Firecracker Chicken Meatballs

CHICKEN MEATBALLS:

1 package (1.75lbs) boneless chicken thighs (partially frozen)

2 tsp minced garlic

3/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

1 large egg

1/4 c italian breadcrumbs

1/4 c panko breadcrumbs

1/4 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp onion powder

SAUCE:

1/4 cup Franks hot sauce

1/2 c brown sugar

1 TBLs apple cider vinegar

1/8 tsp salt

1/4 tsp crushed red pepper (less if you don't like hot, I didn't think it was hot)

I ground my chicken thighs partially frozen with my kitchen aide grinder with the smaller grinder

add the rest of the ingredients of the chicken meatballs and mix just until blended. Don't over mix or the meatballs with be tough.

I scooped the chicken mixture with a small cookie scoop onto a cookie pan lined with tinfoil sprayed with pam spray.

I then gently rolled each one into a ball.

preheat the oven to 475 degrees

Bake 11 minutes.

While the chicken meatballs are baking make the sauce.

Add all the sauce ingredients to a small sauce pan. Heat until boiling, then decrease heat to simmer for 8 minutes.

Once the chicken meatballs are done cooking add them to the sauce until all are covered.

Then I added the chicken meatballs and sauce to a crockpot and put it on "keep warm".

Mix the chicken meatballs and sauce every once in a while so each one stays coated with the sauce.

ENJOY

This recipe makes a small batch. If you go through the trouble of grinding the meat buy 2 or 3 packages at a time. You can freeze the chicken meatballs after they have been cooked. When you want to cook them, bake them in the oven until thawed or in a pan, then add the sauce.