Can you believe these adorable Doritos chicken meatballs are made with only four simple ingredients? And with the flavor of cool ranch and zesty Doritos, they make a crowd pleasing appetizer for any occasion.
So, it’s the beginning of a new year and my resolution to rededicate to a healthy diet is getting off to a slow start. I’m not eating as much colorful, vibrant fruits and veggies as I should. Nor I am incorporating more grains into my diet as I should. What it comes down to is that I’m easily distracted by other things; an open bag of chips, a container of popcorn, or a box of the best candy in the world (Ferrero Raffaello Almond Coconut ♥︎). It’s not entirely my fault; there are excess snacks from the holidays in the house. The temptation is too much, and I am in a losing battle of the snacking kind.
Fueling to the fire is my baking frenzy, which has extended into the new year as I continue to make treats to hand out as post holiday thank you gifts. As all good bakers should, I make sure every batch passes my taste test before they leave the house. That means sampling multiple quantities per batch…just to be sure that I am doing the taste test correctly. All these things compounded leave little room for the healthy stuff in my tummy.
These delicious little meatballs were inspired by the need to use up Doritos I had on hand. They can’t get any easier to make. Four simple ingredients is all it takes: ground chicken, Doritos, ranch dressing, and seasoned salt. That’s it! The inside is moist and tender and contains a mixture of all the ingredients. The outside is coated with ranch and crunchy Doritos crumbs.
To make, combine all four ingredients. Form the meatballs and bake for 12 minutes. They are then brushed with a coating of ranch dressing and coated with Doritos crumbs. The meatballs are returned to the oven and baked for 8 to 10 minutes. Served with more ranch dressing as a dipping sauce, these meatballs are full of ranch and Doritos goodness.
The crumb coating is delicate but will hold up nicely. However, if you would like to have extra meatballs to reheat, brush with an egg wash instead of ranch dressing prior to rolling in Doritos crumbs. The egg is a better binder and helps keep the crumb coating from flaking off upon sitting for a couple days and upon reheating. (You would have to call it a 5-ingredient meatball, but I don’t think anyone would mind!)
Whenever there is a need for quick and simple appetizers, these chicken meatballs are the perfect answer. A batch produces about 20 1 1/2-inch meatballs and can easily be multiplied to suit your need. The next time you are trying to purge the house of Doritos, make a batch or two of these!!
Recommended supplies:
(Affiliate links. The products I recommend are either what I use, are on my wish list, or come highly rated.)
- A food processor or a rolling pin to crush Doritos into crumbs.
- Baking sheet—this is non-stick and warp resistant. It is PTFE, PFOA and BPA free. I have this brand and love it.
- Lawry’s Seasoned Salt is the seasoning for this recipe. It is a staple in my kitchen pantry.
- These silicone pastry brushes resist heat up to 450° F and are easy to clean.
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4-Ingredient Doritos Chicken Meatballs
Description
Can you believe these adorable Doritos chicken meatballs are made with only four simple ingredients? And with the flavor of cool ranch and zesty Doritos, they make a crowd pleasing appetizer for any occasion.
Ingredients
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
- Place Doritos into a small food processor and process to obtain crumbs. Alternatively, smash with a rolling pin until crumbly.
- Combine chicken, 1 cup Doritos crumbs, seasoned salt, and 1/4 cup ranch dressing until evenly blended. Roll into 1 1/2-inch balls. Place onto a prepared baking sheet. Bake for 12 minutes. Remove from oven.
- Brush the outside meatballs with the remaining 1/4 cup ranch. Roll meatballs in the remaining Doritos crumbs. Place back onto the baking sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until the juices run clear and the meatball is cooked through. Serve with additional ranch dressing.
- Makes about 20 meatballs.
Note
- If you plan to store and reheat the meatballs, brush them with an egg wash instead of ranch dressing prior to coating with Doritos crumbs. The egg wash is a better binder and will help prevent the crumbs from flaking off when reheating.
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OMG! These totally make me think of my childhood. We used doritos for a lot of recipes, haha. It's so tasty! I just know my fam would go crazy over these!!
Wow this is so yummy. I like ikea's meatballs;however, the crunchy twist given by you is mind-blowing.
Sounds like the kind of family I wanted to be in!???? Doritos add the fun to everything!
Thank you so much! As an appetizer, I thought it needed to look pretty on the outside. 🙂
How inspired Thao! But I completely understand how hard the transition out of holiday eating is. I even made a Baked Alaska in January 🙂
That sounds incredible, Inger!! You would understand that it's so hard to stop when you're on a roll! ????
Holy meatballs! These look really good and something I could eat for lunch! I haven't started my New Year's diet yet either and I don't care because the Super Bowl is next weekend and our Pats are in it to WIN IT!! lol! And because I'm going to make these meatballs for the SB party 🙂
Lol! Life is too short not to enjoy the little things! I'm thrilled that you're including the meatballs for the SB spread! I haven't exactly been paying attention to the games but will definitely tune in next Sunday. The Pats ARE going to win! Woohoo!!