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Firecracker Chicken Meatballs (Instant Pot and Stove Top)

December 3, 2018 9 Comments

3.4Kshares

Tender Firecracker Chicken Meatballs in an amazing spicy and sweet sauce, it will become a regular feature on your meal plan.

Firecracker Chicken Meatballs in white bowl sprinkled with spring onion and sesame seeds

Browsing Pinterest for meatball recipes for the extra lean ground chicken I had in the fridge. I came across a mouthwatering looking recipe for Firecracker Chicken Meatballs by the Little Spice Jar, that had me drooling at my screen and was totally inspired to create my own Firecracker Chicken Meatballs using my Instant Pot.

One of the toughest things when using extra lean ground chicken is keeping the meat nice and tender, as it has a tendency to be dry if you don’t combine it with the correct ingredients.

Breadcrumbs and adding some kind of grated vegetable really helps to keep the meatballs nice and tender. You might be tempted to skip on the breadcrumbs to save some syns, but seriously they make all the difference and are not a huge amount of syns when divided into portions.

white bowl of firecracker chicken meatballs

For the vegetables, I added some finely grated carrot and chopped spring onion which I thought would compliment the flavours of these Firecracker Chicken Meatballs.

That amazing fiery sauce uses a combination of soy sauce, tomatoes, brown sugar and sriracha as well as the usual garlic and ginger because you can’t have an Asian inspired dish without those in my opinion.

Never heard of an Instant Pot? – you are seriously missing out. It is the best kitchen gadget I have purchased. I love this thing so much, that I almost use it EVERY.SINGLE.DAY.

It’s a 7in1 cooker, and it slow cooks, pressure cooks, saute’s, has settings for soup, chilli, rice, porridge and even makes yoghurt (I haven’t tried that yet). Things that would normally take hours can be cooked in minutes and the meat is usually so tender. 

Wondering what else you can make in an Instant Pot (pressure cooker)? Check out my Instant Pot Recipes 

close up of firecracker chicken meatballs in white bowl

Looking for some additional support on your weight loss journey? Did you know Slimming Eats has a friendly Slimming World Facebook Support Group where you can get daily meal ideas and recipe ideas? Come and check us out, we’d love to have you join us.

Various sides will pair well with these Firecracker Chicken Meatballs. I went for just some plain rice, but here are a few other yummy suggestions:

  • Egg Fried Rice
  • Egg Fried Cauliflower Rice
  • Roasted Cauliflower Rice
  • Syn Free Chips
  • Crispy Golden Potatoes

or you could even go for some noodles. Need some other inspiration? Check out all these Sides Dishes. 

white bowl of firecracker chicken meatballs with stir fried vegetables in background

How can I add a 1/3 speed foods to these Firecracker Chicken Meatballs?

There of course is the spring onion and grated carrot in the meatballs to this recipe which will count towards your 1/3 speed foods. I also served alongside some stir-fried veggies – broccoli and shredded carrot, broccoli stalks. A perfect quick and easy side dish for these Firecracker Chicken Meatballs. 

firecracker chicken meatballs on blue plate with rice and vegetables

What Kitchen Items do I need to make these Firecracker Chicken Meatballs

  • Kitchen Scales
  • Chopping Board
  • Measuring Jug
  • Santoku Knife
  • Grater
  • Mixing Bowl
  • Measuring Spoons
  • Wooden Spoon
  • Instant Pot or Frying Pan

close up of firecracker chicken meatballs on blue plate with rice and stir fried vegetables

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Firecracker Chicken Meatballs (Instant Pot and Stove Top)

Firecracker Chicken Meatballs (Instant Pot and Stove Top)

Yield: 4
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes

Tender Firecracker Chicken Meatballs in an amazing spicy and sweet sauce, it will become a regular feature on your meal plan.

Ingredients

For the Meatballs

  • 500g (17.6oz) of extra lean ground chicken (or turkey)
  • 1/4 cup of breadcrumbs
  • 1 small carrot, grated
  • 2 spring onions (green onions) finely chopped
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 1 tsp of paprika
  • 1/2 tsp of red chilli flakes
  • 1/2 tsp of ground ginger
  • 1/4 tsp of onion powder
  • 1/4 tsp of garlic powder
  • pinch of salt

For the sauce

  • 2 tbs of sriracha sauce (add more or less depending on your spice​ level)
  • 2 tbs of brown sugar
  • 2 tbs of soy sauce
  • 2 tbs of tomato paste
  • 1 clove of garlic crushed
  • 2 tsp of freshly grated ginger root
  • 1 cup of water
  • salt and black pepper
  • 2 spring onions, finely chopped
  • pinch of sesame seeds
  • cooking oil spray

Instructions

Stove Top:

  1. Add the ingredients for the meatballs to a mixing bowl, mix till all combined
  2. Form into meatballs.
  3. Spray a frying pan over a medium high heat with cooking oil spray
  4. Add meatballs and cook until lightly browned all over.
  5. Mix together the sriracha, brown sugar, soy sauce, tomato paste, garlic, ginger and water.
  6. Add to the pan and simmer on a medium heat until meatballs are cooked through and the sauce reduces down into a thicker sauce that coats the meatballs.
  7. Season as needed with salt and black pepper
  8. Sprinkle with chopped spring onions and a pinch of sesame seeds.
  9. Serve with your choice of sides.

Instant Pot:

  1. Add the ingredients for the meatballs to a mixing bowl, mix till all combined
  2. Form into meatballs.
  3. Set instant pot to saute mode, spray with cooking oil spray, once it displays hot.
  4. Add the meatballs (in two batches) and lightly brown all over.
  5. Remove and set aside
  6. Mix together the sriracha, brown sugar, soy sauce, tomato paste, garlic, ginger and water.
  7. Add to the instant pot and stir to deglaze the pan.
  8. Add back in the meatballs.
  9. Add lid, close valve (if not self sealing), set to manual high pressure for 4 minutes. All pressure to release naturally for 5 minutes then release any remaining pressure.
  10. Spoon out meatballs into a bowl, set to saute mode and let sauce simmer until desired thickness
  11. Pour sauce over meatballs
  12. Sprinkle with chopped spring onions and a pinch of sesame seeds.
  13. Serve with your choice of sides.

Notes

Adapted from Little Spice Jar

This recipe is dairy free, Slimming World and Weight Watchers friendly

  • Extra Easy - 2.5 per serving
  • WW Smart Points - 2 per serving

*suitable for freezing

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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 266Total Fat: 10.5gSaturated Fat: 4.9gCholesterol: 151mgSodium: 783mgCarbohydrates: 17.1gFiber: 1.7gSugar: 7.7gProtein: 25.9g

Nutritional information is an estimate and is to be used for informational purposes only. Ingredients can vary greatly from brand to brand and therefore it would be impossible to give accurate information.

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© Siobhan (Slimming Eats)
Cuisine: Asian / Category: Main
firecracker chicken meatballs in white bowl pin

It is the responsibility of the Reader to assure the products or ingredients they use in any recipes from Slimming Eats are allergen-free (gluten-free, egg-free and/or dairy-free, for example) or Vegetarian friendly. Slimming Eats assumes no liability for inaccuracies or misstatement about products, opinions or comments on this site.

Nutritional information is an estimate and is to be used for informational purposes only

Looking for some additional support on your weight loss journey? Did you know Slimming Eats has a friendly Slimming World Facebook Support Group where you can get daily meal ideas and recipe ideas? Come and check us out, we’d love to have you join.

Looking for some other recipes? Head on over to my RECIPE INDEX for over 900 Slimming World & Weight Watchers recipes for you to browse through, all fully searchable by meal type, Ingredients, syn value and WW Smart Points etc

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If you wish to share this recipe, then please do so by using the share buttons provided. Do not screenshot or post recipe or content in full.

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Filed Under: 2 SP, 2+ syns, appetizers, tasters and party food, by course, by ingredient, by type, Chinese, dairy free, Extra Easy, Fakeaway, Freezer Friendly, Ground Chicken/Turkey (mince), Instant Pot Pressure Cooker Recipes, lunch, main course, Meal in less than 30 mins, One Pot, Original, Poultry, Recipes, SP friendly, Weight Watchers Smart Points Recipes

Previous Post: « Bombay Beef Curry (Stove Top and Instant Pot)
Next Post: Syn Free Mexican Spaghetti Squash Bake »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Sharon Langdale

    April 6, 2019 at 1:39 pm

    We’ve just had these for our evening meal and they were absolutely delicious. The meatballs were so tender cooked in the Instant Pot. This will definitely be a weekend favourite for the husband and I.

  2. Liz van Loon

    June 2, 2019 at 7:07 am

    Somehow i can’t get ground chicken in UK. Will look again. Would ground beef work or ground pork??
    Thank you.

  3. Shevy (Slimming Eats)

    June 3, 2019 at 8:44 am

    Ground turkey (mince) will work, you can also make your own mince by just pulsing up some lean chicken thigh or breast in a food processor.

  4. SW

    September 25, 2019 at 9:47 am

    I don’t know what syns are and I had to ask Siri how many pounds 500 grams is but I gotta tell you this was the best thing I think I’ve ever made. Ever. In my life. I fully intended to use the instant pot for this until I saw how many meatballs there were and I get annoyed sautéing in small batches, it takes forever. So I used my large electric skillet to brown the meatballs then made the sauce in the electric skillet. I followed the recipe exactly, (assuming that spring onions are what we call green onions in the US) except I didn’t have fresh ginger for the sauce and forgot to add ground ginger. Served with Jasmine rice and roasted broccoli. My teenager said she wanted to eat these meatballs every day for the rest of her life, ha ha. Can’t wait to make them again, thank you so much for such an amazing recipe!

  5. Shevy (Slimming Eats)

    September 25, 2019 at 10:28 am

    thanks so much for the lovely remark. So glad to hear this was a hit with the kids too.

  6. Lynn Lomax

    April 4, 2020 at 3:34 pm

    Would love to try this recipe but live in Spain so have not got sriracha sauce can you suggest a replacement?

  7. Siobhan (Slimming Eats)

    April 9, 2020 at 10:30 am

    Any red chili sauce should be fine

  8. Susan

    June 25, 2020 at 8:35 am

    I don’t eat meat but do you think the sauce would go with salmon or prawns?

  9. Siobhan (Slimming Eats)

    June 26, 2020 at 9:41 am

    yes it would be lovely with fish.

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Hey! I am Siobhan, a full-time mum and food blogger. I was born in London but now live in Ontario Canada ...

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