These cocktail meatballs are sure to be a hit at your next party! They are an inventive way to switch up the classic chicken wing appetizer! Introducing, Buffalo Chicken Meatballs.
Buffalo Chicken Wings are a classic game time appetizer. Perfectly fried (or baked) for optimal crunchiness, tossed in a mixture of butter and spices to produce a finger lickin’, sweat producing, nose running appetizer, how can you go wrong?
Chicken Wings- In Meatball Form
I love wings, but hate the mess of eating them, so I frequently will order or make a boneless version. The boneless version usually required utensils, which adds a whole element to a finger food spread.
The answer: Buffalo Chicken Meatballs!
Chicken is a little more difficult to make into a meatball because it does not have as much fat as beef, but with enough binder you can roll anything into a bite size ball!
Please beware that this recipe isn’t for the lover of a mild wing…or one who even asks “is that hot?” It is hot and you will break a sweat. I used premade Buffalo Wing Sauce, however you can easily make your own to suit your taste buds.
Why You’ll Love These Buffalo Chicken Meatballs
What’s not to love about meatballs coated in a spicy, buttery hot sauce?
- Healthier alternative – Because we use a lean ground chicken rather than ground beef, these are a healthier option compared to regular meatballs.
- Versatile – You can make these delicious buffalo chicken meatballs for any occasion. Great for both football season or a weeknight dinner.
- Great for meal prep – Because they freeze so beautifully, you could make a double batch, add them to a freezer bag and thaw when you’re ready to eat!
Buffalo Chicken Meatballs Ingredients
The simple ingredients of these easy buffalo chicken meatballs can easily be found at your local grocery store if you don’t already have them at home.
- Ground chicken – I like to use lean ground chicken. Of course, you can swap this out for a ground beef, ground turkey or ground veal.
- Egg – Egg acts as a binder. It helps to hold all of the meatball ingredients together. Any time a recipe calls for eggs, assume it means a large egg.
- Italian style bread crumbs – I love the flavor that Italian style breadcrumbs have. You can also just use regular breadcrumbs with some Italian seasoning added to them.
- Seasoning – Because this buffalo chicken meatballs recipe already has so much flavor, we only need a few seasonings. Sea salt, freshly ground black pepper, cayenne pepper and minced dried onion.
- Buffalo wing sauce – Of course you could use any type of hot sauce, but it won’t have that signature buffalo flavors. Make sure there is a buffalo distinction.
- Blue cheese dressing – I blended blue cheese dressing into my Buffalo Chicken Meatball sauce to take it up a notch and give it the ultimate buffalo wings experience.
- Blue cheese – This is optional, but blue cheese crumbles are the perfect wat to top these healthy buffalo chicken meatballs.
How to Make Buffalo Chicken Meatballs
These buffalo meatballs couldn’t be easier to make.
- Prepare oven and baking dish. Preheat oven and coat a 9×13 glass baking dish with cooking spray. Ground chicken doesn’t have a lot of fat, so you run the risk of sticking.
- Combine meatball ingredients. In a large mixing bowl combine ground chicken though minced dried onion. With very clean heads or wearing non-powder latex gloves, mix thoroughly.
- Make meatballs. Form meatballs with your hands. Because the amounts of water added to ground chicken vary you may need to add extra breadcrumbs to help bind. You could also use a cookie scoop to make sure they are uniform.
- Bake. Bake until outsides are fully cooked. Meanwhile, combine buffalo wing sauce and blue cheese in a medium sauce pan. Heat and stir over medium heat until combined.
- Toss in sauce. Add meatballs to sauce and simmer. Sprinkle with crumbled blue cheese and serve hot!
How to Serve
Just like with regular buffalo wings, these meatballs would taste great with some carrot sticks or celery sticks. They’d make the perfect appetizer for football Sundays just as is. We also like to serve ours with extra blue cheese sauce or ranch sauce for dipping.
You could also turn these into a main meal. I adore a good meatball sub, and this buffalo chicken meatball recipe is perfect for making one. An excellent weeknight meal or game day snack. Serve with french fries or your favorite side dish.
Variations
We love these baked buffalo chicken meatballs exactly as the original recipe is written; however, there are different ways you can make them your own.
- Protein – They wouldn’t really be chicken meatballs anymore, but you could certainly use beef or ground turkey instead.
- Blue cheese – If you aren’t a fan of blue cheese, you can certainly swap it out for ranch dressing- another flavor that pairs well with buffalo sauce.
- Frozen meatballs – Low on time? Just buy frozen meatballs at the store. Make sure to read my tips for better meatballs before you get started.
- Toppings – In addition to the blue cheese crumbles, you could top these meatballs with green onions, a drizzle of ranch or anything else you’d like to.
- Cooking method – I haven’t tried it yet, but it would be very easy to make this recipe in the crock pot, slow cooker or even the air fryer if you’d like to.
Storage and Freezing
Storage: You can store any leftover meatballs in an airtight container in the refrigerator. They will stay good for up to 3-5 days.
Freezing: You can also freeze these meatballs. Store in the same way, in an airtight container, and they will last for up to 3 months.
Frequently Asked Questions
The key to this is having the correct binder. The breadcrumbs and egg is exactly what we need this for.
Buffalo sauce is made up of three main components. Cayenne pepper hot sauce, melted butter and vinegar with a combination of other seasonings.
This recipe doesn’t require chilling before hand, but chilling does allow the meatballs to hold their shape better.
More Great Meatball Recipes
- BBQ Bacon Wrapped Meatballs
- Grandma’s BBQ Meatballs
- One Pound Meatballs
- Best Italian Meatballs
- Chicken Piccata Meatballs
Everything Meatball Stromboli
Meatballs with Cranberry Sauce
Cheesy Garlic Meatball Bombs
Buffalo Chicken Meatball Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground chicken , hand torn into small pieces
- 1 egg , beaten
- 3/4 cup Italian style bread crumbs , or plain with 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon coarse Kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon minced dried onion
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne
- 1 cup Buffalo Wing Sauce
- 2 tablespoons blue cheese dressing , plus more for dipping
- 2 tablespoons blue cheese , crumbled
- Cooking Spray
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and coat a 9×13 baking dish with cooking spray. Ground chicken doesn't have a lot of fat, so you run the risk of sticking.
- In a large mixing bowl combine the ground chicken, egg, bread crumbs, dried onion flakes, salt, pepper and cayenne. With very clean heads or wearing non-powder latex gloves, mix thoroughly.
- Form the meat mixture into 2-inch meatballs with your hands. Because the amounts of water added to ground chicken vary you may need to add extra breadcrumbs to help bind.
- Bake the meatballs for 20 minutes, or until outsides are fully cooked and inside registrars at 165°F.
- Meanwhile, combine the buffalo wing sauce and 2 tablespoons of blue cheese dressing in a medium saucepan over low heat.
- Add the meatballs to sauce and simmer for an additional 10-20 minutes. Sprinkle with crumbled blue cheese and serve hot!
- If you've tried this recipe, come back and let us know how it was in the comments or star ratings.
These meatballs will be on the menu for all our game day get togethers!
I’d make these every night if I could! SO GOOD and easy to make too!