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Pan Fried Firecracker Chicken Meatballs

Crispy pan fried ground chicken meatballs in a sweet and spicy firecracker sauce.
4.53 from 21 votes
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Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Servings: 12 Meatballs
Calories: 75kcal
Author: Mason Woodruff

Ingredients

For the Meatballs

  • 1 Tbsp 16g Olive Oil
  • 1 lb Ground Chicken 97/3
  • 1/4 C 30g Panko Breadcrumbs
  • 1 oz Shredded Parmesan Cheese
  • 1 tsp Garlic Powder
  • 1 tsp Ground Ginger
  • 1 tsp Red Pepper Flakes
  • 1 large Egg
  • 2 Tbsp 30g Buffalo Sauce

For the Sauce

  • 1/2 C 96g Swerve Brown Sugar (or dark brown sugar)*
  • 1/4 C 60g Buffalo Sauce
  • 2 Tbsp 30g Cider Vinegar

Instructions

  • Mix the breadcrumbs, parmesan, and spices together in a large bowl before adding the chicken, egg, and buffalo sauce. Stir until everything is evenly combined and divide the mixture into 12 50g meatballs and set aside.
  • Mix the sauce ingredients and set aside.
  • Heat a large skillet over medium heat with the olive oil. Carefully place the meatballs in the skillet and cook for 2-3 minutes until the bottoms are golden brown. Flip the meatballs and cook for an additional 6-8 minutes, turning the meatballs every 1-2 minutes to brown on all sides. (8-10 minutes total.)
  • Add the sauce to the pan and gently stir/toss the meatballs in the sauce as it reduces. After 2-3 minutes, the sauce should be thick and sticky, and the meatballs should be fully cooked to an internal temperature of 165ºF.
  • Remove from the heat and top the meatballs with toasted sesame seeds and green onion.

Notes

For Oven Baked Firecracker Chicken Meatballs

For baked meatballs, place the meatballs on a parchment lined sheet pan and bake at 400ºF for 18-20 minutes. Reduce the sauce ingredients in a small saucepan and glaze the finished meatballs with about 3/4 of the sauce. Bake for an additional 3-5 minutes and serve with remaining sauce.

For Air Fried Firecracker Meatballs

Place the meatballs in a parchment lined air fryer basket. Air fry at 400ºF for 14-16 minutes, flipping halfway through. Reduce the sauce ingredients in a small saucepan and glaze the cooked meatballs with 3/4 of the sauce. Air fry and additional 2-3 minutes at 400ºF and serve with remaining sauce.
Check out my baked bbq chicken meatballs and sweet chili air fryer meatballs for more notes/tips.

Nutrition Info Notes

*The nutrition facts do not include carbs from the Swerve Brown sugar substitute. If you want to count carbs from Swerve (or use dark brown sugar), each meatball will have 10g of carbs. The 0.2 calories/gram from erythritol will give the meatballs an extra 1-2 calories each. 
Each meatball has 1 WW SmartPoint (blue).

Nutrition

Serving: 1Meatball | Calories: 75kcal | Carbohydrates: 2g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 3g