Last updated on July 20th, 2020 at 05:49 pm

Nashville Hot Chicken Meatballs being the heat to your next party! These HOT & SPICY chicken meatballs are TENDER, delicious, and easy to make in the crockpot!

What goes well with Nashville Hot Chicken? Try my Fried Pickle Dip, these Loaded Potato Skins, and wash it down with this Mint Cucumber Cooler!

Nashville hot chicken meatballs puts the fire on a chicken meatball instead of a fried chicken sandwich.

Just because you put the hot oil on a meatball instead of a wing or thigh doesn’t make it any less hot! Consider yourself warned!

What is Nashville hot chicken?

Nashville Hot Chicken is a slightly spicy piece of fried chicken that is basted or heavily drizzled with a cayenne pepper sauce that burns like molten lava.

Typically served over a slice of white bread, pickles, and slaw, it is not for the faint of heart.

You need to love the pain. Seriously, it is hot!

If you’d rather skip my (very helpful, I think) tips and tricks, essential cooking info, and similar recipe ideas – and get straight to this delicious easy Crockpot Nashville Hot Chicken Meatballs recipe – simply scroll to the bottom of the page where you can find the printable recipe card.

What makes Nashville hot chicken hot?

Some recipes add a little cayenne to the dredge before frying but the real heat comes from the hot oil with cayenne pepper that gets slathered on the chicken after it’s been fried.

Here’s the thing about coating something in oil… IT WILL COAT YOUR MOUTH TOO!

When you take a bite of Nashville hot chicken, you experience a brief moment of warmth.

You think to yourself, no problem. This isn’t that hot. WRONG! 

So be warned. This recipe doesn’t shy away from the five alarm fire intensity.

If you can’t stand the heat, then eat another kind of meatball. I have plenty to choose from.

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What flavor is Nashville hot?

The flavor of the sauce is spicy. A little bit of sweetness from the small amount of brown sugar but it is mostly spicy.

Think firecracker chicken sauce but less tangy and definitely not as sweet.

I’m a huge fan of firecracker chicken so I knew I would love this hot chicken sauce on meatballs.

The first time made this recipe by slow cooking the meatballs in the hot pepper sauce in a crock pot, I started with double the cayenne. Forgetting that the longer you cook spices, the hotter they get.

The large amount of cayenne with the increased cooking time turned up the temperature. I am pretty sure it was literally off the Kelvin scale. 

Lesson learned. Start small!

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How to make Nashville hot chicken meatballs

STEP ONE: My recipe starts with precooked chicken meatballs. Feel free to make yours homemade and cook them your favorite way before adding to the crockpot.

I make homemade meatballs all the time and love them! Less additives and preservatives.

STEP TWO: Make the spicy Nashville hot sauce. Mix the spices, add some melted butter and chicken stock to it, and then pour over the cooked meatballs in the slow cooker.

The original recipe calls for adding the spices to a little of the hot oil that the chicken was fried in. This isn’t necessary because the meatballs will be simmering in the sauce.

STEP THREE: Stir to coat, turn on low, and simmer for 2 hours. Less if you start to get scared!

This is one of the spicy hottest meals I have ever eaten. It helps to have a few emergency action plans in place when the burn starts to make you squeal like a baby that just figured out what the stove does. 

How to handle the heat

• Drink milk. Milk fats help break down the chili oil and will also help coat the mouth with a layer of protection. 
• Water doesn’t necessarily help. First, water and oil don’t mix. Oil repels water. Second, adding water makes smaller globules of oil that disperse and this just makes matters worse.
• A few bites of plain white bread helps calm the tongue down a bit.
• A tasty and chilled adult beverage can help. Alcohol helps clean the hot oil from the tongue. It also helps you feel better about choosing to eat something so hot. 
• If you just don’t want them that hot, then of course you can use less cayenne. Start small, like a teaspoon or two instead of the full 3 tablespoons. You aren’t a wimp. You are just sane.
• Be sure to have plenty of cold pickles on hand to eat with the meatballs. They definitely help!

If you like super spicy foods, add more cayenne and you have an opportunity to touch the sun with your tongue.  If you are really insane, save sauce from the meatballs and add it to other items like chicken wings or drizzle on your burger!

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Other party meatballs to try!

• Steakhouse Meatballs
• Sweet and Sour Meatballs
• French Onion Chicken Meatballs
• Hawaiian Meatballs
• Honey Mustard Meatballs
• Chinese Pork Meatballs

Nashville hot chicken meatballs recipe

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