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These Easy Chipotle Honey Meatballs are the perfect sweet and spicy appetizer to bring to any party! They’re SO easy to throw together, and will be the hit of any event!
For more meatball recipes, but sure to check out these Swedish Meatballs, Coconut Curry Meatballs these Creamy Cajun Meatballs,, and these mozzarella stuffed meatballs.
Easy Chipotle Honey Meatballs
Ahhhh. These meatballs. They are SO good! They’re a little bit spicy from smoky chipotle peppers, sweet from a touch of honey, and melt-in-your-mouth thanks to the addition of a little bit of panko bread crumbs and egg.
Bonus? They’re also super healthy since they’re made with lean ground turkey, and virtually no other added fat. I actually discovered the sauce for these by accident. I was making a spicy a chipotle sauce for some shrimp I was cooking up, and the sauce ended up being WAY too spicy. I added in a little bit of honey, and BOOM, we were back in business. Since then, I’ve used this sauce on everything from shrimp to pork tenderloin, to today’s meatballs.
How to make Easy Chipotle Honey Meatballs
- Add ground turkey, panko, egg, salt, chipotle peppers, onion, and garlic to a bowl. Use your hands to combine the meat. Don’t over mix!
- Use a small ice cream scoop to form them into meatballs and line them up on a baking sheet.
- Bake until cooked, about 15 minutes.
- While the meatballs cook, make the sauce by adding adobo sauce, honey, chicken stock, and garlic together in a small saucepan.
- Simmer for 3-4 minutes, then whisk in a slurry of chicken stock and cornstarch. Simmer until thickened.
- Add the hot meatballs to the sauce, toss and serve!
Can I make these meatball ahead of time?
YES! Just cool completely and store in an airtight container. Add them to a small slow cooker, or re-heat them on a low heat in a saucepan.
What if they’re too spicy?
You can either reduce the amount of adobo sauce or increase the amount of honey.
What to serve with easy chipotle honey meatballs?
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Easy Chipotle Honey Meatballs
Ingredients
Meatballs
- 1 pound lean ground turkey
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ cup panko bread crumbs
- 1 large egg
- ½ cup grated onion
- 1 ½ teaspoons minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon finely minced chipotle pepper in adobo
Honey Chipotle Sauce
- 2 teaspoons finely minced chipotle pepper in adobo
- 1 ½ tablespoons adobo sauce from the chipotle peppers
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 ½ teaspoons minced garlic
- ½ cup + 2 teaspoons chicken stock
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil and set aside.
- Add 1 pound lean ground turkey , 1 teaspoon salt, ½ cup panko bread crumbs, 1 large egg, ½ cup grated onion, 1 ½ teaspoons minced garlic, and 1 teaspoon finely minced chipotle pepper in adobo to a large bowl. Use your hands to mix everything until fully combined.
- Use a small ice cream scoop to form into 15 meatballs. Place the meatballs onto the prepared baking sheet and bake for 15-20 minutes until they reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit and are golden brown.
- While the meatballs bake, prepare the sauce by adding 2 teaspoons finely minced chipotle pepper in adobo, 1 ½ tablespoons adobo sauce e, 2 tablespoons honey, 1 ½ teaspoons minced garlic, and ½ cup of the ½ cup + 2 teaspoons chicken stock to a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat until it comes to a boil, then reduce the heat to low. Simmer for 3-4 minutes until the sauce begins to thicken slightly.
- In a small bowl, combine the remaining 2 teaspoons of chicken stock with 1 teaspoon cornstarch to make a slurry. Add it to the sauce and whisk to combine. Continue to dimmer for about 2 minutes until thickened before turning off the heat.
- Toss the cooked meatballs with the sauce before serving warm.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
For some reason, these came out looking super blonde for me – like all the color got sucked out of the sauce. They still tasted delicious, though!
It was so light and flavorful. Thank you. If I can make this anyone can. I would just advise to maybe add a little more for the sauce if you like to have some extra sauce.
Hi there! I had fun cruising around your website/blog! Your recipe for Chipotle Honey Meat Balls caught my eye. I had everything except the ground turkey. Our friendly grocer just down the street was able to fix me right up. This was a fun recipe to make. I never would have thought of including agave and adobo sauce in the meat balls. They turned out yummy! Had friends stop over and they were a great lunch, along with a toss salad and a toasted muffin. Everyone loved them. Thanks for sharing!
Sounds so refreshing- perfect for summer. I hear you…I totally want to ditch my to do list