30 Minute Meals
Firecracker Meatballs
Prep
5 minutes
Cook
20 minutes
Yield
12 meatballs
These delicious firecracker meatballs are inspired by the Hello Fresh recipe everyone loves. Make them in 25 minutes for a quick, healthy meal.
These delicious firecracker meatballs are inspired by the popular Hello Fresh dish. They are yummy and convenient, you can make them in under 30 minutes, and make a fantastic dish for a quick weeknight meal. I love the kick these meatballs have and they’re great served with side veg or on top of rice.
❤️ Why You’ll Love Firecracker Meatballs
- Quick: Make these firecracker meatballs in only 25 minutes
- Spicy: These meatballs have a good kick but the spice level is definitely not overbearing
- Easy: You don’t need to be a master chef to pull off this dish for a dinner party, meal prep, or easy dinner
🍲 Ingredients
Chicken Breast – The best part of these firecracker meatballs is that they’re loaded with protein from the chicken breast which is a lean, healthy protein source. I love it when I can make a protein-packed meal and don’t have to cram a bunch of protein-packed ingredients to reach one goal. This one uses simple ingredients and it tastes great
Hot Sauce – The sauce is the firecracker of this recipe. You can totally eat these meatballs with a non-spicy sauce if you prefer, or decide how spicy you want to make this recipe based on the hot sauce you choose to use.
👩🍳 How to Make Firecracker Meatballs
🪄 Tips and Tricks
- Meal Prep: Meal prep the meatballs on Sunday and have them as a quick dish for during the week or even to toss on top of a salad
- Double the Batch: If you want more meatballs, no problem, double or triple the recipe for more or to feed a crowd
- Meatballs Not Sticking: If you have issues with your meatballs falling apart, try putting the meat mix into the fridge for 15 minutes before rolling
🗒 Variations
- Seasoning: You can totally switch up the seasonings here or even use fresh herbs like dill or basil in the mix to add a different pop of flavor
- Chicken: Feel free to swap the chicken breast for ground chicken or ground turkey
🗒 Best served with
- Crunchy Green Bean Casserole
- Black Bean BBQ Meatballs (swap these meatballs into this recipe with the homemade BBQ sauce if you don’t like spicy)
- Mediterranean Salad Recipe
- Classic Mashed Potatoes Recipe
👝 How to Store Leftovers
Store in an airtight container in the fridge, ideally separate from the sauce for 3-4 days. You can also freeze the meatballs, without the sauce for up to 2 months. Make the sauce fresh when you thaw and reheat.
🤔 Common Questions
Refrigerating your meatballs an hour before cooking helps them hold their shape throughout the cooking process, but you can make these ahead and leave them in the fridge for 24 hours before cooking.
The more you mix, the tougher your meat mixture will get so just mix until your ingredients are combined.
Firecracker Meatballs
Ingredients
- 3 cloves garlic
- 450-500 g (about 1lb) chicken breasts cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp ground pepper
- 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1/4 tsp chili flakes
- 1 tbsp olive oil
Sauce
- 1/4 cup hot sauce
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1 tbsp lime juice (about half a lime)
Instructions
- Whisk the sauce ingredients together and set aside.
- To a food processor add the garlic and pulse to chop into small pieces. Add the chicken pieces, salt, ground pepper, breadcrumbs, egg, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika and chili flakes. Pulse to chop / combine everything, until the chicken starts to break down into more of a ground meat texture, making sure not to over-mix into a paste. Pour mixture into a bowl or scoop directly out of the food processor, about 2 tbsp at a time and form into meatballs.
- Heat a large non stick skillet to medium heat. Add 1 tbsp olive oil and then the meatballs, cooking to brown each side, turning every few minutes and until each meatball is cooked through and reaches an internal temperature of 165F, about 15-20 minutes. Once the meatballs are cooked, add in the sauce and cook for 2-3 more minutes to coat the meatballs.
- Enjoy the meatballs with a favourite grain like rice.
Notes
- This would be delicious paired with our Maroulosalata aka my Mama Salad or our Homemade Caesar Salad Dressing Recipe
- These meatballs are also great to meal prep for the week ahead!
- Need to make a larger batch? Just double the recipe!
