Buffalo Chicken Meatballs have the same great flavor of buffalo wings, but are baked instead of fried. Made with ground chicken and seasoned with delicious garlic and ranch seasoning, they’re the perfect party snack for your next gathering.

air fryer buffalo chicken meatballs on a white plate with ranch on the side

We just love any food with buffalo sauce in our house. Buffalo Chicken Dip was the first thing I ever tried with buffalo sauce, and I couldn’t stop eating it!

Buffalo Chicken Egg Rolls are a game day recipe staple during football season and we can’t get enough of these Buffalo Tofu Bowls for weekday lunch!

Anything is delicious when you add buffalo sauce to it. These savory meatballs are extremely tender and full of flavor and they are a healthier way to kick a buffalo chicken wings craving.

Meatballs are healthy, low carb, and satisfying. They make the perfect party appetizer or you can turn them into a main dish by putting them in a meatball sub. They’re simple to prepare for a large group, they freeze well, and they can be easily customized.

ground chicken, ranch seasoning, buffalo sauce, diced onion, panko, blue cheese in small bowls

What’s in Buffalo Chicken Meatballs?

This buffalo chicken meatballs recipe isn’t much different than your usual chicken meatballs. For this recipe, you’ll need:

Ground chicken: using ground chicken makes it easy to mold and form the meatballs. Ground turkey is a good alternative if you aren’t a fan of ground chicken.

Panko bread crumbs: a little bit of panko bread crumbs will help keep the meatballs together. You can also use regular bread crumbs if that’s what you have on hand.

Garlic: garlic is essential in flavoring meatballs. If you’re out of fresh garlic, you can use 1/2 tbsp of garlic powder.

Egg: an egg acts as a binder to help keep the meatballs together, while also making them more dense so they keep their shape.

Ranch seasoning: a packet of dry ranch seasoning makes seasoning the meatballs easy.

Onion: onions bring out all of the flavor and also add to the texture of the meatballs.

I love to serve my buffalo meatballs with carrots and celery stalks.

Buffalo Sauce Ingredients

Butter: butter will smooth out the sauce and help balance all of the flavors.

Honey: we will be adding some honey to sweeten the sauce a bit.

Crumbled blue cheese: blue cheese will melt and make the buffalo sauce creamy. Using a block of blue cheese will melt faster than the store-bought blue cheese crumbles.

Buffalo sauce: the most important ingredient in this recipe, the buffalo sauce adds a tangy and spicy flavor to the meatballs.

how to make air fryer buffalo chicken meatballs

How to make Buffalo Chicken Meatballs

Preheat oven to 425° F and prepare a large baking sheet. Brush a thin layer of olive oil on the baking sheet or sheet pan to prevent the meatballs from sticking to it.

Prepare the sauce. In a small saucepan over medium heat, whisk buffalo sauce, butter, honey, and crumbled blue cheese until cheese and butter have melted. Allow the sauce to cool.

Combine the ingredients. In a medium bowl, combine bread crumbs, garlic, egg, ranch seasoning, and diced onion, ground chicken, and half of the buffalo sauce mixture and mix until combined. Don’t overmix it or they may fall apart when cooking.

Assemble the meatballs. Using clean hands or a cookie scoop, form 1 -inch meatballs from the meatball mixture. Place the meatballs onto the prepared baking sheet. Wetting your hands slightly will prevent the meatballs from sticking to you.

Bake for 12 minutes. Brush with a thin layer of the buffalo sauce mixture again and bake for 3-5 more minutes or until meatballs have reached 160° F.

Serve with blue cheese dressing for dipping and celery sticks to compliment. You can garnish the meatballs with green onions too if you like.

What is ground chicken?

Ground chicken is a healthier alternative to ground beef. It’s finely chopped and made from both the white and dark meat of a chicken and may also have a little chicken skin in it too. Ground chicken is a good source of protein and is lower in cholesterol than most meats.

When uncooked, ground chicken is pink in color, and turns white when you cook it. It’s so easy to prepare recipes with ground chicken, as it cooks fairly quickly. Ground chicken will likely turn the color of any sauces and seasonings you use.

buffalo chicken meatballs on a white plate with toothpicks and a white napkin

Should I put egg in my meatballs?

Yes! Adding an egg will help bind and shape the meatballs. The egg cooks inside the meatballs, solidifying, and helping the meatballs hold their shape. Egg will not take away the flavors of the meatballs, so don’t worry about your meatballs tasting eggy.

If you choose not to add egg to your meatballs, they might fall apart while cooking. You can substitute eggs with:

2 tablespoons buttermilk per egg.
3 tablespoons of plain yogurt per egg.
1/4 cup ricotta cheese per egg.

What is buffalo flavor made of?

Buffalo sauce is a delicious, creamy sauce made by combining bottled hot sauce with butter. Buffalo sauce has a smoother consistency than hot sauce and has a tangy and spicy flavor.

Homemade buffalo sauce consists of hot sauce, butter, and other spices. Making homemade buffalo sauce allows you to be able to adjust the spice and flavor to your preference.

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