These delicious Mexican meatballs, or Albondigas en Chipotle, have a wonderful surprise – they are filled with boiled eggs. The meatballs are cooked in a smokey chipotle sauce and are great served over rice. Your guests will love this flavor packed dish!

Some of my favorite recipes of all time use chipotle peppers in adobo sauce.
I just adore the smoky, slightly spicy flavor that the peppers give a dish. We make these Albondigas En Chipotle, Chilaquiles Rojos Recipe and this Chicken Tinga Recipe a lot.
Other than being Mexican inspired recipes, the one thing they all have in common is that smoky flavor from the chipotle peppers in adobo sauce.
Today’s recipe for Albondigas En Chipotle, otherwise known as meatballs in chipotle sauce, is another recipe from someone I know that spent 20 years living in Mexico. She learned this recipe from some friends that are great cooks while she was there.
I absolutely love the homemade sauce. I am honored that she is sharing this recipe with me and I get to share it with you! The balance of smoky and spicy together with the meatballs is just the perfect match in my opinion.
I like to serve these over rice with pinto or black beans or I will serve tortillas on the side to soak up all of those delicious juices.
My kids just love meatballs whether it is chipotle sauce meatballs, Mediterranean Baked Turkey Meatballs, Beef Kafta Meatballs, Greek Meatballs or these Slow Cooker Mediterranean Beef Meatballs.

What are Albondigas en Chipotle?
Albondigas al chipotle is a traditional Mexican dish consisting of meatballs (albondigas) cooked in a savory and spicy tomato-based sauce flavored with chipotle chiles. It is smoky, a bit spicy and hearty. It is a comfort meal often served with rice, tortillas, or crusty bread.
Recipe Ingredients You’ll Need:
- Beef: I like a little fat in the ground beef to help hold together the meatballs. I suggest using an 80/20 ground beef.
- White Long Grain Rice: This helps the meatballs hold together.
- Roma Tomatoes: I prefer these roma tomatoes but any tomato will work great.
- Eggs: You will be using hard boiled eggs for the inside of the meatball, and raw eggs for the meatball mix to help hold it all together.
- Chipotle Chili Peppers: The chipotle chili peppers make the nice smokey sauce for the meatballs to cook in.
- Garlic and Onion: The garlic cloves and onion helps flavor the meatballs.
- Fresh Mint: The mint might sound weird but it adds a nice refreshing flavor and it is very subtle. You can skip it if you want.
- Spices: These cumin and smoked paprika spices really add a nice flavor to the dish.
How do You Make these albóndigas en chipotle
Step 1: Boil Tomatoes, Garlic & Onion: Place the tomatoes, garlic and the sliced white onion in a pot. Cover with water and boil. Once the water has begun to boil, cook for 5 minutes.
Step 2: Add to Blender: Spoon the vegetables into a food processor or blender with 1/4 of the cooking liquid, and the chipotle chiles in adobo sauce.


Step 3: Blend: Blend the tomato sauce until it becomes a smooth sauce.
Step 4: Simmer Sauce: Pour into a large pan and simmer the sauce over medium heat. Stir occasionally. Cook the sauce for 15 to 20 minutes before adding the meatballs to the sauce.


Step 5: Blend: Blend the mint leaves with a tablespoon of water until smooth. In a mixing bowl combine the hamburger, rice, mint/water mixture, salt and pepper, cumin and paprika and two raw eggs.

Step 6: Form Meatball: Place the boiled eggs in a bowl and chop them up. Get a tablespoon of the meat mixture and form a ball. Make an indentation in the center and fill with some chopped boiled eggs.
Step 7: Simmer Meatballs: Close the meatball over the eggs. Place the meatballs into the simmering sauce and simmer for 25 minutes or until the meatballs are cooked through. Serve with warm tortillas or on top of white rice with fresh cilantro.


Recipe FAQ
If you like an extra smoky or spicy flavor add more chipotle peppers or you can add chopped jalapeños or hot sauce. You can also add a sliver of serrano or jalapeño pepper to the center of each meatball when you add the egg for extra heat.
If you like cheese try adding a small cube of cheese, like cheddar or pepper jack, to the enter of the meatball with the egg.
If you like your meatballs to have a harder crust on the outside of them you can sear them in a skillet with vegetable or olive oil first. This helps to create the crispy outside and then you can simmer them in the sauce to cook them through.
Another option if you don’t like the softer meatballs is to bake your meatballs before adding them to the sauce. I suggest baking them at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes. Then you can ladle the sauce into a bowl and add in the meatballs to each persons bowl.
Instead of the rice you could use regular bread crumbs to help hold the meatballs together.

Ways to Modify these Meatballs:
- Protein: I personally love the flavor of beef in this recipe but you can easily use ground lamb, pork, chicken or turkey.
- Garnish: I am the queen of garnishes. Add freshly chopped cilantro and green onion, radish, avocado, crumbled cotija cheese or crispy tortilla strips on top of the meatballs.
- Spiciness: Reduce the number of chipotle peppers or use a mild chili like guajillo or ancho instead.
- Smokiness: Add smoked paprika or roasted tomatoes to amplify the smoky flavor.
- Baked Meatballs: Layer the cooked meatballs and sauce in a baking dish, top with cheese, and bake until bubbly. You also could create a casserole by combining the meatballs with cooked pasta or rice and bake for an all-in-one dish.
Storage Tips:
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
To freeze these meatballs let them cool completely and then you can freeze them in an airtight container or a ziplock bag for up to 3 months.

Ways to Serve these Meatballs
While I can eat these as a meal paired with a veggie and a salad they would also make a great appetizer. Put a toothpick in each meatball and serve with the sauce on the side.
I also love these meatballs as a meal. Serve alongside brown rice or cilantro rice, with tortillas or with black beans or refried beans.
Serve these meatballs with some delicious garnishes like pico de gallo, salsa, pickled vegetables, pickled red onions, queso fresco or this Easy Curtido Recipe.
Other Mexican Style Recipes You Might Like:
- Mexican Zucchini
- Mexican Lentil Soup
- Chicken Tinga
- Chilaquiles Rojos Recipe
- Slow Cooker Mexican Beef Brisket
- Slow Cooker Beef Barbacoa
If you try it, please leave me a star rating and comment below, and follow me on Instagram @acedarspoon for more delicious recipes!

Albondigas en Chipotle
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- 6 eggs, 4 boiled and peeled, 2 raw
- 1/4 cup white long grain rice
- 3 sprigs fresh mint, chopped
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 6 roma tomatoes
- 3 chipotle chili peppers in adobo sauce
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/4 of an white or sweet onion, divided, half sliced, half diced
Instructions
- Place the tomatoes, garlic and the sliced onion in a pot. Cover with water and boil. Once the water has begun to boil, cook for 5 minutes. Spoon the vegetables into a blender with ¼ of the cooking liquid, and the chipotle chilis in adobo sauce. Blend until smooth.
- Pour into a large pan and simmer the sauce over medium low heat. Stir occassionaly. Cook the sauce for 15 to 20 minutes before adding the meatballs to the sauce.
- Blend the mint with a tablespoon of water until smooth.
- In a mixing bowl combine the hamburger, rice, mint/water mixture, salt and pepper, cumin and paprika and two raw eggs.
- Place the boiled eggs in a bowl and chop them up.
- Get a tablespoon of the meat and form a ball. Make an indentation in the center and fill with some chopped boiled eggs.
- Close the meatball over the eggs.
- Place the meatballs into the simmering sauce and simmer for 25 minutes or until the meatballs are cooked through.
- Taste and adjust the seasoning and salt and pepper.
- Serve over rice or with refried beans and tortillas.
Notes
- How do I serve these?
Serve over rice or with a side of refried beans and tortillas. - How do I store leftovers?
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or you can freeze for up to 3 months.
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