BBQ Chicken Meatballs can be served as an appetizer or as the main dish. These are generously seasoned with an easy spice blend and smothered in your favorite bottled BBQ sauce.
INGREDIENTS AND SUPPLIES
These meatballs are pretty simple to whip up! Usually the only thing I need to buy is the ground chicken, and everything else I already have in my pantry or fridge.
INGREDIENTS
- Ground chicken.
- Panko.
- Worcestershire sauce.
- Your favorite bottled BBQ sauce. Lately I’ve been loving either Sticky Fingers or Rib Rack.
- One egg.
- Seasonings: garlic powder, smoked paprika, chicken bouillon powder, onion powder, salt, pepper.
SUPPLIES
- Cooling rack.
- Baking sheet.
- Foil.
- Cooking spray.
These chicken meatballs are versatile because they make a great party meatball appetizer or can be served as your main dish. If you’re serving these for dinner here are some side dish ideas:
- Mashed potatoes or baked potato.
- Steamed broccoli.
- Coleslaw.
- Corn on the cob.
- Mac and cheese.
- Green beans or spinach.
HOW TO MAKE THE BEST CHICKEN MEATBALLS
The trick to getting the best chicken meatballs comes in two forms: seasoning and moisture.
Let’s start first with seasoning. With ground chicken you need to season it way more that you think. If you’re too light on the spices you’re going to end of with a bland unimpressive meatball. You’ll see in this recipe there’s 6 and 1/2 teaspoons of seasonings made up of garlic powder, smoked paprika, onion powder, chicken bouillon powder, salt, and pepper. You might think “whoa, that’s too much” but trust me, this is what you need to make sure the flavors come through.
Next is moisture. Since ground chicken is a lean meat, you don’t have the help from fat to prevent the meat from getting dry like you do in a beef meatball. This means we need to add some moisture into the mix. In this recipe, you’ll mix 5 tablespoons of BBQ sauce directly into the meat. Doing this will make sure your meatball doesn’t come out dry and crumbly.
LEFTOVER STORAGE AND REHEATING
Store any leftover meatballs in an airtight container in the fridge and eat within 3-4 days for best freshness.
Microwave: I microwave a lot of my leftovers, so you can microwave these for a lunch or dinner in a jiffy. I like to cut the meatballs in half first so the center doesn’t take too long to get warm.
Oven: You can also pop these in the oven to reheat. Heat the over to 250 degrees and bake the meatballs for about 8 minutes.
Warm up some extra BBQ sauce to drizzle or dip the leftover meatballs for the “just made” taste!
For more BBQ style recipes check out more of these blog favorites!
Baked BBQ Drumsticks
BBQ Chicken Burgers
Baked BBQ Chicken Thighs
BBQ Chicken Taquitos
BBQ Chicken Meatballs
Perfect for an appetizer or main dish, these BBQ chicken meatballs of perfectly seasoned and smothered in your favorite BBQ sauce.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
1 pound ground chicken
1/2 panko breadcrumbs
5 tablespoons BBQ sauce (plus more for topping)
3 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon chicken bouillon powder
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
Cooking spray so the meatballs don’t stick to the baking rack.
Instructions
1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Add a cooling rack to a foil lined baking sheet and spray with cooking spray.
2. Add the ground chicken to a large bowl.
3. In a small bowl, combine the garlic powder, smoked paprika, chicken bouillon, salt, pepper, and onion powder.
4. Pour the spice blend over the ground chicken and mix well. Add in the 5 tablespoons of BBQ sauce, Worcestershire sauce, egg, and panko and mix until well combined.
5. Form medium sized meatballs and place on the rack on the baking sheet. Don’t make the meatballs too large or they won’t cook all the way through. Spoon a bit more BBQ sauce over top each meatball. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until internal temperature is 165 degrees.
Serve with more BBQ sauce.
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