Firecracker Chicken Meatballs
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.
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?
The sauce is simple too. Since the meatballs are flavored with just enough to keep them moist, the real flavors come from the sauce! All you need is a little hot sauce (I recommend Franks), brown sugar, red pepper flakes, apple cider vinegar, and a 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 would you serve firecracker chicken meatballs as a meal?
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
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!
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
- Panko is a Japanese style of breadcrumbs.
- 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.
I gave it 5 stars because the sauce is great and the meatball mixture.. That said, I get those who have said they use turkey vs chicken due to texture . Did not care for the texture of ground chicken and have a issue eating something so white. Not sure I would like turkey better. I have never cooked with ground turkey or chicken and honestly don’t think I will after this. If it’s beef based, I don’t substitute to make it ‘healthier’ beef it’s good for you. Great recipe, that I will try with my usual go to, ground sirloin. Made half the recipe but used the amounts to have extra sauce as suggested. Again as suggested in recipe, 1/4 of crushed pepper for less spicy. For us it had a nice amount of heat with sweet.
I made these last night and they were delicious! Pretty easy too. I used pre-made chicken meatballs from my local market and then coated them in Panko and the Firecracker sauce. Everyone loved them! Thanks 🙂
Delicious! Loved the sauce! Didn’t baste mine as some of the family don’t like spice as much as I do. But instead just poured it over the meat balls and some rice. Delicious dinner!
These are really tasty! Used fresh garlic and green onions vs. garlic and onion powders. Very spicy! Enjoyed them with steamed zucchini, but rice would be a nice touch, and maybe some fresh pineapple on the side to cleanse and cool the palette. A fresh citrus-based IPA would also pair well. Thanks for sharing this delicious recipe.
Can you mix the hot sauce with tomato sauce in order not to use so much hot sauce?
The Firecracker Chicken meatballs looks yummy and seems easy to make. My question could I make them weeks early? Are they ok to freeze as well? Thanks!
With 4 boys between the ages of 15 and 19 plus one husband, the odds of them all liking the same thing are slim to none…but everyone loved this! They all demanded that I print it so I don’t forget to make it again Thanks for such a great and simple recipe!
Can I leave out brown sugar or substitute foe something healthier?
I have made these many times and they have become a favorite at every gathering! They are fantastic!!!
I have made these many times and they are absolutely delicious. Followed the recipe exactly as published. So yummy.
This recipe is one of the best things I’ve found on the internet involving cooking. I have made this for dinner many times as well as in a larger batch for a party.
The flavor is awesome and I always get compliments for its taste.
Seriously, as a husband who doesn’t have many recipes up his sleeve, this one is a game changer! Thank you for this recipe
I love this recipe. It’s easy and delicious. Can the meatballs be frozen and baked the following day? It would be nicer served hot as an appetizer.
My sister and I will be out-of-state for two weeks. I’m definitely going to make the meat balls for my spoiled nephew before my sister and I leave.
Wow.. these were good! The only modification I made was to cut all the ingredients in half. I realized just as I was starting to make them that I had only defrosted 1 pound of ground chicken breast. The only modification I would make in the future is to not add the red pepper flakes. Meatballs were super spicy but very addicting!
This is delicious! Has been added into our families dinner rotation!
Sounds yummy. Can I make in the crockpot? If yes, how long?
I serve them with mashed potatoes and lemon butter broccoli. That way you balance the heat with creaminess and you balance the richness with citrus.
Can you make these meatballs the night before?
I love this recipe! My son-in-law requested these for his birthday party. It’s just the right combination of sweet and heat. To save time, I sometimes use a good quality frozen chicken meatball. I like beatnik organic chicken meatballs from the freezer section.
These are amazing!! Added them to my rotation! Hit with my s/o and with my coworkers!
I love this recipe and have made it a number of times. 5star rating.
A question, can I make the meatballs ahead and flash freeze them and then bake them on the day of from frozen? It would be helpful as there is so much to do on the day of the event. Would appreciate your thoughts.
Can these be air fried?
I read all these comments waiting to see if anyone tried air frying them. So, what’s the answer people?
Excellent, had ground chicken I needed to use up. Will definitely make again. Easy as well. Doesn’t have a million ingredients, all things I have in my pantry anyway.
Receipe was amazing and easy to follow. I substituted chicken for ground rabbit. Was a hit with the husband and kids will me making it again!
I have made these so many times for Wedding after parties, birthdays, BBQ etc etc etc.
I love them so much.
I put some sesame seeds (a mix of black and normal ones) these ones and they look great.
Followed recipe exactly and it was perfect. Made Xtra and froze for later. Perfect for a crowd.
Taste was on point! Doubled the sauce and made it as a stir fry dinner. One question- why such a high temp in the oven? Created so much smoke. Maybe because I didn’t use parchment paper? But I kept turning the meatballs so they didn’t burn . Just created so much smoke. Nothing on the bottom of my oven. Used cooking spray on the baking pans. Ended up cooking them at 400 the rest of the time and for longer until done.
Quick, easy and delicious! Made 2 different batches of sauce, one (per the recipe) for myself and a not-so-spicy one for my husband. (I used 1/4c ketchup and 1/4c Frank’s and no red pepper flakes). He still thought it was too peppery, so next time I’ll halve the amount of black pepper, but it was perfect for me! Oh, I like low sodium, so I only used a dash of salt, but you don’t miss the salt due to the great sauce. Thank you for a winner!
Fantastic recipe! I’ve already shared it with my sisters. I made a mistake the first time by over-baking the meatballs so they were a little hard. I used a product ‘Alfresco Seasoned Ground Chicken Italian Style’, which has red&green peppers and is already seasoned with salt. Plus I used Truvia/Brown Sugar blend to cut the calories/glycemic spike.
The sauce is splendid and works well with shrimp. Thanks!
We LOVED this recipe and can’t wait to make again! I doubled sauce and will again. I eliminated red pepper flakes and it was plenty hot. I added 2 teaspoons dried parsley for color. Used a small ice cream scoop to form. They were AWESOME. Cold was our favorite way to enjoy them. Next time I’m going to add chopped water chestnuts and maybe sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds when done cooking. I live at 6,445’ and will convection bake at lower temperature next time – I forgot first try to adjust oven temp for my altitude. Thank you! ❤️