Slow Cooker Firecracker Chicken Meatballs
Firecracker Chicken Meatballs are simmered in a bold sauce made with buffalo sauce, brown sugar, soy sauce, and tangy Worcestershire for the perfect balance of sweet, spicy, and savory.
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Everything slow cooks until the Firecracker Chicken Meatballs are juicy, the sauce is sticky, and your kitchen smells incredible. Serve these spicy meatballs over jasmine rice, tuck them into hoagie rolls for some tasty meatball subs, toss them on some lettuce to make some lettuce wraps, or set them out as an appetizer at your next gathering or party.
They also go great with your favorite Roasted Vegetables, Green Beans, or served on a bed of Mashed Potatoes or alongside Baked Potatoes or Sweet Potatoes. With so many ways to serve them, you can make a big batch and use them throughout the week for meal prep.
Why You'll Love These Firecracker Meatballs
You’ll love these slow cooker firecracker meatballs because they’re packed with bold sweet-heat flavor while being completely hands-off to make. They’re incredibly versatile—perfect over rice, on sliders, or as an easy party appetizer. Best of all, they’re family-friendly, customizable, and taste even better the next day.
Let's Gather The Ingredients
- Buffalo sauce: Brings the signature heat and tangy flavor.
- Brown sugar: Adds the perfect amount of sweetness.
- Soy sauce: Adds savory depth and a little saltiness.
- Worcestershire sauce: Gives rich, umami flavor that rounds out the sauce.
- Apple cider vinegar: Brightens the sauce and enhances the sweet-heat combo.
- Ground chicken: Could be swapped for ground turkey, ground pork, or ground beef.
- Panko bread crumbs: Keep the meatballs light, tender, and never gummy.
- Large Eggs: Bind the mixture together so the meatballs hold their shape.
- Onion: White or yellow.
- Minced garlic: Fresh minced is always best.
- Fresh parsley: Adds color and freshness to the mix.
- Cornstarch + water (optional slurry): Helps create a thicker, stickier sauce if desired
How to Make Fire Cracker Meatballs
- Step 1: Add buffalo sauce, brown sugar, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, cider vinegar to a small bowl. Mix to combine before setting aside.
- Step 2: In a separate large bowl, add ground chicken, bread crumbs, eggs, onion, garlic and parsley. Mix just until everything is combined.
- Step 3: Roll chicken mixture into meatballs. Heat oil in a skillet. Add meatballs to the skillet in a single layer and brown.
- Step 4: Flip meatballs as needed to brown both sides.
- Step 5: Transfer all meatballs to your Crockpot.
- Step 6: Pour sauce over meatballs. Toss to coat all of the meatballs with the sauce. Cover with lid and let cook.
Recipe Tips
- Don’t over mix the meat mixture or you'll have dense meatballs.
- Use a cookie scoop to keep the meatballs all the same size.
- Add extra buffalo sauce at the end if you want more kick.
- Make them extra spicy meatballs with hot buffalo sauce, cayenne, or red pepper flakes.
- These are great over rice, mashed potatoes, or as sliders. Add green onions or sesame seeds for a fresh finish.
- Serve with garlic bread to soak up any extra sauce.
- They reheat beautifully and taste even better the next day—perfect for game day, potlucks, or easy dinners.
Recipe Faq's
Yes! Brown them and store in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 24 hours before cooking.
You can, but browning adds flavor and helps them hold their shape better, especially since they'll be slow cooking for so long.
Absolutely. Just use thawed chicken or turkey meatballs and cook them in the sauce as directed.
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Slow Cooker FireCracker Meatballs
Equipment
Ingredients
Firecracker Sauce
- 1 cup buffalo sauce I use Franks
- 1 cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- 2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
Chicken Meatballs
- 2 pounds ground chicken
- 1 ½ cups panko bread crumbs
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup onion finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley chopped
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons water
Instructions
- In a small bowl add the buffalo sauce, brown sugar, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, cider vinegar and mix until combined and set aside.
- In a large bowl add the ground chicken, bread crumbs, eggs, onion, garlic and parsley and mix just until everything is combined. Roll 2 tablespoons of the chicken mixture into balls and place them on a baking sheet or plate.
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet on medium high heat and add the meatballs. Cook for 2-3 minutes then flip and cook another 1-2 minutes.
- Add the browned meatballs to the slow cooker. Pour the sauce over the top and carefully toss until coated.
- Cook on low 4-5 hours or on high 2-3 hours. During the last hour add in the cornstarch slurry and toss until mixed. Turn the slow cooker on high so the slurry will thicken the sauce.
- Serve as an appetizer over white rice, pasta or hoagie rolls.
