Hot Honey Chicken Meatball Bowls (meal prep)
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This delicious little number is sweet, sticky and kinda spicy. Chicken meatballs over cauliflower rice and garlicky green beans, only 375 calories with 29 grams of protein per bowl. And it makes four meal prep containers in one go.
Ground chicken is super lean so has a tendency to turn into little rubber balls if you mess with it too much. To keep the texture light and moist, we add plain Greek yogurt, an egg and use panko instead of regular breadcrumbs. Mix it just until it comes together and then walk away. Overworking it is what makes them tough.
If you like this type of bowl/meatball vibe, try my Mediterranean chicken meatball bowls or the baked turkey meatballs that started it all.
Why you’ll love this recipe
- 29g of protein and 375 calories per bowl, with 7g of fiber
- Makes 4 meal prep containers
- Cauliflower rice base keeps the volume high without the carbs
Ingredients and Substitutions:
These are the main ingredients and substitutions for these hot honey chicken meatball bowls. See the recipe card below for the full ingredient list and instructions.
- Ground Chicken. 93% lean is the number you want. Skip the 99% fat-free, there’s nothing in there holding moisture and you’ll get dry, crumbly meatballs no matter how carefully you bake them. That last 6% of fat is doing active work. Ground turkey at 93/7 swaps in one for one.
- Panko Breadcrumbs. Panko is coarser and drier than regular breadcrumbs, so it soaks up moisture without compacting the mix into a paste. Regular Italian breadcrumbs work but you’ll get a denser, tighter meatball. Gluten-free panko performs the same.
- Plain Greek Yogurt. Use 5% or 2%, not nonfat, because you want a little fat in there.
- Egg. The binder. Without it the meatballs crack apart on the pan.
- Soy Sauce. Seasons the meat from the inside instead of just sitting on the outside. This recipe uses soy sauce twice (once in the meatballs, once in the glaze).
- Honey. Maple syrup will work but it’s thinner and less sticky, so expect a looser glaze.
- Sriracha or Chili Garlic Sauce. Use half a tablespoon if you’re feeding kids, or leave it out entirely for a plain honey garlic glaze.
- Rice Vinegar. This is the whole reason the glaze tastes balanced instead of like candy.
- Cornstarch Slurry. Arrowroot powder can be used in it’s place. If you skip this step and you’ll have a thin sauce that runs straight off the meatballs and puddles at the bottom of the bowl.
- Frozen Cauliflower Rice. A 12 oz bag split four ways gives you real volume for almost nothing. Regular white or jasmine rice works if you’d rather have the carbs, and a 50/50 mix of both is my favorite move for bulk without the full carb hit.
- Green Beans. Cook however you prefer them. I love to blanch and then pan sear in olive oil with garlic powder and granulated onion, or air fry at 380°F for about 15 minutes. Any veggie you love works here. Edamame adds protein and fiber if you want to push both numbers up.
Dietary Modifications
- For gluten-free, swap the soy sauce for tamari or coconut aminos in both the meatballs and the glaze, and use gluten-free panko.
- The only dairy in this recipe is the two tablespoons of Greek yogurt in the meatball mix.
Expert Tip
→ Go by temperature, not color. Chicken meatballs stay pale even when they’re fully cooked, so if you’re waiting for them to brown up like beef meatballs you will absolutely overbake them. Pull them at 165°F on an instant-read thermometer. That’s usually 16 to 18 minutes at 400°F, but ovens vary and meatball size varies more.
→ Use a cookie scoop to portion them onto the pan, then roll with wet hands. Wet hands are the difference between smooth meatballs and half your mix stuck to your palms. Uniform size also means uniform macros, so if you’re logging by the meatball, scoop them the same.
Tips for the Best Meatball Bowls
- Meatballs came out dry or rubbery → Used 99% fat-free chicken, over-mixed the meat, or baked past 165°F. Fix: 93% lean, mix just until combined, use a thermometer.
- Glaze is thin and running off → The slurry didn’t get enough time. Bring it back to a simmer for another minute or two until it turns glossy and coats the back of a spoon.
- Glaze went gluey and too thick → It reduced too long. Loosen it with a splash of water off the heat.
- Watery bowl by day two → Cooked cauliflower rice releases liquid as it sits. Drain it well before it goes in the container, and keep the reserved glaze in a separate little cup until you’re ready to eat.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, that’s the whole point of this one. Build all four containers at once and they hold in the fridge for 4 days. Keep the reserved glaze separate and drizzle it on after reheating so the meatballs don’t get soggy.
Yes. Freeze them after baking but before glazing. Cool completely, freeze flat on a baking sheet for about an hour, then transfer to a freezer bag so they don’t clump. Make the glaze fresh when you’re ready to eat.
Absolutely. 93/7 ground turkey swaps in one for one with no other changes.
Mild to medium with one tablespoon of sriracha. The honey is doing a lot of buffering. Cut it to half a tablespoon or leave it out for a straight honey garlic glaze that kids will eat.
You bet. Cauliflower rice keeps the carbs down, but jasmine or brown rice both work. Just know your macros will change, so log what you actually used.
To log this in MyFitnessPal or Macros First, search: Ohsnapmacros – Hot Honey Chicken Meatball Bowls.
Check out our other easy meals
If you make this recipe, please leave a rating and/or comment! Tag me on Instagram @ohsnapmacros, I love hearing from you!
Hot Honey Chicken Meatball Bowls
MyFitnessPal & MacrosFirst App Users
You can find this recipe and many others on MyFitnessPal and MacrosFirst by searching: Ohsnapmacros – Hot Honey Chicken Meatball Bowls
Ingredients
For the Meatballs
- 1 lb. ground chicken (93% lean)
- 1/3 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1 large egg
- 2 Tbsp. plain Greek yogurt (5% or 2%)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 Tbsp. finely chopped green onion
- 1 Tbsp. soy sauce
- 1/2 tsp. ground ginger
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/4 tsp. black pepper
For the Glaze
- 1/3 cup honey
- 1 Tbsp. sriracha or chili garlic sauce
- 3 Tbsp. soy sauce
- 2 Tbsp. rice vinegar
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp. cornstarch mixed with 1 Tbsp. water
For the Bowls
- 20 oz. green beans, cooked
- 12 oz. bag frozen cauliflower rice, cooked
- chopped green onions, for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment.
- In a bowl, combine the ground chicken, panko, egg, Greek yogurt, garlic, green onion, soy sauce, ginger, salt, and pepper. Mix just until combined, don't overwork it.
- Roll into 16 meatballs and place on the baking sheet. I like to use a cookie scoop, portion them onto the pan, then roll them smooth with wet hands.
- Bake 16 to 18 minutes, until the internal temperature hits 165°F. Chicken meatballs can look pale even when they're done, so go by temp, not color.
- While they bake, make the glaze. Combine the honey, sriracha, soy sauce, rice vinegar, and garlic in a small saucepan over medium heat. Simmer 2 to 3 minutes.
- Stir in the cornstarch slurry and simmer another 1 to 2 minutes, until glossy and slightly thickened.
- Toss the baked meatballs in about half the glaze. Reserve the rest for drizzling over the bowls.
- Divide the cooked cauliflower rice and green beans between 4 bowls or meal prep containers. Top each with 4 meatballs and the remaining glaze. Garnish with green onions.
- Green beans: cook them however you prefer. I like to blanch them and then pan sear in olive oil with garlic powder and granulated onion. You can also air fry at 380°F for about 15 minutes.
Notes
- Use 93% lean ground chicken. 99% fat-free will give you dry meatballs.
- Mix the meat just until combined. Overworking it makes them tough.
- Don’t skip the cornstarch slurry, it’s what makes the glaze cling instead of running off.
- Swap the cauliflower rice for jasmine or brown rice if you prefer, and adjust your macros accordingly.
- Any veggie works in place of the green beans. Edamame adds extra protein and fiber.
- Low-sodium soy sauce in both the meatballs and the glaze will bring the sodium down significantly.
- Nutritional information is an estimate and will vary with substitutions.
