Meatballs – Recipe Coast https://recipecoast.com The Finest Recipe Resource Wed, 24 Jun 2026 01:37:35 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.1 Hot Honey Chicken Meatballs Recipe https://recipecoast.com/hot-honey-chicken-meatballs-recipe/ Fri, 29 May 2026 19:47:11 +0000 https://recipecoast.com/hot-honey-chicken-meatballs-recipe/

These sweet and spicy hot honey chicken meatballs are irresistible! They’re juicy, tender, and coated in an unbelievably good spicy honey butter!

Hot Honey Chicken Meatballs

These spicy chicken meatballs are high on my favorites list. The hot honey butter glaze is out of this world, and the meatballs are juicy and extra delicious thanks to a handful of spices.

These are inspired by our popular meatball recipe, so you know they will be juicy and super tender, just like the original.

Key Ingredients

  • Hot Honey Glaze: It’s easy and made with butter, honey, your favorite hot sauce, and a pinch of salt. I love vinegary styles of hot sauce, like Tabasco or Crystal’s hot sauce.
  • Ground Chicken: If you can find it, grab a package of ground chicken with some fat (look for 7% to 10% fat). The extra fat keeps our meatballs juicy and tender.
  • Breadcrumbs: I add breadcrumbs for texture. I also love substituting them for crushed saltine crackers like we do for this meatloaf.
  • Milk: Adds moisture and tenderizes the ground chicken, making our meatballs juicy and tender once cooked.
  • Egg: Adds more moisture and helps the mixture firm up once cooked.
  • Parmesan: My secret ingredient for the best meatballs! Parmigiano-Reggiano adds flavor and salt to our mixture. I’m pretty generous with it.
  • Spices, salt, and pepper: I love turning these into spiced chicken meatballs with garlic powder, onion powder, sweet paprika, smoked paprika, oregano, pepper, and salt. The combination is amazing!

Find the full recipe with measurements below.

How to Make Hot Honey Chicken Meatballs

Tip 1: Mix everything but the ground meat first. Start by stirring the breadcrumbs and milk together in a mixing bowl, and let the mixture thicken for a few minutes. Then, stir in the other ingredients. Mixing these ingredients before adding the ground meat guarantees the seasonings are evenly distributed. Doing this also prevents over-mixing the chicken, which can make our meatballs mushy.

Tip 2: Cook them on the stovetop. I prefer to cook these meatballs in a skillet on the stove. I love how this method adds a caramelized exterior. You can bake them if you’d like. Use my baking tips in this meatball recipe for guidance.

Pouring a sweet and spicy sauce of the chicken meatballs

Tip 3: Make the hot honey butter. Heat butter, honey, a pinch of salt, and hot sauce together. As they heat, the butter melts into the honey and hot sauce, making a lovely sauce. As you toss it with the chicken meatballs, it turns into a sweet and spicy glaze.

More Meatball Recipes

Hot Honey Chicken Meatballs

Hot Honey Chicken Meatballs

  • PREP
  • COOK
  • TOTAL

These ground chicken meatballs are juicy, tender, and coated in spicy honey butter. It’s impossible to eat just one. The hot sauce you use is up to you! We love original Tabasco and Crystal hot sauces, but I’d imagine almost anything will work. We recommend one tablespoon of hot sauce, but you can adjust this based on how spicy you’d like them.

If you need to substitute for honey, try maple, golden, or brown sugar.

Makes 18 meatballs

Watch Us Make the Recipe

You Will Need

Spiced Chicken Meatballs

1 pound (450g) ground chicken, see notes if you have 1 ¼ pound package

1/2 cup (35g) panko breadcrumbs or homemade breadcrumbs

1/3 cup milk, dairy or non-dairy

1 large egg

1/4 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, finely grated, 1/2 ounce

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika

1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

2 tablespoons high-heat cooking oil like grape seed or avocado oil


Hot Honey Sauce

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 tablespoon honey

1 tablespoon hot sauce, or more to taste, we like Crystal or Tabasco

Pinch of salt

Directions

    1Stir breadcrumbs and milk in a large bowl, then let it sit for 5 minutes. Add the egg, cheese, garlic powder, onion powder, sweet paprika, smoked paprika, oregano, pepper, and salt. Stir until well blended.

    2Add the ground chicken, and use a fork or your fingers to gently mix everything until combined. Try not to overmix for the most tender meatballs.

    3Wet your hands and form the mixture into 1 ½-inch balls (about 1 ½ tablespoons each). A medium cookie scoop helps portion out the meatballs. The mixture is on the softer side, so don’t worry if you have difficulty making perfect balls. Since we want tender and juicy meatballs, we add more bread crumbs and milk, making the mixture less firm. Even though this causes less-than-perfect round meatballs, the texture of the interior is better.

    4Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in the bottom of a wide Dutch oven or nonstick pan over medium heat.

    5Place the meatballs in the hot oil and cook until they are cooked through, the outsides are browned, and they register 165°F in the middle on an instant-read thermometer, about 15 minutes. Depending on the shape or size of the pot, this might need to be done in two batches.

    6Make the hot honey butter. Combine the hot sauce, butter, salt, and honey in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Swirl the pan until the butter melts into the hot sauce and honey.

    7Pour the sauce over the cooked meatballs, and then serve.

Adam and Joanne’s Tips

  • Ground chicken: You can buy ground chicken in 1 pound or 1 ¼ pound packages. Use either in this recipe without any changes. You will have a few extra meatballs if you have 1 ¼ pounds of chicken.
  • Baked meatballs: Heat the oven to 425°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper, foil, or a silicone mat. Place formed meatballs onto the baking sheet, leaving a little space between each meatball. Lightly spray the top of the meatballs with cooking spray or brush with oil. Bake until golden brown, and they register 165°F in the middle on an instant-read thermometer, about 20 minutes.
  • Storing: Cooked meatballs will last 3 days in the fridge in an airtight container. You can freeze them for up to three months. Store them in an airtight, freezer-friendly container.
  • Make ahead tips: Raw meatballs can be refrigerated overnight and baked the next day. You should get 18 to 20 meatballs. You can also freeze the raw meatballs and store up to three months. To freeze them, form the meatballs and place them onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Place the baking sheet into the freezer until the meatballs are firm. Transfer frozen meatballs to an airtight, freezer-friendly container and freeze for three months.
  • The nutrition facts provided below are estimates.

Nutrition Per Serving
Serving Size
3 meatballs (3 of 18 total)
/
Calories
246 calories
/
Total Fat
15.4g
/
Saturated Fat
4.6g
/
Cholesterol
104.7mg
/
Sodium
612mg
/
Carbohydrate
10.8g
/
Dietary Fiber
0.7g
/
Total Sugars
3.5g
/
Protein
16.9g


AUTHOR:

Joanne Gallagher

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Harissa Meatballs with Whipped Feta Recipe https://recipecoast.com/harissa-meatballs-with-whipped-feta-recipe/ Mon, 11 May 2026 04:44:25 +0000 https://recipecoast.com/harissa-meatballs-with-whipped-feta-recipe/

These Harissa Meatballs with Whipped Feta are perfect for an easy SOS dinner! Store-bought meatballs, bell peppers, zucchini, harissa, and whipped feta all in one bowl. YUMMY!

This is a fan favorite recipe that’s part of our Fall 2022 SOS Series! View the full series.


Here’s a stunner for you.

You are looking at a big ol’ bowl of store-bought wonders such as hummus, olives, and pita bread, topped with a pile of meatballs (also store-bought! SOS life) that have been coated in a quick harissa / lemon / olive oil paste and baked to juicy-crisp perfection, roasted peppers and zucchini, and a super tangy, salty, whipped garlicky feta to add a little creamy punch to every bite.

It sounds fancy when I write it all out, and actually, every bite really does feel very complex and so delicious. But in reality, almost everything can be store-bought, and then you just have two tasks: roasting a meatball and veggie sheet pan, and whipping up a block of feta.


In This Post: Everything You Need For This Bowl


Ingredients You Need To Make This Happen

Here’s our shortcut-friendly ingredient list:

  • meatballs
  • harissa paste (it usually comes in a jar and is often sold in the “global foods” section at many grocery stores)
  • bell peppers
  • zucchini
  • hummus
  • pita
  • feta

And assuming you’ve got olive oil, S&P, and garlic…this big bowl of goodness is yours for the taking.

Close-up of Harissa Meatballs in a bowl

How To Make This Bowl Come Together

Essentially what is happening here is the meatballs, peppers, and zucchini get roasted on one single pan.

I know technically this isn’t the correct way to do it because you want each veggie to be cooked to its own perfection. And if you are particular about your zucchini, feel free to give it its own pan for optimal zucchini-specific roasting. But I found it most efficient (and 100% delicious) to just add the zucchini on the same pan – not for the whole time, but just for the last few minutes of roasting. If there’s an easy way to do something that still gets the same super-yum end results, you know I’m all over that. And in this case, everybody-on-one-pan is the way.

Cooked ingredients on a sheet pan for Harissa Meatballs with Whipped Feta

The Whipped Feta Is a Must-Make

The only other really “active” cooking step here is blitzing up a block of feta cheese in a food processor or mini chopper (I love this one (affiliate link)) until it becomes a creamy, spreadable, dollop-able wonder that you might be tempted to put on, like, everything from here on out.

This recipe, this combo of flavors, this textural heaven? This one is for those of us who like to go big. Lots of color, lots of puckery zip, lots of salt, and a good amount of heat from that harissa paste… more of all, please.

In terms of eating this, you can just fork-and-knife it, OR you can get right up in there with your pillowy pita and swoop it directly into the hummus, top with a meatball and some veggies, and do a final dunk into that whipped feta to just take this day right over the top. (10/10 would recommend.)

Close-up of Harissa Meatballs with Whipped Feta in a bowl

Harissa Meatballs with Whipped Feta: Frequently Asked Questions

What type of store-bought meatballs do you recommend?

Any kind! I’ve tried pork, beef, chicken, and turkey meatballs – and I think veggie meatballs would also work really well as a vegetarian option! This recipe is very forgiving – it can work with meatballs that are pre-cooked, and I’ve also enjoyed this recipe with the pre-made, UNCOOKED meatballs that you can often buy in the meat department. For a specific brand, I really enjoyed these with the ALDI pre-made uncooked Italian style meatballs (I know, wrong flavor profile, but it worked just fine and the meatballs were amazing). I just brushed them with the harissa sauce before baking.

I have some extra time. Can I make my own meatballs for this recipe?

Sure can! These baked chicken meatballs are perfect in this recipe, and major bonus – they’re freezer-friendly if you wanted to prep these ahead of time. Doubling the recipe is not a bad idea!

Is harissa paste spicy?

It’s not terribly spicy, but harissa paste does pack some heat. I would rate it as mild+ or medium- level heat. I left a few meatballs un-sauced for my toddler just to make sure it wasn’t too spicy for her.

I can’t find harissa paste. What else can I use?

Chili oil or even sriracha could work here instead! Just adjust the amounts as necessary so that you don’t make it too spicy.

Prefer To Watch Instead Of Read?

Click here to watch step-by-step stories for how to make this recipe!

Source Notes: Harissa paste is “a Tunisian hot chili pepper paste, the main ingredients of which are roasted red peppers, Baklouti peppers, spices and herbs such as garlic paste, caraway seeds, coriander seeds, cumin and olive oil to carry the oil-soluble flavors.” (definition from Wiki!) It reminds me a little bit of curry paste – it’s packed with flavor and vibrantly red in color. In the US, you can find it at many grocery stores that have a solidly stocked “global foods” section. It’s usually is sold in small jars. If you want to dabble with making your own (and I am actually tempted to after reading Suzy’s description), here is a recipe for homemade harissa paste.


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Description

These Harissa Meatballs with Whipped Feta are perfect for an easy SOS dinner! Store-bought meatballs, bell peppers, zucchini, harissa, and whipped feta all in one bowl. YUMMY!


Meatballs and Such:

Whipped Feta:

Extras:


  1. Sheet Pan, Part One: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Place the peppers on one side of a large sheet pan. Drizzle with oil and sprinkle with salt. Mix the harissa with a little bit of olive oil, lemon juice, and garlic powder until you have a nice spreadable red paste. Coat your meatballs with the sauce (you can do this by tossing the meatballs in a bowl with the sauce if they’re pre-cooked, or just brushing the meatballs directly on the sheet pan if your meatballs are raw). Add meatballs to the center of the sheet pan. Bake for 15-20 minutes.

  2. Sheet Pan, Part Two: Add the zucchini to the pan with some olive oil and salt. Roast for another 10 minutes. For extra browning on everything, broil for about 5 minutes.

  3. Whip That Feta: In a food processor, chopper, or blender, whip up the feta, cream cheese, and garlic until a thick and creamy sauce forms. 

  4. Serve: Serve meatballs and veggies with a dollop of hummus, your whipped feta, pita wedges, and anything else you like (olives, lemon, etc.). And now DEVOUR. And repeat. And repeat. And repeat.

  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 30 minutes
  • Category: Dinner
  • Method: Sheet Pan
  • Cuisine: American

Keywords: harissa paste, meatballs, whipped feta

We Love Sheet Pan Recipes. Here Are More Faves!


One More Thing!

This recipe is part of our collection of savory meatball recipes. Check it out!

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Buffalo Chicken Meatballs – All Day I Dream About Food https://recipecoast.com/buffalo-chicken-meatballs-all-day-i-dream-about-food/ Fri, 16 Jan 2026 11:18:02 +0000 https://recipecoast.com/buffalo-chicken-meatballs-all-day-i-dream-about-food/

Buffalo Chicken Meatballs are a surefire hit for all your celebrations. Juicy and flavorful, they make the perfect game day appetizer or easy keto dinner recipe! Make a double batch because they will go fast!

Buffalo Chicken Meatballs piled up on a white plate with carrots and celery sticks.

Buffalo Chicken Meatballs are a surefire hit for all your celebrations. Juicy and flavorful, they make the perfect game day appetizer or easy keto dinner recipe! Make a double batch because they will go fast!

Buffalo Chicken Meatballs piled up on a white plate with carrots and celery sticks.

These low carb, gluten-free Buffalo Chicken Meatballs have a very special place in my heart. I created the recipe back in 2016 for a friend’s Super Bowl party and they became an instant hit. Ever since, my friends insist that I bring my “balls” to any get together.

Being the lovely, goofy friends that they are, they have even hatched a plan for a local food truck called Carolyn’s Ballz. (Because it has to end with a z!). The idea being that I will serve all sorts of balls at this imaginary food truck, both savory to sweet. Everything from peanut butter protein balls to keto chocolate truffles to classic keto meatballs.

Round, bite-sized food is the name of the game, my friends. And these Buffalo Chicken Meatballs are the delicious appetizers that started it all.

A hand digging a Buffalo Chicken Meatball into bleu cheese sauce.

Why we love these meatballs

I originally created this recipe with some Buffalo flavored chicken sausage. But the brand is no longer available and I decided that using ground chicken would make the recipe more accessible.

I also decided to lower the carb count by reducing the added flours. The meatballs still hold their shape and stay juicy, but now they have only 2.5g net carbs per serving (appetizer servings).

The original recipe called for adding crumbled bleu cheese into the meatballs themselves. But not everyone likes bleu cheese, so I scrapped that and simply added it to the dipping sauce. And you can still skip it, if you prefer!

This buffalo chicken meatball recipe makes a big ol’ batch and serves at least 12 as an appetizer. But you can scale it back and make a half batch easily, too.

Reader Reviews

“Made a double batch for camping this weekend… If I could keep family out of container, we may have some to take… Very Good…” — Debby

“We call these Buffalo Chicken Amazeballs! They are fantastic! I made only a half batch in case my family didn’t like them and I will definitely be making the full batch when I make them again soon” — Amy

“Another winner! I made half the recipe and made slightly bigger balls (5 minutes more in the oven). Instead of making the dipping sauce, we had several of these over mashed cauliflower for an easy dinner.” — Allison

Ingredient Notes

Top down image of ingredients needed for Buffalo Chicken Meatballs.
  • Ground chicken: You can also use ground turkey. Ground beef and ground pork tend to have a lot more fat so while they will be tasty, they will shrink a lot as they cook.
  • Shredded cheddar cheese: You can use sharp or mild cheddar. I think sharp adds more flavor.
  • Almond flour and coconut flour: I use a combination of these keto flours to help the meatballs hold their shape and retain moisture.
  • Buffalo sauce: Make sure to use Frank’s Original sauce rather than a pre-mixed wing sauce. The wing sauces often contain additives that raise the carb count. For super clean ingredients, check out the sauce from The New Primal. It’s my absolute favorite!
  • Mayonnaise: I usually use an avocado oil mayo, to avoid the soybean oil. Also make sure to look for added sugar, as a few brands have them.
  • Almond milk: This is the lowest carb option, and I use unsweetened and unflavored. But you can also mix a little cream and water (about half of each).
  • Garlic: I prefer the flavor of fresh garlic, but you can substitute with garlic powder instead.
  • Bleu cheese: This is entirely optional. If you don’t like it, simply skip it and make a ranch style sauce.
  • Seasonings: Cayenne pepper, dried dill, dried parsley, salt and pepper

Step by Step Directions

A collage of 4 images showing the steps for making Buffalo Chicken Meatballs.

1. Prepare the meatballs: In a large bowl, combine the chicken, cheddar cheese, almond flour, coconut flour, Buffalo sauce, salt, pepper, and cayenne. Mix thoroughly until well combined.

2. Shape the balls: Roll into 1-inch balls and place about an inch apart on two rimmed baking sheets lined with parchment paper.

3. Bake: Bake at 350ºF for about 25 minutes, until the internal temperature reaches 165ºF on an instant read thermometer.

4. Prepare the sauce: Combine mayonnaise, almond milk, garlic, dill, parsley, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl. Stir well and then mix in crumbled bleu cheese.

Top down image of Buffalo Chicken Meatballs on a newsprint lined plate with celery and carrot sticks.

Expert tips

Ground chicken can be very soft and quite sticky when trying to form meatballs. The added almond flour and coconut flour help to firm it up a bit, but if the mixture is sticking to your hands, try wetting them a bit while shaping the balls.

You can prep the mixture and roll into balls the night before baking them. Simply keep them covered with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. You can also freeze the meatballs after they have been baked.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you keep chicken meatballs from falling apart?

Ground chicken is very soft and moist compared to beef or pork, so it often requires some additional requirements to give it structure. For these keto chicken meatballs, I use a combination of almond flour and coconut flour and they hold together perfectly!

Is Buffalo chicken keto?

There are so many things you have to forego on a keto diet, but thankfully buffalo chicken isn’t one of them. Just make sure your chicken isn’t breaded or dredged in something that contains gluten, grains, or starches.

How many carbs are in Buffalo Chicken Meatballs?

This keto recipe has 4.2g of carbs and 1.7g of fiber per serving. That comes to 2.5g net carbs per serving of 4 sausage balls.

How do you store Keto Chicken Meatballs?

Store the leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 to 5 days. They also freeze very well. Arrange the cooled meatballs on a baking sheet and freeze for a couple hours. Once frozen solid, transfer them to a freezer bag. They will keep in the freezer for up to 4 months.

Buffalo Chicken Meatballs piled up on a white plate with a bite taken out of one.

More delicious keto appetizer recipes

Buffalo Chicken Meatballs piled up on a white plate with carrots and celery sticks.

Keto Buffalo Chicken Sausage Balls

Servings: 12 servings

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes

Total Time 40 minutes

Buffalo Chicken Meatballs are a surefire hit for all your celebrations. Juicy and flavorful, they make the perfect game day appetizer or easy keto dinner recipe! Make a double batch because they will go fast!

Bleu Cheese Ranch Dipping Sauce:

  • 1/3 cup (74.67 g) mayonnaise
  • 1/3 cup (78.86 ml) unsweetened almond milk, (or a mix of cream and water)
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tsp dried dill
  • ½ tsp dried parsley
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ½ tsp pepper
  • ¼ cup (33.75 g) crumbled bleu cheese, or more, if desired

Prevent your screen from going dark

Buffalo Chicken Meatballs

  • Preheat the oven to 350ºF and line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.

  • In a large bowl, combine the chicken, cheddar cheese, almond flour, coconut flour, Buffalo sauce, salt, pepper, and cayenne. Mix thoroughly until well combined.

  • Roll into 1-inch balls and place about an inch apart on the prepared baking sheets. Bake about 25 minutes, until golden brown. Serve warm with dipping sauce.

Dipping Sauce

  • Combine mayonnaise, almond milk, garlic, dill, parsley, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl. Stir well and then mix in crumbled bleu cheese.

Storage Information: Store the leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 to 5 days. They also freeze very well. Arrange the cooled meatballs on a baking sheet and freeze for a couple hours. Once frozen solid, transfer them to a freezer bag. They will keep in the freezer for up to 4 months.
Nutritional information without the dipping sauce:
Food energy: 202kcal
Total fat: 14.02g
Carbohydrate: 3.90g
Total dietary fiber: 1.67g
Protein: 14.54g

Serving: 4balls | Calories: 255kcal | Carbohydrates: 4.2g | Protein: 15.3g | Fat: 19.3g | Fiber: 1.7g

Nutritional Disclaimer

Please note that I am not a medical or nutritional professional. I am simply recounting and sharing my own experiences on this blog. Nothing I express here should be taken as medical advice and you should consult with your doctor before starting any diet or exercise program. I provide nutritional information for my recipes simply as a courtesy to my readers. It is calculated using MacGourmet software and I remove erythritol from the final carb count and net carb count, as it does not affect my own blood glucose levels. I do my best to be as accurate as possible but you should independently calculate nutritional information on your own before relying on them. I expressly disclaim any and all liability of any kind with respect to any act or omission wholly or in part in reliance on anything contained in this website.

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