The Recipe Critic

Easy Chipotle Honey Meatballs

July 05, 2019

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,, these Creamy Cajun Meatballs,, and these mozzarella stuffed meatballs.

Chipotle Honey Meatballs in a dish

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.

Chipotle Honey Meatballs on a pan

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!

Chipotle Honey Meatballs in a saucepan

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?

Meatballs cooking

Easy Chipotle Honey Meatballs

These 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!

  • 1 lb lean ground turkey
  • 1 tsp. kosher salt
  • 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/2 small onion, grated
  • 2 large garlic cloves, grated
  • 3 tsp. finely miced chipotle pepper in adobo, divided
  • 1 1/2 tbsp. chipotle in adobo sauce
  • 2 tbsp. honey or agave
  • 1/2 cup + 2 tsp. low-sodium chicken stock
  • 1 tsp. cornstarch

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.

  2. Add turkey, salt, egg, panko, grated onion, 1 tsp. minced chipotle peppers, and 1 grated garlic clove to a medium bow. Use hands to mix, must until combined. Use a small ice cream scoop to form into 15 meatballs. Line on prepeared baking sheet and bake until cooked through, about 15-20 minutes.

  3. While the meatballs cook, add remaining chipotle peppers, adobo sauce, garlic, honey and 1/2 cup chicken stock to a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, and reduce to a simmer. Cook for 3-4 minutes until slightly thicker. Whisk remaining 2 tsp. chicken stock and cornstarch together in a small bowl. Whisk into chipotle and honey mixture. Continue to simmer until thickened, about 1-2 minutes. Turn the heat off.

  4. Once meatballs are cooked, add to chipotle honey mixture. Toss to until meatballs are coated.

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