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You are here: Home / Recipes / Main Dishes / Buffalo Chicken Meatballs

Buffalo Chicken Meatballs

Published: July 23, 2022 | Updated: July 19, 2022 | By: Jordan

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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

  1. 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.
  1. 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.
  1. 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.
  1. 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.
  1. 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.
  1. 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.

More Chicken Recipes

  • Simple Chicken Pho
  • Air Fryer Chicken And Broccoli
  • Oven Baked Chicken Tenders
  • Greek Yogurt Chicken Marinade

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PIN IT to your chicken recipes, dinner recipes, or meatball recipes board to save it for later!
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air fryer buffalo chicken meatballs on a white plate
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5 from 6 votes

Buffalo Chicken Meatballs

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.
Prep Time15 mins
Cook Time15 mins
Total Time30 mins
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: buffalo chicken meatballs
Servings: 18 meatballs
Calories: 78kcal
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Author: Jordan

Ingredients

  • 3 tablespoons butter
  • 1 teaspoon honey
  • 1/3 cup crumbled blue cheese
  • 1/3 cup buffalo sauce, plus more for serving
  • ½ cup panko bread crumbs
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 egg
  • 1 ounce ranch seasoning
  • ¼ cup finely diced onion
  • 1 pound ground chicken
  • blue cheese dressing, for serving
  • celery, for serving

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 425° F and brush a large baking sheet with a thin layer of olive oil.
  • In a small saucepan over medium heat, add hot sauce, butter, honey, and crumbled blue cheese. Whisk constantly for about 4 minutes, or until cheese and butter have melted. Remove from heat and allow to cool completely.
    Note: cheese will melt best if using a block of blue cheese rather than pre crumbled.
  • In a medium sized mixing bowl, combine panko bread crumbs, garlic, egg, ranch seasoning, and diced onion. Add ground chicken and half the hot sauce mixture and mix until combined.
  • Form 1-inch meatballs and transfer to prepared baking sheet. Bake 12 min, brush with a thin layer of the buffalo sauce mixture and continue baking for 3-5 more minutes or until meatballs have reached 160° F.

Nutrition

Calories: 78kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 38mg | Sodium: 329mg | Potassium: 147mg | Fiber: 0.1g | Sugar: 0.4g | Vitamin A: 91IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 20mg | Iron: 0.3mg
Nutrition information is approximate and was calculated using a recipe nutrition label generator.
Tried this recipe?I’d love to see your dish, mention @jzeats or tag #jzeats!
54 shares

Published: July 23, 2022 Filed Under: Chicken, Main Dishes, Meal Prep That Doesn't Suck

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Sharon

    July 26, 2022 at 5:07 pm

    5 stars
    These buffalo chicken meatballs are a great party appetizer. They are really easy to whip up when we have guests and everyone loves them.

    Reply
  2. Tayler Ross

    July 26, 2022 at 5:10 pm

    5 stars
    I made these meatballs for dinner last night and they were incredible! Thanks so much for sharing the recipe!

    Reply
  3. Tavo

    July 26, 2022 at 5:10 pm

    5 stars
    So good! I just finished making the chicken balls, and they are fantastic!

    Reply
  4. Kathleen

    July 26, 2022 at 5:15 pm

    5 stars
    Oh do I love this recipe. These buffalo chicken meatballs are a perfect appetizer or snack. Can’t wait to make them again!

    Reply
  5. Rehoboth

    February 26, 2023 at 5:47 am

    5 stars
    Wonderful recipe
    Thanks

    Reply

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about meI’m that girl behind the camera and the creator of all the delicious recipes on this website. I’m a Baltimore food blogger who enjoys nothing more than food!
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