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These BBQ Chicken Meatballs are tender, smoky, and glazed with a rich barbecue sauce that’s perfect over mashed potatoes, grits, or buttered noodles.

Such a perfect crowd-pleasing dinner option. The meatballs start with a panade, which is a paste made from starch (breadcrumbs, in this case) and liquid (sour cream) to create a thick paste that you mix into the meatballs. This ensures even distribution throughout the entire meatball and helps retain moisture.

What You Need

Meatballs: Ground chicken, breadcrumbs, sour cream, onion, garlic, paprika, egg, Dijon mustard, smoked paprika, onion powder, and cayenne powder.
Sauce: Onion, garlic, flour, chicken stock, and barbecue sauce
For serving: They are delicious over mashed potatoes, but would be great over buttered egg noodles or grits.

How to make it

Step 1: Make the panade.
Mix everything except the chicken in a bowl and let stand for 5 minutes.

Step 2: Make the meatballs.
Add the ground chicken to the panade and mix until thoroughly combined. Fry the meatballs in an even layer until golden all over.

Step 3: Prepare the sauce.
Sauté the onion and garlic, then make the sauce with flour, chicken stock, and barbecue sauce.

Step 4: Simmer the meatballs.
Return the meatballs to the pot and simmer until cooked through.

Step 5: Serve it up.
Spoon the meatballs over mashed potatoes with extra sauce and chives on top.

BBQ Chicken Meatballs

These BBQ Chicken Meatballs are tender, smoky, and glazed with a rich barbecue sauce that’s perfect over mashed potatoes, grits, or buttered noodles.

5 from 1 vote

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Prep Time: 20

Cook Time: 40

Total Time: 1

Servings:

Calories: 511kcal

Equipment

Wide pot

Ingredients

½ cup breadcrumbs (or panko)
½ cup sour cream
1 egg
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon onion powder
½ teaspoon black pepper
¼ teaspoon cayenne powder
¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
¼ small yellow onion (about 1½ ounces total, peeled and minced)
2 cloves garlic (peeled and minced)
1 pound ground chicken
2 tablespoons neutral oil (for frying, plus more if needed)

Sauce:

¾ small yellow onion (about 4½ ounces total, peeled and finely diced)
3 cloves garlic (peeled and minced)
1 tablespoon flour
1 cup chicken stock
1 cup barbecue sauce (I used Stubb’s Sweet Heat)
Salt and pepper to taste

For serving:

Dried chives (or freshly minced chives)
Mashed potatoes (or serve with grits or cooked egg noodles)

Instructions

Prepare the panade:

In a large bowl, combine all of the meatball ingredients except the ground chicken and neutral oil. Use a spatula to mix until completely combined into a thick paste. Let stand for 5 minutes.

Prepare the meatballs:

Add the chicken and mix with a spatula or your hands until fully incorporated. At this point, you can fry a small piece of the mixture to taste and adjust the seasonings to your preference.
Roll the mixture into tablespoon-sized meatballs (or slightly larger, if preferred). Depending on the size, the mixture will yield 16 to 20 meatballs total.

Fry the meatballs:

Meanwhile, add 2 tablespoons neutral oil to a wide pot over medium heat. Allow the oil to preheat for 5 minutes.
Add the meatballs to the pot, cooking in batches if needed, for 3 to 5 minutes per side until browned all over. Transfer to a plate.

Prepare the sauce:

If the pot seems dry, add another drizzle of oil. Add the diced onion and sauté for 5 minutes until softened. Add the minced garlic and sauté for 1 minute until fragrant. Add 1 tablespoon flour and stir to coat. Toast the flour for about 1 minute.
Pour in 1 cup chicken stock and whisk until smooth. Add 1 cup barbecue sauce, and return the meatballs to the pot. Turn the heat to medium-high. Once the sauce begins to bubble, reduce the heat to low and cover the pot.

Simmer the meatballs:

Cover the meatballs and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes or until an instant-read thermometer reaches 165ºF when inserted into the center of a meatball. Stir the meatballs periodically to prevent sticking.

To serve:

Remove the meatballs from the heat. Spoon the meatballs and extra sauce over mashed potatoes and serve with chives on top. Enjoy!

Nutrition

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