Get all of the flavor of buffalo chicken wings but a whole lot less mess in these baked chicken meatballs in buffalo sauce.
Buffalo sauce and chicken are one of those iconic flavor matches that were just made for one another. I’ve got several buffalo-style recipes on my site, like my buffalo chicken drumsticks and my crispy baked Buffalo chicken breasts. And I also love a good meatball, like my favorite saucy BBQ meatballs, or my popular slow cooker Sriracha meatballs, so it only seemed like the best idea EVER to make these buffalo chicken meatballs. Your tastebuds will thank you.
For all of you buffalo chicken wing lovers (or, if you’re like me and go big with buffalo chicken legs), these chicken meatballs with buffalo sauce are going to scratch that spiced heat you know you’re craving. Unlike chicken wings, these chicken meatballs are so much easier to prep, serve, and clean up after while still soaking in and slurping up all that buffalo sauce flavor. To make things even easier, the meatballs are baked in the oven and then tossed with a basic buffalo sauce that can be made on the spot or prepped ahead and reheated if you’re making for a crowd.
What’s in Buffalo Chicken Meatballs
- Ground chicken — either use a combination of white and dark meat or just dark meat for the juiciest meatballs
- Green onions — red or white onion would work too
- Garlic
- Celery
- Eggs
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Plain dry breadcrumbs
- Canola oil, or any other oil that’s handy
- Frank’s RedHot Wings Buffalo Sauce because it is the best tasting in my opinion
- Butter
- Blue cheese crumbles, creamy blue cheese dressing, or ranch dressing for dipping
The Best Meat for Chicken Meatballs
Because of their lower fat content, chicken meatballs can taste dry if overcooked. To remedy this, I use either a combination of ground chicken breast and thighs or just ground chicken thighs. If you have a food processor (I love mine) it’s easy to make your own ground chicken. Cut the chicken into large chunks then process in batches. It’s quick and budget friendly too.
How to Make Chicken Meatballs With Buffalo Sauce
Don’t overmix the meatball blend. Over-handling the raw meat mixture will make a dry or tough meatball so while you want all of the ingredients to be evenly distributed, do so with a lighter hand.
Use a 2-inch cookie scoop to form same-size meatballs. Make the meatballs similar-sized so they cook evenly.
Bake the meatballs at a high temperature, then raise it for the last 5 minutes. A light brush of oil to the tops of the meatballs then baking at high heat seals the moisture inside the meatballs while caramelizing the outside. A blast of high heat at the end gives the meatballs a final browning.
Add the meatballs to the buffalo sauce. I always use Franks buffalo sauce because I think it has the best classic flavor, and when mixed with melted butter, creates an extra layer of lushness that’s lip-smacking delish.
How to Make These Chicken Meatballs in the Crock Pot
To make these buffalo meatballs in the slow cooker, whisk the 2 cups of buffalo sauce with the butter in the Crock Pot insert on high heat until melted. Form the meatballs and add to the slow cooker. Cook on HIGH for 2 hours or LOW for 4 hours.
Buffalo Chicken Meatballs
Ingredients
- 2 ¼ cups Frank’s RedHot Wings Buffalo Sauce
- 8 tablespoons butter
- 2 pounds ground chicken , I prefer thigh meat
- 4 green onions , white and green parts minced
- 4 cloves garlic , minced or pressed
- 2 ribs celery , finely minced
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 cup plain breadcrumbs
- canola oil for brushing the tops of the meatballs
- blue cheese dressing for dipping
Instructions
- Reserve ¼ cup of the buffalo sauce for the meatball mixture. Add 2 the rest of the sauce and the butter to a large skillet and heat over medium until the butter melts, whisking well to make a smooth sauce. Turn off the heat and cover it with a lid.
- Preheat the oven to 450°F. In a large bowl, use your hands to gently mix the ground chicken with the reserved ¼ cup of buffalo sauce, the green onion, garlic, celery, eggs, salt and pepper, and breadcrumbs until well combined. Don’t overwork the mixture or your meatballs could turn out dry or tough.
Then, use a 2-inch cookie scoop to form all of the meatballs into equal size balls, laying them out in rows on a sheet pan. Next, fill a small bowl with water, dip your hands in, then roll each of the meatballs in the palms of your hands until smooth and uniform, placing them back on the sheet pan as you go. Brush each of the tops with a little oil then bake in the oven for 10 minutes. Raise the heat to 500°F and cook for 5 more minutes to brown the tops.
- Warm the buffalo sauce on medium then add the meatballs, tossing to coat. Serve with crumbles of blue cheese on top or blue cheese dressing or ranch dressing for dipping on the side.
