Panko-Crusted, Seasoned Chicken Balls with Sweet Thai Chili Sauce

Just the right amount of sweet + heat!

A few weeks ago, I was in the grocery store when I came across Blue Dragon's sweet chili dipping sauce. The color reminded me of the mango dipping sauce that accompanies our West-Indian conch fritters that we love so much when we're on the "rock". Then I remembered, that there is a restaurant where I had a similar sweet chili sauce that calamari was tossed in and I loved it. This particular sauce has just the right balance of sweet and heat; it's just enough to give it a little tang but not so hot that you need to frantically drink your entire glass of water without coming up for air.

I love meatballs but since they're usually so high in fat, I decided to make a new version of chicken meatballs. I still wanted them to have that island flare, so instead of using the traditional "meatball spices" of oregano, basil, etc., I decided to make it very, very simple. The meat itself only had about 1 Tbsp of Cruz Bay grill rub from St. John Spice that we purchased on our most recent trip to STJ. If you have never been there or are planning on visiting St. Thomas, I'd highly recommend hopping on a 15 minute ferry ride and paying that store a visit. I have no words for the coffee and teas. They're just household staples.

This "recipe" was very simple. It makes roughly 30 meatballs. I sauteed some fresh yellow squash from the garden to accompany the meatballs and my toddler loved them.

1 package of Perdue ground chicken (1lb)
1 package of Perdue ground chicken breast (1lb)
1 XL egg
1 Tbsp Cruz Bay Grill Rub
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp lemon zest OR McCormick Lemon Pepper Grinder (to taste)
1C Panko crumbs, for rolling

Mix everything EXCEPT the panko crumbs together in a bowl. Since I didn't use breadcrumbs to dry out the chicken and make it more manageable to form into balls, the mixture is pretty soft.  I spooned by tablespoonful into my thumbs and formed as best of a ball as I could. I then rolled them into the panko crumbs and shaped as needed, forming a ball that's about 1.5" in diameter. Bake at 375 for about 30 minutes for until no longer pink in center.

For the sauce:
1/3 C Sweet Thai Chili dipping Sauce (I used Blue Dragon brand)
2 Tbsp water
Whisk together water and sauce and heat in a saucepan until bubbly. Toss cooked chicken meatballs in a large bowl with sauce.

Each 1.5" meatball yields approxmimately:
Calories: 55
Fat: 1.69g
Carbs: 3.2g
Protein: 7.1g

*Note*
Spices were not added to nutritional information.