This Oven-Baked Honey Chipotle Chicken Meatball recipe is truly out-of-this-world good!
They’re a little smokey, a little spicy and a little sweet in all the best ways! Plus, if you’re looking for a quick break from red meat, the great news is these are made with ground chicken!
Now, I know what you’re thinking… Chicken and turkey meatballs tend to dry out a lot easier than say beef/pork meatballs. But the secret here is to add a little extra fat (I use extra virgin olive oil in this recipe) and to bake them at a slightly lower temperature until they’re cooked perfectly at an internal temperature of 165 degrees. Being very careful not to overcook them of course! The fat in the olive oil helps keep the meatballs moist and making sure not to overcook them allows them to not dry out.
These meatballs are also best enjoyed immediately! They retain they’re moisture best when eaten right away, but if times passes and you need to reheat them that’s totally okay too. Just know that they’ll cook a little further each time you reheat them, thus, drying them out a little more each time as well.
Let’s talk heat—
Up above I mentioned that these meatballs are a little smokey, a little sweet and a little spicy too! So let’s talk heat.
If you prefer a very mild meatball, I would suggest omitting the smoked paprika and only using 1/2 a chipotle pepper, or evening omitting the chipotle altogether! Don’t worry, even if you omit the chipotle peppers you’ll still have that great flavor from the adobo sauce – you’ll just skip a lot of the heat. 🙂
Now if you enjoy some heat and will be using both the paprika and chipotle peppers know that using 2 peppers will definitely give you a medium-high level of heat. Chipotle peppers have very similar heat levels as an average jalapeño (about 2,500 to 8,000 Scoville units) and that’s because chipotles are jalapeños! Crazy right? Jalapeños are fresh and typically green, but when they become extra ripe and red in color, they’re sometimes smoke-dried into what we know as a chipotle.
So use this new knowledge wisely and adjust as needed! If making a batch for myself I would use all the spices, along with 2 chipotle peppers. If I’m cooking for a crowd and know a few family/friends like spice but not sure of the others, I’ll use 1 chipotle pepper. And if I’m cooking for a crowd and don’t know their spice tolerance, I’d stick with just the adobo sauce and omit the chipotle peppers entirely!
How to Make These Juicy Oven-Baked Honey Chipotle Chicken Meatballs :
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
- Thoroughly combine all the ingredients for the meatballs together in a large mixing bowl – don’t be afraid to use your hands!
- Roll the meatball mixture into small, golf ball-sized balls and place them on a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Be sure not to overcrowd the baking sheet.
- Bake the meatballs for about 15-20 minutes, or until the internal temp reaches 165 degrees. Be careful not to overcook them! Ground chicken is typically very lean and can overcook and dry out easily. Remember, we want these to be fully cooked through but also want them to be juicy!
- While the meatballs cook, let’s make the sauce. Start by adding all the ingredients to a blender or food processor, with the exception of the water, and blending until smooth.
- Once the meatballs are cooked through, add the honey chipotle sauce to a medium-sized saucepan and bring to a simmer.
- While the sauce heats up, add the 1/4 c of water to the blender or processor to rinse out as much of the remaining sauce as possible and add this to the saucepan as well. Stir to ensure it is all thoroughly combined.
- Once the sauce reaches a simmer, carefully add in the chicken meatballs, lower the heat to about medium and toss the meatballs in the sauce for about 1 full minute.
- Turn off the heat and serve.
Juicy Oven-Baked Honey Chipotle Chicken Meatballs – Tips & Tricks
- Be careful not to overcook these meatballs! Ground chicken is typically very lean and can overcook and dry out easily. Remember, we want these to be fully cooked through but also want them to be juicy!
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge – they’ll keep for up to 3-4 days!
A few other easy appetizer recipes you’ll love—
5-Ingredient Spicy Mango Serrano Salsa
Caprese Salad with Homemade Balsamic Glaze
Hot Honey Prosciutto Pizza Bites
If you make these Juicy Oven-Baked Honey Chipotle Chicken Meatballs, tag me on Instagram! Seeing you whip up my recipes makes me the happiest little bee!
Juicy Oven-Baked Honey Chipotle Chicken Meatballs
Ingredients
Juicy Chicken Meatballs
- 1 lb ground chicken
- ½ c breadcrumbs
- 1 egg
- 1 garlic, microplaned or finely minced
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp onion powder
- ½ tsp smoked paprika
- ½ tsp crushed Mexican oregano
- ¼ c olive oil
- 1 tsp coconut sugar
- 3/4 tsp salt
- ½ tsp freshly cracked black pepper
Sweet and Spicy Honey Chipotle Sauce
- ¼ c honey
- 2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
- ¼ c adobo sauce
- ¼ tsp liquid smoke
- 2 garlic cloves, microplaned or finely minced
- 1 tsp white or apple cider vinegar
- ½ tsp freshly cracked black pepper
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ c water
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
- Thoroughly combine all the ingredients for the meatballs together in a large mixing bowl – don’t be afraid to use your hands!
- Roll the meatball mixture into small, golf ball-sized balls and place them on a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Be sure not to overcrowd the baking sheet.
- Bake the meatballs for about 15-20 minutes, or until the internal temp reaches 165 degrees. Be careful not to overcook them! Ground chicken is typically very lean and can overcook and dry out easily. Remember, we want these to be fully cooked through but also want them to be juicy!
- While the meatballs cook, let’s make the sauce. Start by adding all the ingredients to a blender or food processor, with the exception of the water, and blending until smooth.
- Once the meatballs are cooked through, add the honey chipotle sauce to a medium-sized saucepan and bring to a simmer.
- While the sauce heats up, add the 1/4 c of water to the blender or processor to rinse out as much of the remaining sauce as possible and add this to the saucepan as well. Stir to ensure it is all thoroughly combined.
- Once the sauce reaches a simmer, carefully add in the chicken meatballs, lower the heat to about medium and toss the meatballs in the sauce for about 1 full minute.
- Turn off the heat and serve.
Nutrition
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appetizers, meatballs, spicy, chicken, honey, chipotle
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