Hawaiian BBQ Chicken Meatballs Recipe | Little Spice Jar (2024)

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Chicken meatballs covered in the most delicious Hawaiian BBQ sauce! They’re spiced up with a sweet and tangy homemade sauce that will have you hooked. Tender,filled with flavor and require minimum work — WIN!

Hawaiian BBQ Chicken Meatballs Recipe | Little Spice Jar (1)Posting on Tuesday! Just in time for your New Year’s Eve party. These Hawaiian BBQ Chicken Meatballs just have to grace your appy-teaser table. Can you tell i’m trying to make ‘appy-teaser’ happen? Did you think of Mean Girls? I’m totally not embarrassed to admit how much I love that movie. And here’s the part where Regina George would tell me it’s not going to happen! Ah. Whomp. Whomp.

You already knowthat i’m a total sucker for sweet, savory meals. I just love the way these chicken meatballs taste when dunked in the easiest hawaiian bbq sauce. NO seriously. It’s just a few simple ingredients that you bring to a boil and let simmer.Yes, it’s that easy. And you KNOW that I wouldn’t make you work hard on New Year’s Eve so you can mix up the chicken mixture the night before and just bake them fresh right before the evening starts. And And And not only are they a cinch to whip up, they’re also on the healthier side! They’re baked (????????????) so you can eat these up guilt free.

Hawaiian BBQ Chicken Meatballs Recipe | Little Spice Jar (2)If the recipe for the chicken meatballs sounds familiar, that’s because it is. Remember when we made these? And how super easy that was? Well it’s the same basic recipe with the sauce swapped out for this new homemade Hawaiian bbq sauce.

This is my go to chicken meatball recipe. I love having basic recipes in my arsenal and swapping out the sauce/ingredients to create brand new flavors that are easy and quick.

Did I mention that these are also perfect for the BIG GAME that’s just around the corner? How crazy would the guys (and gals) go for these? I also like to make a double batch of the sauce because we wuv extra sauce to drizzle on brown rice with these chicken meatballs.❤️❤️❤️

Hawaiian BBQ Chicken Meatballs Recipe | Little Spice Jar (3)The ingredients for the meatballs are super simple. Just a little panko, minced garlic, onion powder, paprika, and salt and pepper. I use eggs to help bind the meatballs. If your supermarket doesn’t carry ground chicken you can make thesewith ground turkey too.

Keep in mind you want to *just* combine the ingredients for the meatballs. The more you work the meat, the drier they become. I shaped mine into 3 tablespoon sized balls and they take about 11-13 minutes in the oven. You can certainly make these into co*cktail sized meatballs, just adjust the baking time accordingly.

Hawaiian BBQ Chicken Meatballs Recipe | Little Spice Jar (4)Since the meatballs are flavored just to keep them moist, all the real action is packed into the sauce.

To make these Hawaiian bbq meatballs, I used pineapple juice, soy sauce, ketchup, grated ginger, garlic, red pepper flakes, and brown sugar. The sauce is enough to coat all the meatballs with a little left over to drizzle on just before serving. If you’re like me and you live for the sauce action, you may want to double the recipe for it. I’ve served these hawaiian bbq chicken meatballs with pineapple fried rice and it was so delicious with the extra sauce drizzled on there.

Just like my other meatball recipes, you can mix the meatball mixture the night before and allow all the flavors to get together and flavoreverything really well.

Your New Year’s Eve guests are going to step into 2016 with a big smile on their faces thanks to you and these chicken meatballs!

Hawaiian BBQ Chicken Meatballs Recipe | Little Spice Jar (5)

Yield: 18-22 meatballs

Prep Time5 minutes

Cook Time25 minutes

Total Time30 minutes

Chicken meatballs covered in the most delicious Hawaiian BBQ sauce! They're spiced up with a sweet and tangy homemade sauce that will have you hooked. Tender, filled with flavor and require minimum work -- WIN!

Hawaiian BBQ Chicken Meatballs Recipe | Little Spice Jar (6)

Ingredients

Meatballs:

  • 1 ¾ - 2 pounds ground chicken (or turkey)
  • 4 teaspoons minced garlic
  • 1 ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon pepper
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 cup Panko breadcrumbs*
  • ½ teaspoon paprika
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder

Hawaiian bbq sauce:

  • 3 tablespoons ketchup
  • ¼ cup low sodium soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
  • ½ cup pineapple juice
  • 1 teaspoon minced garlic
  • ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • ⅓ cup brown sugar

Instructions

  1. Position 2 racks near the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 475ºF. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper, set aside.
  2. In a saucepan, combine the ingredients of the Hawaiian BBQ sauce over medium high heat, allow to come to a boil, reduce the heat so it simmers. Let simmer for 8-10 minutes. Remove from heat and allow the sauce to cool. The sauce will thicken as it cools so don't worry if it looks thin.
  3. In a large bowl, combine the ground chicken, garlic, salt pepper, eggs, panko, paprika, and onion powder. Use your hands to mix all the ingredients together. It's easier to tell when the ingredients are combined when using hands. DO NOT OVERMIX, it will result in drier meatballs.
  4. Shape the meat mixture into ball, about 3 tablespoons of meat per ball. You can also do this with an ice cream scoop. Place shaped meatballs on prepared baking sheet. bake for 11-13 minutes or until the meatballs are completely cooked.
  5. Using 2 tablespoon, dip each individual meatball into the sauce. Alternately, you can brush each meatball with the sauce. Place back on the baking sheet and bake for an additional 1-2 minutes. Drizzle or brush with additional sauce as desired.

Notes

  • Panko is a Japenese style of breadcrumbs.
  • A combination of ground chicken and turkey can be used to make these meatballs.
  • If you would like to serve your meatballs with sauce, I would double the ingredients for the sauce portion as this recipe makes just enough for basting.
  • The meatball mixture can be prepared the night before and baked the day of, if desired.

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Hawaiian BBQ Chicken Meatballs Recipe | Little Spice Jar (7)

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Hawaiian BBQ Chicken Meatballs Recipe | Little Spice Jar (2024)

FAQs

How to make meatballs that don t fall apart in sauce? ›

You can do a few things while preparing the meatballs to ensure they don't fall apart once they go into the tomato sauce.
  1. Don't add too much moisture: ...
  2. Keep the meat as cold as possible: ...
  3. Don't overwork the meat: ...
  4. Add meatballs to a simmering sauce, and don't over-stir:
Mar 15, 2019

How do you heat amylu chicken meatballs? ›

Heat & Eat: Oven: Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Heat on baking tray or in baking dish for 15-20 minutes. Stove Top: Coat pan with tablespoon of olive or canola oil and saute meatballs on medium to heat until warm and browned. Add water to steam as needed.

How do you keep chicken meatballs from falling apart? ›

Roll your meatballs in flour

Roll the finished meatballs in plain flour before frying. This is, hands down, one of the easiest ways I've discovered to prevent meatballs from falling apart when cooking.

Should you cook meatballs before putting in sauce? ›

Adding raw meatballs to the sauce and gently simmering till cooked yields ultra-tender results, and infuses the sauce with meaty flavor—a slow cooker gives great results.

Are Amylu chicken meatballs fully cooked? ›

Fully cooked, made with chicken raised without antibiotics. Easy to prepare, Just heat & serve!

What spices are in Amylu chicken sausage? ›

Chicken Raised Without Antibiotics, Water, Contains 2% or less of: Spices, Parsley, Crushed Red Pepper, Paprika, Extract of Rosemary, Onions, Garlic, Kosher Salt, Vinegar, Lamb Casing.

Are amylu meatballs fully cooked? ›

Product Details. Fully cooked, Chicken Raised Without Antibiotics. Easy to prepare, Just Heat & Serve!

What causes meatballs to fall apart in sauce? ›

ANSWER: Usually when meatballs fall apart, it's the binder that is the problem. Most meatball recipes call for using bread crumbs and eggs. But too much bread crumbs make them too loose, and not enough bread crumbs won't help them hold together either.

What is the secret to making tender meatballs? ›

You asked: What's the secret to tender meatballs?
  1. Don't overmix. When meatballs are tough, it's often because they've been overworked. ...
  2. Check the fat content. Leaner meat can easily result in dry meatballs, which need to be fully cooked to be served safely. ...
  3. Consider the other ingredients. ...
  4. Choose the right cooking method.
Mar 22, 2024

Do meatballs get more tender the longer they cook in sauce? ›

As the collagen in the meat dissolves over time, it transforms into gelatin, which not only adds a silky texture to the sauce but also contributes to the overall richness and depth of flavor. The longer the simmer, the more tender and succulent the meatballs become.

How do you keep meat sauce from separating? ›

Two ingredients we suggest are Perfected Xanthan Gum or Perfected Guar Gum. These will thicken the water in the recipe ever so slightly and help prevent separation as well as allow for better redistribution if there is any separation.

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