Mouthwatering baked Spicy Chicken Meatballs are a surefire hit for game day! Dip them in buffalo ranch sauce for an extra kick you’ll love!
Baked Spicy Chicken Meatballs made with ground chicken and a generous kick of spices will be nibbled up in no time! They’re delicious, nutritious, make almost no cooking mess, and don’t leave any greasy bones to clean up!
Spicy Chicken Meatballs are a Healthy Alternative
You’ll find many buffalo chicken recipes on Real Housemoms, like crispy buffalo chicken empanadas and cheesy buffalo chicken pizza bites because, well…buffalo sauce! Am I right? We love it!
We’re using lean ground chicken for this spicy meatball recipe, giving them 20% fewer calories and 50% less fat than traditional buffalo wings. This does make them a healthier alternative, but they’re so finger-licking good you’ll never notice! These spicy ground chicken meatballs are loaded with bright, bold flavors and are a great choice for enjoying all the goodness of buffalo sauce!
Serve These with Spicy Chicken Meatballs
- Try Buffalo Chicken Celery Sticks or Oven Fried Carrots for a timeless classic with the perfect crunch.
- You can’t go wrong with this Best Ever Potato Salad. Potatoes always complement chicken, but this version is cold, fresh, and just right!
Ingredients
Protein: We’re using ground chicken as the base for the meatballs. You could use ground turkey, but I think the chicken ones come out a little juicier.
Spices: To give the meatballs some flavor, you’ll need garlic, chili powder, cumin, paprika, salt, and red pepper flakes. You can use add pepper flakes to give the meatballs a bigger kick.
Glaze: These meatballs get brushed in honey and apple cider vinegar.
Dipping Sauce: You must have a great dip! We combine ranch dressing, buffalo sauce (like Frank’s Moore’s), and honey for the perfect pairing to these meatballs.
How to Make Baked Chicken Meatballs
STEP ONE: Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with foil, spray foil with cooking spray. (If you have a wire rack, place it over the foil and spray the rack. This gives the best meatball result, in my opinion.) Combine the ground chicken and all the meatball seasonings in a bowl. Mix everything until the chicken is evenly seasoned.
STEP TWO: Portion the chicken into 20 scoops and roll them into balls. (I like the use of a cookie scoop for this.) Place the meatballs on the foil and bake for 15 minutes.
STEP THREE: Mix the honey and vinegar in a small bowl while the meatballs are baking. After 15 minutes, remove the meatballs from the oven, brush each one generously with the honey vinegar glaze, then continue baking in the oven for another 10-15 minutes.
STEP FOUR: Mix the dipping sauce with ranch dressing, buffalo sauce, and honey. Mix and refrigerate until ready to serve in a bowl on a platter with the meatballs.
Tips for Success
- Oil your hands before mixing the ground chicken and spices. This will make it easier to form the meatballs.
- Pack the meatballs firmly but not too tight. The result will be tender, juicy meatballs.
- To make this recipe go further, skip the breadcrumbs and add soft (not toasted) white bread instead. Remove the crusts and cut the bread into tiny cubes to add to your ground beef mixture.
Can I Make Meatballs Ahead of Time?
You bet! Because these are going to be baked, they are very meal-prep friendly. One bowl, minimal mess, store covered in the refrigerator for up the three days ahead of time.
Can You Freeze Spicy Chicken Meatballs?
Yes! Both uncooked and fully cooked meatballs freeze well in an air-tight container for up to 3 months. When you need them, thaw them overnight in the fridge and bake as directed, or reheat them!!
Other Not-Boring Baked Chicken Recipes
- Baked BBQ Chicken Nuggets
- Baked Buffalo Chicken Bread
- Monte Cristo Chicken Bake
- Cheddar Bay Chicken Bake
- Baked Chicken Thighs
- Baked Lemon Chicken
*This post was originally posted on 11/09/2017.
Ingredients
Chicken Meatballs
- 1 pound ground chicken
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
Buffalo Ranch Dipping Sauce
- ¼ cup ranch dressing
- 2 tablespoons buffalo wing sauce (like Moore's or Frank's)
- 2 tablespoons honey
Instructions
Meatballs
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F and line a baking sheet with heavy-duty foil. (I recommend using a wire baking rack on top of the foil if you have one.) Spray the baking rack or foil with cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, combine the ground chicken, garlic powder, chili powder, cumin, paprika, salt, and red pepper flakes. Mix well until all the seasonings are evenly incorporated into the chicken.
- Form the chicken mixture into balls and place them in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet. Continue making meatballs until all the chicken mixture is used.
- Bake the meatballs for 15 minutes. While the meatballs are baking, add the honey and cider vinegar to a small bowl and mix well.
- After 15 minutes, brush the honey mixture onto each meatball, coating them generously until all of the glaze has been used. Place the meatballs back in the oven for another 10-15 minutes until the chicken is cooked through.
Dipping Sauce
- Combine the ranch dressing, buffalo sauce, and honey. Mix well and refrigerate until ready to use.
- Remove the meatballs from the oven and transfer to a serving platter. Serve with the bowl dipping sauce and enjoy!
Video
Notes
- I use a cookie scoop to portion my meatballs. It makes quick work of the task and shapes them evenly.
- Nutritional information is for one meatball and one teaspoon of dipping sauce.
Becky Herring says
Is the nutritional information just for Meatballs or Meatballs with sauce?
Aubrey Cota says
Meatballs with sauce. This is per meatball not necessarily per serving as a serving could be 2-3 meatballs depending on size.
dannie says
the meat balls look yummy.
Dream League Soccer says
Delicious! Great receipts. Thanks a lot for this interesting post. Hope you keep sharing more and more good receipts like this.
Aubrey Cota says
Thank you!
gloria says
Delicious! I just made extra honey cider sauce and served over rice. Hubby loved it. Thanks!
Marion says
What a great idea, Gloria!! My hubs loves everything over rice, so I’ll have to give that a try! So glad you liked it!
Linda Beal says
Great recipes
Carmen Green says
Love your receipts
Julia @ Swirls and Spice says
What a great idea! I’m always on the lookout for new ground chicken recipes, and those spices sound amazing together!
Aminata says
Nice recipe and good food for appetite
boukhenfouf says
Vos recettes sont exquises