Chicken meatballs and cornbread appetizer with BBQ sauce is a fun, flavorful twist on party food that’s perfect for game day and entertaining!
This post has been sponsored by Aidells. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Are you all getting excited for the end of the football season and the big game?
I sure am and I’m so excited to share today’s chicken meatballs and cornbread appetizer recipe.
It’s not your regular game day appetizer or party food.
It has a little pizzazz. It’s a little bit different. It’s totally flavorful and fun and it’s super easy to make.
So you can impress your guests without breaking a sweat! And you can get it all prepped and ready to go so that YOU can kick back and enjoy the football game too.
Or basketball game. Cause after football season, it’s on to March Madness season, amiright?!
Oh and then baseball… and summer cookouts and cocktail parties and, well, these are pretty much gonna be a hit at any gathering!
So you guys know I love me some meatballs, right? My cheesy chicken meatballs and my easy baked turkey meatballs are long-time favorites.
But let me tell you a little secret… even I don’t make 100% of my own meatballs. 😳
I do have standards though and you know I love to read my ingredient labels.
So when I do buy store-bought meatballs, they are going to be good and they are going to be better for you.
Aidells is one of my favorite brands for prepared meats because they have such high-quality products. (They’ve been around for more than 30 years now too!) We’ve always loved their sausages and now I’m in love with these meatballs as well.
Their chicken meatballs are gluten-free and contain no nitrites, artificial ingredients or added hormones.
I’ve used them for this appetizer of course, but my kiddos love meatballs, so these are great to have on hand to make a quick and easy dinner for them.
They’d also be fabulous as sliders for a party!
Recipe Notes:
- I’ve used the Aidells Caramelized Onion meatballs here, because it’s what I found at my local Harris Teeter store. However, they have other flavors that could work well in this recipe, or would be fun for a different meal!
- You can use a store-bought cornbread mix or make your own from scratch. And if you need this to be a gluten-free appetizer, you can find a gluten-free cornbread mix.
- Same for the BBQ sauce - make your own or pick up your favorite brand. I like to simmer the sauce down in the pan so it thickens and can be basted over the meatballs as a glaze, but you could skip this step and just put some BBQ sauce on each meatball with extra sauce on the side for serving.
- I like to offer toothpicks with these to make it easier for guests to pick up, but my friends and I pretty much dive in with our hands. We’re casual like that.
So cheers to the last stretch of the football season!
I hope you try these soon. Enjoy!
XO,
Kathryn
P.S. Looking for more easy appetizers to add to your spread? These baked southwestern egg rolls and this cheesy baked black bean dip are long-time favorites!
Chicken meatballs and cornbread appetizer
Ingredients
- 1 8 x8 pan of cornbread (homemade or prepared to package directions)
- 1 (12 oz.) package Aidells Caramelized Onion chicken meatballs
For the BBQ glaze (optional)
- ½ cup prepared BBQ sauce
- Squeeze of lemon juice
- Pinch of black pepper
Instructions
- Prepare the cornbread according to package directions or use your favorite homemade recipe. Let the cornbread cool slightly then cut it into 16 squares.
- Meanwhile, heat the Aidells meatballs in a skillet over medium heat for 8-10 minutes. Alternatively, you can warm them through in the oven at 375 for 8-12 minutes or microwave them on high for 2-3 minutes.
- For the optional BBQ glaze: Bring BBQ sauce to a simmer in a small saucepan over medium-low heat and cook until reduced by half, about 10 minutes. Stir in lemon juice and pepper.
- Let the glaze cool for a minute then brush the BBQ glaze onto the warmed up meatballs.
- Place a meatball on each square of cornbread.
- Serve with extra sauce, and toothpicks, on the side and enjoy!
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