Spicy Ground Chicken Meatballs with Baharat

Everyone loves meatballs and these spicy ground chicken meatballs with origins in North Africa are made with lots of fresh herbs and spices. These are totally a winner!

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So a good friend of mine made these North African meatballs on a show called The Great American Recipe. Heard of it?

I do love meatballs and thought it was time to give these spicy ground chicken meatballs a try.

Brad made his with beef and lamb, but you know I only do chicken and turkey, so I adapted this great recipe from Grandma Marcia to suit my needs.

It was Saturday night that I served them to friends and I can now see why Brad often serves them at parties and Thanksgiving and probably anywhere where Brad gets a chance to show-off!

We weren’t able to try each other’s food on the show but I could tell that the judges just loved this ground chicken meatballs recipe.

Since it was a last minute get together I just kind of pulled these out of my hat-but that’s what recipe collectors do and I get an A+ at recipe collecting.

Everyone loves meatballs and I figured these and some smashed potatoes and a fresh from the garden tomato salad, along with fresh pita would satisfy on one of these last warm nights of summer.

They more than satisfied and I am so happy I still have some ground chicken meatballs to reheat in the fridge.

I did have to adapt the recipe because there were a few mistakes in the printed book.

Which also leads me to the one reason you should avoid AI recipes.

Not that this was an AI recipe, but I always test my recipes and attempt to give you the best written recipe that I can. AI recipes are not tested!

Why I Love Spicy Ground Chicken Meatballs

For starters I love making friend’s recipes. It reminds me of them and allows me to reminisce and remember how grateful I am to have them in my life.

I love adding new recipes to my collection and I love discovering good ones.

These spicy meatballs give you a chance to experiment with what may be new spices to some of you.

I love that these ground chicken meatballs are simmered in an easy to make rich tomato sauce and that they can be made with beef, lamb, chicken or turkey.

I love that everyone loved them! And I love that these make a healthy chicken meatball.

Substitutions and Ingredients for Easy Ground Chicken Meatballs

Meatballs can be made with any ground meat. I used ground chicken and ground turkey which made for a lean, but light meatball. Beef and lamb produce more fat, but we didn’t miss it.

Eggs – help to keep a meatball together and keep them moist.

Fresh herbs for flavor- Italian parsley, cinlantro and dill

Baharat spice – Commonly found in Middle Eastern cooking, this 7 spice mixture is said to be from Lebanon. Everyone has their own version of this and since I was out, I made up my own using black pepper, cardamom, cloves, cumin, nutmeg, coriander, paprika, cinnamon and allspice. Don’t have all of these? Use equal parts of cumin, coriander and cinnamon. Baharat can also be found at Whole Foods.

Kosher salt and ground black pepper to taste

Cinnamon – Brad’s recipe calls for more and I agree. It brings out sweetness and helps balance flavors.

Chicken consommé powder – This throws some folks off but it really is just chicken bouillion powder that is used to season food, but you could make a cup of soup if you’d like! I always keep some on hand to add for extra flavor.

Tomato paste – adds richness and flavor and you will use some in the meatballs but most of the can goes into the sauce.

Vegetable oil

Semolina – Semolina is hard durum wheat used most often for making pasta. Grandma Marcia apparently likes it for binding her meatballs and it worked just fine. Don’t have semolina? Use cornmeal.

Fresh Garlic – mince extra for the sauce

Easy Chicken Meatballs in Spicy Red Sauce:

Parchment Paper for Baking Sheet

Chopped Onion

Hot paprika – This adds fire to the red sauce. Add a touch of smoked paprika also for flavor if you’d like.

Baharat

Chicken consommé powder

Ground cumin – even though this is in Bahahrat add more for extra punch. You may want more cinnamon too!

Honey – Not in the original recipe, I added honey to balance the savory flavors of the sauce. This did not make it too sweet but if you aren’t sure, you can leave it out. By no means was this sweet and sour!

Salt and pepper

Water – Somehow this was forgotten in the directions and you definitely need it to make the sauce. Of course you could also add chicken consomme or perhaps wine or beer, but I have not tried those yet.

How To Make Baharat Ground Chicken Meatballs

These fresh herb meatballs are made in just a few simple steps.

First mix up the meatball mixture and then broil them while you are making the spicy red sauce.

Make sure to line the baking sheet with parchment paper and use a medium-sized cookie scoop so all spiced meatballs are the same size. That way they cook evenly. Using chicken and turkey makes lean meatballs so there is very little grease to contend with.

In a large bowl, combine all turkey and ground chicken meatballs ingredients and stir with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon until evenly combined and sticky. Do not over pack unless you want dry meatballs.

Place the meatballs on the prepared baking sheet and broil on top rack until browned, but not fully cooked, turning once to lightly brown on all sides, 5-7 minutes. Remove from oven and turn oven to bake at a 325 degree temperature.

Make the sauce. Coat the bottom of a large cast iron skillet with oil and heat over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic and sauté until the onion is translucent. Add the tomato paste, hot paprika, baharat, and cumin. Cook until the tomato paste starts caramelizing and you can smell the spices. A whisk comes in handy for blending together.

Add the water and consomme powder and bring the mixture to a boil.  Taste for salt and pepper and any other seasonings you’d like to taste more of. Stir in the honey. My sauce was quite spicy and I liked adding the honey to balance the spice.

Add the meatballs back to the sauce and bring the mixture back to a simmer. Carefully place the skillet in the oven and bake for 20 minutes, or until the meatballs are cooked through and the sauce is simmering. If you want it saucier do not be afraid to stir in more water before adding the meatballs.

Let the ground chicken meatballs rest for 5 minutes before serving. Garnish with fresh herbs.

FAQ’s

How To Serve this Spicy Ground Chicken Meatball Recipe

Ground chicken meatballs do not need a sauce, but the sauce is my favorite part.

After all, who doesn’t like a spicy sweet rich tomato sauce with a ton of flavor?

Though I served these with smashed potatoes, French fries would also work, as would mashed potatoes.

Couscous or rice would be more traditional.

Noodles are a great substitution and slamming spicy ground chicken meatballs into a big loaf of bread would make many happy.

Personally, I think these baharat meatballs are made for toothpicks!

A green side salad or even tabouli could round out the meal and slices of orange or fresh pomegranates would be perfect for dessert.

Want More Meatball Recipes?

Spiced Chicken Meatballs with Chickpeas and Pita

Red Wine Meatballs

Vietnamese Meatballs

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