten free panko and it turned out perfect! Served over some spring mix to look fancy and a little bowl of extra sauce. It was a hit. Will make again! Wish I new how to post a pic
These were a hit. My friend commented these were the best meatballs he had ever eaten. I am not a spicy eater, so I just put a few red pepper flakes in. I doubled the sauce recipe and served it with blue cheese dressing. The sauce reminds me of Popeye’s Sweet Heat sauce. Planning on making a chicken “meatloaf” using this recipe. When I make meatballs, I place the mixture in the refrigerator, covered, for 2 hours, before rolling it into balls, They are easier to shape, are not sticky, and hold together very well. Great recipe!
These are the best meatballs EVER! Making another batch tonight for dinner…YUMMY!
AMAZING! Just had meatballs tonight, as we weren’t super hungry, but I can’t wait to make this and serve over rice or pasta, topped with a bit of bleu cheese and broccoli on side (w some sauce).
Freezing the remaining raw meatballs, based on other MB recipes I’ve made, this should freeze just fine. Next time,may try with the panko soaked in some milk (makes just slightly softer balls).
YUM!
…..OH. And I used Frank’s WING sauce instead of the hot sauce, ‘cause that’s all I had. The sauce is thick and decadent!
Love these! Easy & made as an entree with white rice. Poured the sauce on top. It’s a keeper!
Wow! This was SO good. Double the sauce recipe, you will need it because it’s incredible. Easy to follow recipe & instructions. My husband is reluctant to try new foods & he loved this. Said it tasted like the filling for potstickers.
In the picture it looks like there are fine pieces of basil or cilantro. Is that included in the recipe?
I just made these and they are AH-mazing! The only thing I did different was use “everything but the bagel flavored bread crumbs” because I didn’t have panko on-hand – I used slight less than the recipe called for so the meatballs wouldn’t be too tough. It worked out great! This recipe is going to be in my regular rotation. We ate the meatballs over rice with cooked sugar snap peas. Delicious!