Hot Honey Chicken Meatballs
- PREP 10min
- COOK 20min
- TOTAL 30min
These ground chicken meatballs are juicy, tender, and coated in spicy honey butter. It’s impossible to eat just one. The hot sauce you use is up to you! We love original Tabasco and Crystal hot sauces, but I’d imagine almost anything will work. We recommend one tablespoon of hot sauce, but you can adjust this based on how spicy you’d like them.
If you need to substitute for honey, try maple, golden, or brown sugar.
You Will Need
Spiced Chicken Meatballs
1 pound (450g) ground chicken, see notes if you have 1 ¼ pound package
1/2 cup (35g) panko breadcrumbs or homemade breadcrumbs
1/3 cup milk, dairy or non-dairy
1 large egg
1/4 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, finely grated, 1/2 ounce
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika
1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
2 tablespoons high-heat cooking oil like grape seed or avocado oil
Hot Honey Sauce
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon hot sauce, or more to taste, we like Crystal or Tabasco
Pinch of salt
Directions
Stir breadcrumbs and milk in a large bowl, then let it sit for 5 minutes. Add the egg, cheese, garlic powder, onion powder, sweet paprika, smoked paprika, oregano, pepper, and salt. Stir until well blended.
Add the ground chicken, and use a fork or your fingers to gently mix everything until combined. Try not to overmix for the most tender meatballs.
Wet your hands and form the mixture into 1 ½-inch balls (about 1 ½ tablespoons each). A medium cookie scoop helps portion out the meatballs. The mixture is on the softer side, so don’t worry if you have difficulty making perfect balls. Since we want tender and juicy meatballs, we add more bread crumbs and milk, making the mixture less firm. Even though this causes less-than-perfect round meatballs, the texture of the interior is better.
Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in the bottom of a wide Dutch oven or nonstick pan over medium heat.
Place the meatballs in the hot oil and cook until they are cooked through, the outsides are browned, and they register 165°F in the middle on an instant-read thermometer, about 15 minutes. Depending on the shape or size of the pot, this might need to be done in two batches.
Make the hot honey butter. Combine the hot sauce, butter, salt, and honey in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Swirl the pan until the butter melts into the hot sauce and honey.
Pour the sauce over the cooked meatballs, and then serve.
Adam and Joanne's Tips
- Ground chicken: You can buy ground chicken in 1 pound or 1 ¼ pound packages. Use either in this recipe without any changes. You will have a few extra meatballs if you have 1 ¼ pounds of chicken.
- Baked meatballs: Heat the oven to 425°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper, foil, or a silicone mat. Place formed meatballs onto the baking sheet, leaving a little space between each meatball. Lightly spray the top of the meatballs with cooking spray or brush with oil. Bake until golden brown, and they register 165°F in the middle on an instant-read thermometer, about 20 minutes.
- Storing: Cooked meatballs will last 3 days in the fridge in an airtight container. You can freeze them for up to three months. Store them in an airtight, freezer-friendly container.
- Make ahead tips: Raw meatballs can be refrigerated overnight and baked the next day. You should get 18 to 20 meatballs. You can also freeze the raw meatballs and store up to three months. To freeze them, form the meatballs and place them onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Place the baking sheet into the freezer until the meatballs are firm. Transfer frozen meatballs to an airtight, freezer-friendly container and freeze for three months.
- The nutrition facts provided below are estimates.