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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!
Made this tonight. 10/10 recipe wise. They are extremely spicy (to me) but my son and husband loved it and dunked theirs in cups of the sauce when they ate them. The meatball recipe is flavorful and juicy. For my younger kids I took your meatballs and tossed them in a BBQ sauce, and they declared they were the best meatballs they’d ever had. For me to cut the spice I took some of your sauce and mixed it with a little bit of Mayo to create a bang bang like sauce. Utterly delicious. My long-winded point here is that this recipe is extremely versatile. If you’re a spice lover like my boys, it’s fine as is. If serving small children, the meatballs are good tossed in a non-spicy sauce. If you’re a in betweener like me it’s possible to just tone the spice down a little bit. Solid well-done recipe. Will make again.
I made these and whoa they’re spicy! The sauce has great flavor but next time I’ll leave out the crushed red pepper flakes. I will make them again though. Super yummy!
Well these sound fun! Love the sauce.
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My go to recipe! It is loves by everyone when I make it at home or to take to a party!
Ooooo! They’re fiery! I made them with Sambal Oelek fresh chili paste. Very tasty! Popular with the whole family. Next time I’ll try making them with Frank’s. I took your suggestion and paired them with your Lime Cilantro Rice. Great idea! Also, threw on some fried sweet peppers to round out the meal. Delicious! Thanks!
Looks great! Is it possible to use premade chicken meatballs? Would you bake them with the sauce then? Thanks!
Can I sub Apple cider vinegar for regular white vinegar?
I just made these and my husband and I are going crazy -they are so flavorful and delicious! The firecracker sauce is perfect. Just the right amount of heat!
Thank you so much.
We loved these! Yummy and super easy!! You would think it would be overly spicy but it was perfection. I split the sauce in half and brushed half on them and left the other half for drizzling. My children and husband all loved them. Served with a grilled vegetable salad and some brown rice – perfection!
Good recipe- but my sauce turns grainy when it cools- not sure how to prevent this?
Don’t change a thing about this recipe, it is spot on! They are delicious, easy, and yes freezer friendly as I have froze them . I make jasmine rice and steam broccoli florets, perfect meal. Thank you