Fire-Eater Chicken Meatballs Archives

I was looking for something a little different for an appetizer to serve for the Superbowl. I’ve done the beef and pork meatballs, and those are great, but I wanted something new. I thought, let’s try chicken and turkey meatballs instead. But let’s make sure they aren’t bland. These fire-eater chicken meatballs are definitely not bland. They are tender and tasty by themselves, but made even more perfect with a kicked-up dipping sauce that also has a bit of sweetness to it.

I am definitely going to use the meatballs in other dishes. I’m already planning to make meatball sandwiches with them. A hoagie bun, a few fire-eater chicken meatballs, a little of the sauce and some melted habanero cheese and I’m happy! Or, serve them over pasta with a spicy Alfredo sauce (made spicy by adding it a bit of the sauce).

Did you know you can buy a tool to help you make a big ole batch of meatballs in just minutes? People think of everything!

Meatball Master

I used my fire-eater spice rub to give the meatballs and the sauce a great kick. You can substitute any spicy mix you like. Just don’t be shy with it. Also try my sweet-and-spicy meatballs.

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5 from 1 vote

Fire-Eater Chicken Meatballs

These fire-eater chicken meatballs are definitely not bland. They are tender and tasty by themselves, but made even more perfect with a kicked-up dipping sauce that also has a bit of sweetness to it.

Course Appetizer

Cuisine Main

Keyword chicken, meatballs, spicy

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 25

Total Time 35

Servings meatballs

Calories 169kcal

Author Based on a recipe from Little Spice Jar

Ingredients

For the meatballs

2 pound ground chicken you can also use 1 pound of ground chicken and 1 pound of ground turkey
4 teaspoons garlic minced
2 tablespoons Fire-Eater rub
2 eggs
1 cup Panko breadcrumbs

For the sauce

1 cup hot sauce I used Cholula
2 cups light brown sugar
¼ cup apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon Fire-Eater rub

Instructions

For the meatballs

Preheat oven to 400 F.
Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
Place the meatball ingredients into a large bowl and mix well.
Form into balls. Depending on how you want to serve them, make smaller or bigger balls. The cook time is for balls that are golf ball-sized so you might want to adjust the cook time depending on how large you make yours.
Place balls onto the baking sheets. Do not crowd them.
Bake for 20-25 minutes or until they reach 165 F internal temperature.
Brush the meatballs with a bit of the sauce and return to the oven for 2-3 more minutes to ‘set’ the sauce.
Serve with more sauce on the side for dipping if serving as appetizers.

For the sauce

While the meatballs are cooking, place all of the sauce ingredients into a medium saucepan.
Bring to boil then reduce to a simmer, whisking often, until the sauce thickens.
Remove from heat until ready to use.