Honey BBQ Chicken Meatballs
Perfect for game day or other get-to-togethers, these Honey BBQ Chicken meatballs are everything you love about chicken wings with no mess!
BBQ Chicken Meatballs
I know, let’s make an appetizer that has all the great things we love about chicken wings – sticky sauce, flavorful chicken, and some kind of dipping sauce – but do it in a way that doesn’t leave our hands, faces, clothes, and couches stained with all of those things that we love about them.
Sound good?
So put the wet naps away because these honey BBQ chicken meatballs will save your clothes, your couch, and maybe your ego. Don’t we all have fears of being that person with chicken wing sauce smeared on our face? Only to discover it, much later at home, long after the party, and then spend the next five years agonizing over the embarrassment and the recurring thought of “why didn’t anyone tell me?”
Seriously, let’s do everyone a favor and make these equally-as-delicious-yet-so-much-easier-to-eat tasty bites.
Please.
Some Ingredients You’ll Need
- Ground chicken
- Things to make the meatballs like an egg, bread crumbs, onions, and garlic.
- Jarred BBQ sauce. I used Stubb’s Original BBQ Sauce and doctored it up with some honey and lemon.
- Ranch dressing for dipping!
These little BBQ chicken meatball bites are addictive!
More Appetizer Ideas
PrintHoney BBQ Chicken Meatballs
All the things you love about BBQ chicken wings, but meatball style!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 25 meatballs 1x
- Category: Appetizers
- Method: Pan Fry
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1 1/2 tablespoon olive oil, divided
- 1/4 cup plain breadcrumbs
- 1/4 cup onion, finely chopped
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1 pound ground chicken
- 1 cup BBQ sauce (see note)
- Juice of 1/2 a lemon
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 cup ranch dressing, for dipping (optional)
Instructions
- In a large bowl combine the egg, 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil, breadcrumbs, onion, garlic, salt, and pepper. Add the ground chicken and mix until just combined. Scoop about 1 tablespoon of the chicken mixture to form each meatball.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat in a large pan. Add the meatballs and brown them on all sides. Depending on the size of your pan you may need to do this in batches. Once browned all over remove the meatballs and set aside.
- In the same pan, pour in the BBQ sauce and bring to a boil. Scrape up all the brown bits on the bottom of the pan using a spatula or wooden spoon. Add the lemon juice and honey. Stir the sauce and let it cook for 1-2 minutes.
- Add the meatballs to the sauce and gently roll them around to get them fully coated. Let them cook a few more minutes just until they are cooked through (you can always cut into one to make sure it’s not pink inside). Serve them with ranch dressing on the side.
Notes
I used Stubb’s Original BBQ sauce, which I think can be found at most grocery stores.
Nutrition estimates do not include the ranch dressing for serving.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 meatball
- Calories: 62
- Sugar: 5.g
- Sodium: 150.1mg
- Fat: 2.5g
- Saturated Fat: 0.6g
- Unsaturated Fat: 1.7g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 6.5g
- Fiber: 0.2g
- Protein: 3.6g
- Cholesterol: 22.9mg
These look amazing perfect for superbowl! Love that they are boneless, not messy and easy to pop into your mouth! Looks great!
What a quick a great recipe for the super bowl! I love how easy and mess free they are!
Love the idea that these eliminate the mess of chicken wings!
I’m in!! Such a perfect appetizer! All that flavor without the mess! Love it!
I’m in a food heaven! Omomomo! Absolutely loooove it!!
This recipe looks like the perfect combination of sweet, savory, and juicy. Perfect for Super Bowl Sunday…thank you and happy Thursday 🙂
http://www.lovecompassionatelee.com/
Oh wow, these sound amazing! My kids love meatballs and barbecue, so I think this might be a new main dish in our house.
Looks like the perfect nibbles for a Superbowl Party. Hopping over from SITS.
Thanks for stopping by, Sarah!
Looks fantastic… genius idea of combining meatballs with BBQ! ♡
Made these for dinner! My husband and toddler loved them. A good recipe for picky eaters and my husbands dairy free diet 😊 delicious!
Yay! Thanks for letting me know 🙂
these look great. can you bake these instead of frying
You can bake the meatballs (I suggest for 20 to 30 minutes at 375 or 400F, but the bake time will depend on how big they are) but you would still want to simmer them in the sauce on the stove at the end. If you try it let me know how it goes –