Make a dozen easy, delicious Firecracker Chicken Meatballs. Well-seasoned meatballs are browned, then served, covered in a sweet/spicy sauce!
We love these delicious meatballs, made using ground chicken, for a slightly more healthy recipe than traditional beef meatballs! They are covered in a “not too sweet, and not too spicy” sauce and are full of protein and flavor!
Firecracker chicken meatballs are easy to prepare and are quite filling, especially when served on a bed of rice, with some cooked veggies on the side!
I found the original recipe on Pinterest and made only a couple very small changes. We truly enjoy eating them and love the fact that the leftovers are just as good the next day! That’s a win-win in my book!
Today I want to show you just how easy they are to make, so here we go:
Scroll Down For A Printable Recipe Card At The Bottom Of The Page
Time to Make Some Firecracker Chicken Meatballs
In a medium-sized mixing bowl, stir together Panko bread crumbs, grated Parmesan cheese, garlic powder, ground ginger, and red pepper flakes until combined.
Add a pound of ground chicken, a large egg, and 2 Tablespoons of “buffalo sauce”. I use Frank’s Red Hot Sauce, which can be found in most grocery stores.
Using a spoon, fork, or your clean hands, mix all the meatball ingredients together until they’re fully combined with the ground chicken. This is the mixture you will use to make the firecracker chicken meatballs!
Form Meatballs And Pan-Sear Them In A Skillet
Once all the meatball ingredients are thoroughly combined, it’s time to shape the meatballs. The mixture will be very “wet” in texture. Evenly divide the meat mixture into 12 similar sized portions (I usually eyeball it, but you can weigh portions if desired).
Roll each portion into a ball between the palms of your hands. Yes… it is a bit messy! Place each meatball on foil or wax paper until they are all formed.
Heat olive oil in a large non-stick skillet on medium high heat. Once the oil is very hot (but not smoking), add the meatballs, leaving space between each one.
Once you place them into the hot skillet do not move them! Cook for about 3 minutes or so (without disturbing them) and then carefully turn the meatballs over to brown the other side.
Continue to cook for another 6-7 minutes, turning the meatballs every minute or so to brown all the edges. When done, the meatballs should be brown on all sides, and cooked all the way through.
You can test the internal temperature with a meat thermometer to check on done-ness, if desired. The finished meatballs should have an internal temperature of 165°F.
Make The Sweet And Spicy Sauce
Making the sauce for the meatballs is a cinch! I try to mix it together while the meatballs are browning, which saves time. Mix brown sugar, buffalo sauce, water and apple cider vinegar in a small bowl, using a spoon or fork.
Continue to stir these ingredients together until all of the brown sugar has dissolved. Now you’re ready for the final step!
Final Step
Pour the sauce over the fully browned/cooked meatballs in the skillet, and stir gently to coat them with the sauce. Continue to cook on medium-low heat for about 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent scorching.
Keep an eye on the sauce, because it has brown sugar in it and you don’t want that sugar to burn. I like to spoon the sauce on top of the meatballs as they cook.
When the sauce is done, it will have thickened slightly and will look rather “syrup-like” in texture. Remove the skillet from the heat once the sauce has thickened. Be sure to dish up the meatballs while the sauce and the meatballs are hot!
Serve the Firecracker Chicken Meatballs
Now your firecracker chicken meatballs are ready to serve! We usually plan for three meatballs per adult serving, and serve them on steamed white rice, with veggies on the side.
Spoon a little of the sauce over the meatballs, then sprinkle with sliced green onions and sesame seeds, if desired. The sliced green onions and sesame seeds are optional, but we like the color and flavor they add.
Serve this dish hot… and enjoy! The meatballs have a little kick to them (but not too much!). They have GREAT flavor, and we love them paired with the neutral tasting white rice.
I really hope you enjoy these easy to make firecracker chicken meatballs. We sure do! Thanks for stopping by, and I hope you will come back soon for more family-friendly recipes. Have a great day!
Looking For More MEATBALL Recipes?
You can find ALL of my recipes in the Recipe Index, which is located at the top of the page. I have some wonderful meatball recipes there for you to enjoy, including:
- Meatballs Stroganoff
- Easy Meatballs For Spaghetti
- Mom’s Swedish Meatballs And Rice
- Thai Turkey Meatballs And Zoodles
- Chicken Enchilada Meatballs
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Recipe Slightly Adapted From: Mason Woodruff at: https://masonfit.com/pan-fried-firecracker-chicken-meatballs/
↓↓ PRINTABLE RECIPE BELOW ↓↓
Make a dozen easy, delicious Firecracker Chicken Meatballs. Well-seasoned meatballs are browned, then served, covered in a sweet/spicy sauce!
- 1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil to cook meatballs
- ¼ cup Panko bread crumbs
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 pound ground chicken
- 1 large egg
- 2 Tablespoons buffalo sauce (I use Frank's Red Hot)
- ½ cup dark brown sugar (packed)
- ¼ cup buffalo sauce (I use Frank's Red Hot)
- 2 Tablespoons water
- 2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
In a medium mixing bowl, stir together Panko crumbs, grated Parmesan, garlic powder, ground ginger, and red pepper flakes until combined. Add ground chicken, egg, and 2 T. buffalo sauce. Using a spoon, fork, or clean hands, mix meatball ingredients together until fully combined.
Evenly divide mixture into 12 equal portions (I usually eyeball it, but you can weigh portions if desired). Roll each portion into a ball between the palms of your hands. Place each meatball on foil or wax paper until they are all formed.
Heat olive oil in a large non-stick skillet on medium high heat. Once oil is very hot (but not smoking), add meatballs, leaving space between each one. Cook for about 3 minutes or so (without disturbing them) and then carefully turn meatballs over to brown the other side. Continue to cook for 6-7 minutes, turning meatballs every 1-2 minutes to brown all edges. When done, meatballs should be brown on all sides, and cooked through. If desired, use a meat thermometer to check on done-ness. Fully cooked meatballs should have an internal temperature of 165°F.
Mix brown sugar, buffalo sauce, water and cider vinegar in a small bowl, using a spoon or fork. Stir until brown sugar has dissolved. Pour sauce over meatballs; stir gently to coat them with sauce. Cook on medium-low heat 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent scorching. When sauce is done, it will have thickened slightly and will look rather "syrup-like" in texture. Remove skillet from heat.
Serve meatballs on top of rice. Spoon remaining sauce onto meatballs. Sprinkle with sliced green onions/sesame seeds, if desired (optional but GOOD). Enjoy!
Here’s one more to pin on your Pinterest boards!
