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

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.

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 

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. 

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. 

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

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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.

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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.