Spicy Meatballs
Make these spicy meatballs with honey and sriracha for the perfect balance of sweet and spicy! Juicy, oven-baked, and ready in 30 minutes!
Servings: 4 people (20 meatballs)
Calories: 563kcal
Equipment
- medium cookie scoop
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 pound ground chicken substitute with other types of meat
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup panko breadcrumbs or regular bread crumbs
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon minced ginger or 1/2 teaspoon ginger paste
For the Sauce
- 4 tablespoons sour cream or light sour cream or Greek yogurt
- 4 tablespoons mayonnaise or light mayo
- 4 tablespoons honey swap it for brown sugar or maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons ponzu sauce or soy sauce/tamari
- 2 teaspoons sriracha sauce or to taste
- 1 tablespoon lime juice 1/2 lime, juiced; or lemon
Optional Garnish
- 4 scallions sliced, green parts only
Instructions
Make the Meatballs
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Drizzle the sesame oil over a large sheet pan and rub it evenly over the pan with your clean hands. **Coating your hands with oil also prevents the meatball mixture from sticking as you form them.
- Add the ground chicken, egg, bread crumbs, garlic, and ginger to a large mixing bowl. Gently combine the mixture with your hands or a mixing spatula, until just combined. **Avoid over mixing, which can make the chicken meatballs tough and dry.
- Using a medium-sized cookie scoop, portion the chicken mixture into balls (about the size of a golf ball), and roll them in your hands. Arrange the meatballs on the oiled baking sheet, at least 1 inch apart.
- Bake the meatballs for 15-18 minutes, or until the internal temperature of a meatball registers 165°F.
- Remove from oven and let the meatballs sit on the pan while you make the sauce.
- For the honey sriracha sauce, add the sour cream, mayonnaise, honey, ponzu sauce, sriracha sauce, and lime juice to a large mixing bowl. Whisk to combine.
- Add the warm chicken meatballs to the spicy sauce and toss to combine, or drizzle the sauce over the chicken meatballs.
- Garnish with sliced green onion and sesame seeds (optional) and drizzle with extra sauce.
- Serve over rice with your favorite vegetables on the side, or as an appetizer with sauce for dipping.
Notes
- Use a cookie scoop to get a consistent size and shape for your honey sriracha meatballs. Then, roll them very gently to secure the shape, hardly applying any pressure.
- Use a different protein: We use ground chicken in our spicy meatball recipe because it’s a flavorful yet lean protein. If you’d prefer beef or pork, use the meatball composition found in our pan cooked meatballs.
- Adjust the spicy heat: If spicy meatballs aren’t hot enough for you, add hot sauce or cayenne pepper to the mix! For a milder heat, go with black pepper
- Leftover chicken meatballs can be refrigerated for up to 4 days. The spicy sauce will last for 4 days in the fridge as well, even if stored separately.
- Reheat the balls in the oven and the sauce in the microwave. Then toss in the sauce once warmed.
- It is possible to freeze honey sriracha meatballs for up to 3 months, and the sauce can also be frozen! Just do so in a separate container.
Nutrition
Serving: 5 meatballs | Calories: 563kcal | Carbohydrates: 51g | Protein: 23g | Fat: 30g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 10g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 170mg | Sodium: 564mg | Potassium: 681mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 18g | Vitamin A: 276IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 39mg | Iron: 1mg
