Jamaican Jerk Meatballs
I came up with this recipe when I was on Weight Watchers and didn’t want to use ground beef. You can certainly change up your meat here. You can go all beef, all chicken, all pork, mixture of any, etc… Delicious!
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground chicken
- 1/2 pound ground pork, not breakfast sausage
- 1/4 cup onion, grated
- 1/4 cup green onions, finely minced
- 3 Scotch Bonnets or habaneros, finely chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon Chinese Five-Spice
- 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
- 2 teaspoons freshly cracked black pepper
- 3/4 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce, not lower sodium
- 1 teaspoon smoked, hot paprika
- 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
- 1/2 cup bread crumbs, (can omit if keto/low carb)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
- In a medium bowl, combine all the ingredients. I would suggest you use gloves because of the hot chile peppers.
- For easy clean up, line a large cookie sheet with a lip, like a jelly roll pan, with heavy-duty aluminum foil that wraps over the edges. Lightly spray the foil.
- Shape the meat mixture into uniform balls, about 1 ½” in diameter. Using a cookie scoop (or #30 disher, black handle) makes this much easier. Nice to have, but not necessary.
- Place the meatballs about an inch apart on the cookie sheet.
- Bake the meatballs for approximately 18 to 22 minutes, or until the meatballs reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees. (A probe thermometer is nice to have for things like this.)
- Allow the meatballs to cool slightly and serve.
Notes
After combining all the ingredients together, take one ball and flatten it a little. Fry it in a small frying pan on both sides until cooked through, just so you can taste for salt and any other seasoning. I learned this little tip from a cooking show on Food TV.
You can toast and grind your own spices if you can get a hold of whole spices like nutmeg, allspice berries, and black peppercorns. That would not only be fun, but very aromatic!
You can cut into a meatball to check for doneness, but I like a digital thermometer. They’re quite inexpensive and very handy for checking chicken, pork, etc… They’re a great kitchen tool.
Nutrition Facts
Jamaican Jerk Meatballs
Amount per Serving
Calories
205.98
% Daily Value*
Fat
10.72
g
16
%
Saturated Fat
3.48
g
22
%
Trans Fat
0.04
g
Polyunsaturated Fat
1.06
g
Monounsaturated Fat
2.14
g
Cholesterol
68.89
mg
23
%
Sodium
560.35
mg
24
%
Potassium
406.35
mg
12
%
Carbohydrates
11.32
g
4
%
Fiber
1.13
g
5
%
Sugar
4.29
g
5
%
Protein
16.61
g
33
%
Vitamin C
28.14
mg
34
%
Calcium
41
mg
4
%
Iron
1.79
mg
10
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!