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Tender and deliciouschicken meatballs that come together in under 30 minutes, all dipped in a heavenly chipotle and bourbon glaze. Perfect for a fast and healthy dinner or a cute appetizer!
My husband is a huge fan of whiskey. His collection of whiskeys can easily afford me at least one VERY nice Chanel bag. But I am a good wife and I feel that every man deserves a hobby…or a collection. Sadly, my husband has impeccible taste in all his collections. Motorcycles, guns and whiskey. Obviously none are EVER used at the same time…that would be in very poor taste…and as a I mentioned this man has some really great taste.
I mention his whiskey because while he loves whiskey and scotch…he is not particularly a fan of bourbon. So when one of his friends gave him a bottle of bourbon as a gift he swiftly passed it over to me and said, “here do something with this.”
On a particularly late and snowy night, I found myself in the kitchen with a pound of groundchicken and pretty much zero ideas. After scrolling through Pinterest for some much needed inspiration, I noticed some partricularly gorgeous and glistening BBQ dipped meatballs. But BBQ was not enough for me…I needed something with a tad bit more pizazz.
Enter our bourbon.
I always wanted to cook with bourbon and BBQ just so happens to be a perfect match to bourbon. As this happened to be 10pm, I had no energy left to create a homemade BBQ sauce. Instead, I opted to use my favorite Sweet Baby Ray’s who’s flavor profile I very much appreciate and most importantly love.
A few drops of bourbon and some smoky chipotle powder made this a killer glaze for some modest yet deliciously easy chicken meatballs. This incredibly tangy, sweet and spicy sauce takes these meatballs from “yummy” to “holy hell my mouth is an explosion of flavor!!!!!”
Cooking these meatballs could not be easier. I baked them off in a super hot oven and while they cooked up I combined the sauce ingredients in a pan on the stove. After beingbaked off the meatballs took a nice bath in the sauce and they were ready to be devoured by the hubs and the munchkin.
Bourbon as it turns out is quite useful in our house…
***You can also use the exact same technique as I used in my crockpot meatballs for these! Just cook them low and slow in this sauce and it will be quite glorious***
- Author: Mila
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 people 1x
Description
Tender and delicious chicken meatballs that come together in under 30 minutes, all dipped in a heavenly chipotle and bourbon glaze.
Ingredients
Scale
Meatballs
- 1.5 pounds ground chicken
- 1 small onion grated
- ¼ cup milk (2%, whole, skim, all is fine)
- 2 scallions (reserve about 1 tbsp for garnish, finely sliced)
- salt and pepper to taste
Sauce
- 1.5 cups Sweet Baby Rays BBQ sauce or your personal favorite
- 2 cloves of garlic (minced)
- 1 tbsp smoky chipotle powder
- 1/4 cup bourbon
- 1 tsp of lemon zest
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 450-degrees.
- Combine ground chicken, scallions, milk, salt and pepper in a bowl. Combine mixture with your hands until just mixed, do not over mix or you will end up having dense meat balls.
- Prepare a sheet pan by spraying it with pan spray and THEN putting parchment on top. Create a huge “X” on the sheet from one corner to the next. This is a great trick to get your paper to stick onto the sheet pan.
- Use a tablespoon, melon baller, or small ice cream scoop to shape the meatballs. Do not make them too smooth, the rigid edges will allow for better browning in the oven.
- Place meatballs into the oven and let cook for 10-12 minutes or until juices run clear.
- While the meatballs cook, combine all the ingredients of the sauce into a medium sauce pan and allow to simmer for 10 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning as necessary. Feel free to add more chipotle if you feel you need some more heat.
- Remove the meatballs from the oven and dip into the sauce while hot. Serve with extra sauce on the side.
Notes
1. Nutritional values should only be used as a guideline.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Appetizer, Chicken
- Cuisine: American
