Looking to spice up your chicken dinner routine, literally? Look no further. These meatballs get a kick from a kung pao sauce that really packs the heat. I like to serve them with rice to help temper the spice, but these would also make a great app to serve with toothpicks. Just make sure to put a warning sign: “For Spice-Lovers Only”. Here’s everything you need to know to make them.
I went with ground chicken for these meatballs to keep in line with its inspiration, kung pao chicken, but you can almost certainly use lean ground beef or turkey instead. A lot of the spice here comes from the sauce, but I did include Szechuan pepper in the meatballs themselves. Szechuan peppercorns add a unique heat to the dish and can be found in most Asian markets and specialty grocery stores. They’re worth seeking out, but feel free to skip them if you can’t find them or want to cut back on the heat.
Made these? Leave a review and let me know how it went in the comments below.
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Ingredients
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- Step 1In a medium bowl, combine ground chicken, garlic, ginger, green onions, and panko. Add egg and soy sauce and season with salt and few good cranks of pepper. Mix until well combined. Form into 16 equal sized meatballs. If mixture is too wet you can wet your hands lightly with water to help roll into balls.
- Step 2In a large skillet over medium heat, heat oil. Add meatballs and cook until golden on all sides and internal temperature reaches 165°, 18 to 20 minutes. Remove from skillet and place on a plate to keep warm.
- Step 3Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine broth, soy sauce, cooking wine, vinegar, hoisin, and sugar. Add cornstarch and whisk until dissolved.
- Step 4Wipe out any bits from skillet that are too dark. Return skillet over medium heat and add more oil as needed. Add bell peppers and cook until soft, 5 minutes. Add dried chilis, green onions, ginger, garlic, and pepper. Cook until fragrant, 2 minutes more. Add sauce mixture and return meatballs to skillet. Toss to coat meatballs. Reduce heat to a simmer and simmer until sauce is thickened and meatballs are warmed through, 5 minutes.
- Step 5Top with peanuts and serve over rice.
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