Jalapeno Bacon Waffle & Meatball Sliders
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Jalapeño Honey Chicken & Pork Meatballs are sandwiched between Jalapeño Bacon Cornbread Waffles in this delicious recipe for meatball sliders, putting a new, fun twist on chicken & waffles!
Thank you to Hamilton Beach for sponsoring this post!
In my opinion, you can never go wrong with chicken and waffles, it’s two delicious foods combined into one dish that can be served as breakfast, lunch or dinner, what could be better?!
Well, what if you added crispy bacon, fresh jalapeños and sweet honey to this already delicious dish and turned it into meatball sliders?! You would get one seriously kicked up, flavorful twist on chicken and waffles, and that’s what I’m here to share with you today!
Inspired by my new Hamilton Beach Belgian Waffle Maker, I decided to head in the kitchen to experiment with new ways to make chicken and waffles.
I liked the idea of having a hand-held way to eat both components of the dish together, so I decided on sliders.
Instead of just putting a piece of fried chicken in the middle of the sliders, I decided to try out a new meatball recipe (oh how I love my meatball recipes!) and came up with this seriously mouth-watering Chicken & Pork Jalapeño Honey Meatball recipe, like seriously y’all, it’s so good!
Since I was kicking up the chicken, I knew I had to kick up the waffles as well, so I made Jalapeño Bacon Cornbread Waffles, all things that pair perfectly with Jalapeño Honey Meatballs for the most epic meatball sliders ever!
Waffle & Meatball Sliders Ingredients
Jalapeño Bacon Waffles (makes 12 whole waffles = 48 quarters)
- 3 cups cornmeal
- 3 cups flour
- 4 tbsp sugar
- 4 tsp baking powder
- 4 tsp salt
- 4 large eggs (whisked)
- 5 cups milk
- 1 ¼ cup butter (melted)
- 2 cups cooked & crumbled bacon
- ½ cup minced fresh jalapeños
Jalapeño Meatballs (makes 24 meatballs)
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 cup diced onions
- 2 tbsp minced fresh jalapeno
- 4 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 lb ground chicken
- 1 lb ground pork
- ½ cup breadcrumbs
- 2 large eggs
- ¼ cup cilantro (chopped)
- 1 tsp cumin (divided)
- 1 tsp salt (divided)
- ½ cup honey
- 4 oz can diced jalapeños
To prepare the meatballs:
Add 1 tbsp olive oil to a large skillet, or dutch oven, over medium high heat, add the onions and fresh diced jalapenos, cook 3-5 minutes, add the garlic and cook for an additional minute.
Remove from the heat and set aside.
In a large bowl, combine the ground chicken and ground pork with the cooked onions, jalapeños and garlic.
Add the breadcrumbs, eggs, cilantro, ½ tsp cumin and ½ tsp salt.
Combine well without over mixing.
Form into approximately 24 golf ball sized meatballs.
Add the remaining tbsp olive oil to the large skillet in which the onions were cooked.
Place the skillet on the stove over medium high heat.
Add the meatballs and brown on each side for 1-2 minutes.
In a small bowl, whisk the honey and canned diced jalapenos with the remaining ½ tsp cumin and ½ tsp salt. Pour over the meatballs.
Cover, reduce heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes.
While the meatballs are simmering, prepare the waffles:
In a large bowl, combine the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
In a small bowl, combine the whisked egg, milk and melted butter.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix well, then add the cooked bacon and minced jalapeños.
Plug in the Hamilton Beach Belgian Waffle Iron and set to 2.
When the green “ready light” comes on, pour the waffle batter into the iron and cook for 5-6 minutes.
Repeat until all of the waffle batter is gone.
Once the meatballs and waffles are both cooked, place one meatball between two waffle quarters. Place a small skewer in each of the meatball sliders, then drizzle with the honey jalapeño sauce from the meatball skillet.
This recipe makes 24 meatball sliders, perfect for breakfast, dinner or a party appetizer!
Jalapeno Bacon Waffle & Meatball Sliders
Ingredients
Jalapeño Bacon Waffles
- 3 cups cornmeal
- 3 cups flour
- 4 tbsp sugar
- 4 tsp baking powder
- 4 tsp salt
- 4 large eggs, whisked
- 5 cups milk
- 1 ¼ cup butter, melted
- 2 cups cooked & crumbled bacon
- ½ cup minced fresh jalapeños
Jalapeño Honey Meatballs
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 cup onions, diced
- 2 tbsp fresh jalapeno, minced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 lb ground chicken
- 1 lb ground pork
- ½ cup breadcrumbs
- 2 large eggs
- ¼ cup cilantro, chopped
- 1 tsp cumin, divided
- 1 tsp salt, divided
- ½ cup honey
- 4 oz can diced jalapeños
Instructions
Jalapeno Honey Meatballs
- Add 1 tbsp olive oil to a large skillet, or dutch oven, over medium high heat, add the onions and fresh diced jalapenos, cook 3-5 minutes, add the garlic and cook for an additional minute.
- Remove from the heat and set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine the ground chicken and ground pork with the cooked onions, jalapeños and garlic.
- Add the breadcrumbs, eggs, cilantro, ½ tsp cumin and ½ tsp salt.
- Combine well without over mixing.
- Form into approximately 24 golf ball sized meatballs.
- Add the remaining tbsp olive oil to the large skillet in which the onions were cooked.
- Place the skillet on the stove over medium high heat.
- Add the meatballs and brown on each side for 1-2 minutes.
- In a small bowl, whisk the honey and canned diced jalapenos with the remaining ½ tsp cumin and ½ tsp salt.
- Pour over the meatballs.
- Cover, reduce heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes.
Jalapeno Bacon Waffles
- In a large bowl, combine the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder and salt, set aside.
- In a small bowl, combine the whisked egg, milk and melted butter.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix well, then add the cooked bacon and minced jalapeños.
- Plug in the Hamilton Beach Belgian Waffle Iron and set to 2.
- When the green “ready light” comes on, pour the waffle batter into the iron and cook for 5-6 minutes.
- Repeat until all of the waffle batter is gone.
- Once the meatballs and waffles are both cooked, place one meatball between two waffle quarters. Place a small skewer in each of the meatball sliders, then drizzle with the honey jalapeño sauce from the meatball skillet.
Nutrition Facts
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2 Comments on “Jalapeno Bacon Waffle & Meatball Sliders”
Wow, this is sure a fun, delicious twist on chicken and waffles! I’d have no trouble polishing off a LOT of these gems!!
Thanks so much Lizzy!