Best Damn Buffalo Chicken Meatballs

Get ready to take your taste buds on a spicy and savory journey with this recipe for buffalo chicken meatballs! These delectable meatballs are loaded with tangy buffalo wing sauce that will leave your mouth watering for more. Perfect for parties or as a quick and easy meal, these meatballs are a simple and exciting dish that’s sure to be a hit with everyone.

This easy recipe takes the flavor of buffalo chicken wings you know and love, and combines it with homemade chicken meatballs to create a dish that’s bursting with flavor!

What are Buffalo Chicken Meatballs?

Buffalo chicken meatballs are an exciting recipe that combines buffalo wing sauce right into the ingredient list for chicken meatballs. We’ll also bake some blue cheese crumbles right into the meatballs for an extra savory and delicious taste adventure. The meatballs are baked in the oven for under a half hour, tossed in some more sauce and they’re ready to serve. It’s s super easy recipe and is perfect for feeding a hungry group during parties, potlucks, gametime and more.

Ingredients

Wing sauce has become a staple on the shelves at most supermarkets. In fact, you’ll probably find several brands with varying levels of heat. Wing sauce, by nature, is milder than traditional hot sauce. I’m a big fan of Frank’s Wing Sauce. You can find it almost anywhere and it’s got a great tangy, vibrant flavor, while still being on the mild side in terms of heat and spiciness.

The meatballs themselves will combine a pound of ground chicken, breadcrumbs, one egg, onion powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper, along with our wing sauce which will get ¼ cup mixed right in. Oh, we’ll also mix in some blue cheese crumbles. These add an amazing flavor and help keep the meatballs juicy, tender and the perfect texture.

Preparation

Preheat your oven to 400°(F) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. One thing to keep in mind is that we’re going to want the meatball mixture to be cold when we form the meatballs. So don’t take the ground chicken out of the fridge until you’re ready to go.

Start with a large mixing bowl and add all the ingredients together with ¼ cup of the wing sauce. Mix it well with your hands or a wooden spoon until everything is well combined. We don’t want to overwork the meat. By that I mean we don’t want to overmix it into a paste. We want to it have a texture similar to meatloaf. So work all those ingredients together well, but just don’t press and squeeze it to death.

Wet your hands with a little cold water and then begin shaping the meat into small meatballs of about 1 – 1.5 inches in diameter. Ya know – small meatball size. Place each meatball onto the lined baking sheet. You should be able to make approximately 24 meatballs with the ingredients as listed.

Bake in Oven at 400°(F) for 20 Minutes

One of the great things about his recipe is that there’s no need to make a mess using a skillet on the stovetop. The meatballs will cook to perfection right in the oven in about 20 minutes. Make sure to use an instant-read thermometer to check for an internal temperature of at least 165°(F). When done, remove from oven and let cool for a couple of minutes.

Get Ready for Serving

After the meatballs have had a minute or two to cool to the touch, carefully remove them from the baking sheet. They may be a little stuck on as some of the blue cheese will have melted. This is exactly what we want! Oh, that melty blue cheese adds SO much to these meatballs!

Now you have a couple of options… I like to toss the meatballs with additional wing sauce before serving. But, you can also serve without the additional sauce, especially if some may like them a little less spicy. If serving for a party, you can serve half coated, and half uncoated.

I also like to add some fresh chopped green onions or chives. It looks great and adds some additional crunch and flavor.

Serving Suggestions

You can plate the Buffalo chicken meatballs on a serving plate or bowl and poke with toothpicks so everyone can grab on at their leisure. I also like to have some blue cheese dressing and ranch dressing available for the meatballs to take a cool dip before enjoying.

Naturally, as we’ve all enjoyed Buffalo chicken wings before, we know they go well with fresh celery. That cool, crisp crunch is the perfect companion for our Buffalo chicken meatballs as well.

Storage and Reheating

These meatballs are excellent to save and enjoy another day. Simply keep in an air-tight container and store in refrigerator for 3-4 days.

To reheat, simply microwave for 1-2 minutes or until heated through. Add additional wing sauce to prevent drying out.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Can this recipe be doubled?
A: Absolutely! Simply double all the ingredients. Make sure the meatballs are not touching on the baking sheet.

Q: Can a different cheese be used?
A: Sure can. Blue cheese is very popular with buffalo wings and pairs great with these meatballs. Other popular options include cheddar cheese and feta cheese.

Q: Are these meatballs spicy?
A: The meatballs will be only as spicy as the wing sauce you use. There are many kinds available and most will indicate the “heat” level.

You Might Also Like…

While we’re on the topic of awesome and quick appetizers, snack/feed a hungry bunch type of recipes, you might also like some of these favorites:

• Best Damn Air Fryer Chicken Wings. No mess, no fuss, just a simple seasoning blend and then air fried to crispy, juicy perfection.
• Buffalo Chicken Tater Tot Casserole. Just look at all the individual words in this recipe and tell me how awesome this sounds
• Best Damn Air Fryer Chicken Legs. Another all-time favorite that’s super easy to make and disappears quickly.

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