Do you like your meatballs full of kicky spice and kissed with citrus and finished with a wallop of salty cheese? So do I friends. So, do I. And that’s where a hearty amount of Aleppo pepper flakes comes into these chicken meatballs, with cotija riding its coattails.
For Christmas last year Jedd gave me a massive amount of Aleppo pepper flakes. And by “a lot,” I mean enough for me to play with in everything.
I love to coat chicken breasts in a mix of it with a good amount of Mexican oregano, salt, and white pepper.
Aleppo pepper and lime vinaigrette? That’s the perfect combination on a big ole dinner salad with loads of veggies and thinly sliced chicken.
And don’t get me started on how freaking tasty a quick Wednesday night turkey chili is with Aleppo pepper and chipotles is. It will knock your socks off! (Hello, Socks? Come back! I didn’t mean to knock you off!)
So, if you’re hankering for a good n’ spicy meatball, give these Aleppo chicken meatballs a shot. Whether they’re served on a toothpick on Greek yogurt, on pasta, on pizza, or just snagged off the baking sheet – you’re going to love them.
These Aleppo chicken meatballs would be fun with these recipes:
Spicy Grilled Mini Pizzas with Parsley Tomato Gremolata
Super Herby (Soft or Crunchy) Breadsticks
Lemony Kale Pesto for the Win, Win, Win!
Aleppo Chicken Meatballs
Ingredients
- 1 lb. ground chicken
- 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1/2 cup crumbled cotija
- 1 large egg
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon Aleppo pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon white pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Fit a large, rimmed sheet pan with parchment.
- In a large bowl stir all of the ingredients together.
- Mix well to combine.
- Form meatballs into 1 ½-inch balls.
- Place on prepared baking sheet, approximately ½-inch apart.
- Bake for 20-25minutes, or until golden brown, and they register 165 degrees with a meat thermometer.
- Serve on Greek yogurt.