These Surly Hell BBQ Chicken Meatballs are the perfect party appetizer! Chicken makes them lean and healthy, while the homemade BBQ sauce leaves them spicy, lip smacking, and absolutely addictive. They’re baked, but can be kept warm in your slow cooker or crockpot! Make a HUGE batch, of these – they go fast!
Have you ever made your own BBQ sauce? I swear it is SO much easier than you would think.
Stay with me.
- It requires a handful of ingredients (that you likely already have on hand!), a sauce pan, and a solid hour.
- Allow it to simmer.
- Maybe stir it every 10 minutes or so.
THAT’S IT.
This yields some of the most flavorful and, quite honestly, IMPRESSIVE BBQ SAUCE EVER.
I made this for some friends when I was doing a roundup of recipes to put on the blog. The sauce was meant for the meatballs, which I used to pour over them while they were keeping warm in a crockpot. But I had so much left! I seriously didn’t know what I was going to do with it all. Until everyone freaked out, starting dousing EVERYTHING on their plate with it, and there was a solid 1/4 cup left. I realized I was on to something…
My second time making it, I didn’t make the same mistake. I more than tripled my batch, and let it boil down WAY more than I did initially, allowing it to really thicken up and get all luxurious.
And good LORD was it good! The sauce is perfectly sweet, perfectly spicy, and perfectly….drinkable.
I obviously made this BBQ sauce explicitly for the chicken meatballs, but as I mention above – but use it however you want! On burgers, as a dip for fries, on BBQ breakfast tacos….
Ok, I think that’s a thing I just made up.
But holy sh*t….wouldn’t that be good?!
I titled this “Surly Hell BBQ”, but you can really use your favorite beer. Depending on the type of beer you select, the flavor profile will obviously shift. I would HIGHLY recommend seeking out Surly Hell. It’s technically a light beer, but it is SO flavorful. And it’s locally made in Minneapolis – WIN. #local
If you’re local and HAVEN’T been to the Surly brewery (I’m not sure how this could even be possible), GO IMMEDIATELY. Their space is unbelievable, the beer is amazing, the food is STELLAR. Seriously, plan a trip here as soon as humanly possible. (Out-of-towners: JUST GO!).
The messier, the better. Isn’t that what good and proper BBQ sauce SHOULD be?!
Surly Hell BBQ Chicken Meatballs
Ingredients
For the chicken meatballs:
- 2 lbs ground chicken
- 1/2 yellow onion finely minced
- 2 clove garlic, finely minced
- Salt & Pepper
- Few dashes Worcestershire sauce
For the Surly Hell BBQ sauce:
- 12 oz Surly Hell beer (or your favorite lager style beer)
- 28 oz tomato sauce
- 3/4 cup ketchup
- 1/4 Cup tomato paste
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- Chopped green onions, for serving
Instructions
For the Surly Hell BBQ sauce:
- First, get the BBQ sauce started. This will need to boil down for about an hour, so do this first so it will cook while you prep the meatballs!
- Add Surly Hell (or favorite beer), tomato sauce, ketchup, tomato paste, and brown sugar in a large sauce pan. Stir thoroughly to combine.
- Allow to simmer on medium-low heat, stirring occasionally. Be careful - it may spatter when you stir it! Allow it to simmer until reduced to your liking, about an hour. You can continue to reduce it more, which will intensify the flavors and yield a thicker sauce.
For the meatballs:
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, combine ground chicken, minced onion, and garlic. Add a few dashes of Worcestershire, and some salt and pepper to taste. Mix thoroughly to combine.
- Using an ice cream scoop to keep the meatballs uniform, scoop the meat mixture in to small balls. Place on baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes, or until cooked through.
- Remove from oven, allow to cool slightly.
- When ready to serve, toss meatballs in about a cup of the sauce. Serve with additional sauce for dipping, and garnish with green onions, if desired.