It wasn’t until I was married with kids that I discovered Bonefish Grill’s Bang Bang Shrimp. Is that embarrassing to admit? We didn’t have one of the restaurants near where I grew up and Mathlete tends to avoid pretty much all chain restaurants whenever possible. One taste of those shrimp though and I was in love. For game day parties, I’ve been making bang bang chicken meatballs which make a great at home substitute for the delicious shrimp appetizer from the restaurant.

I make these meatballs in two different sizes depending on what I am using them for. We’ve made sliders out of them when I’ve done a larger meatball. For party finger foods, I tend to use a cookie dough scoop instead of my meatball scoop to make a smaller meatball. Either way, they are so tasty!

Ingredients for Bang Bang Chicken Meatballs:

1 1/2 lb ground chicken

1/2 lb ground pork {replace with more ground chicken if desired}

2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

2 eggs

1 cup panko crumbs

1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp garlic powder

Sauce:

1/3 cup mayonnaise

2 Tbsp sweet Thai chili sauce

1 Tbsp sriracha

2 Tbsp rice vinegar

Let’s Make It:

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.

2. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients through the garlic powder. Gently mix with hands until just combined. Scoop by 2-3 Tbsp amounts onto prepared baking sheet. Bake for 10-15 minutes based on the size of the meatballs.

3. While the meatballs bake, whisk together mayonnaise, chili sauce, sriracha and rice vinegar. Brush onto meatballs and cook for an additional minute. Serve with additional sauce if desired.

These meatballs are borderline addictive. I get requests for them all the time and, since they are so easy to make, I definitely don’t mind whipping up a batch for parties or snacks.

Essential Items for this Recipe:

Rimmed Baking Sheet // Parchment Paper Sheets // Meatball or Cookie Dough Scoop // Pastry Brush