This Buffalo Chicken Meatballs are flavorful, flavorful and cooked absolutely to perfection. The meatballs are coated in a buttery crumb crust and simmered in a flavorful buffalo sauce – it’s the ultimate game day appetizer!
Spicy meatballs with buffalo chicken
If you love to indulge in Buffalo Chicken Wings every now and then, these Buffalo Chicken Meatballs will make you obsessed! The flavors are on a whole new level, and it only gets better…because we have the DELICIOUS homemade ranch to dip your meatballs.
Whether you use this meatball recipe as an appetizer, a healthy snack, or a main course for dinner, there are so many ways you can enjoy this delicious dish. Put it in a salad. Stick them in a hot dog bun. Lay them over pasta – the world is your meatball. (LOL)
Why You’ll Love Them!
- A recipe without an oven.
- A healthy meatball alternative!
- Go ahead and prepare meals.
- There are so many ways to serve them!
- They taste oh so delicious.
What you need
- Butter: For this recipe you will need both melted salted butter and cold, grated salted butter!
- Frank’s Hot Sauce: The king of all buffalo sauces, Frank’s delivers that classic, spicy buffalo flavor we all love.
- Honey: Honey is great for adding some sweetness to the buffalo sauce to deepen the flavor and balance out the spiciness.
- ground beef: We used pre-ground chicken for this recipe. If you want a lighter and fluffier meatball, you can always grind your own chicken!
- breadcrumbs: Whether it’s panko, Italian, or homemade breadcrumbs, every type of breadcrumb tastes amazing!
- Egg: Egg serves as a binding agent so that the meatballs hold together nicely.
- Spices: We used spices like garlic powder, thyme, parsley, and dried chives to add loads of flavor to these meatballs.
- Salt pepper: Salt and pepper are staples to enhance the flavor of any dish. That includes these meatballs!
- Olive oil: You must have some olive oil to ensure your meatballs don’t stick to the pan.
What’s in our home made ranch?
- Greek yogurt: We used Greek yogurt as it is healthier compared to sour cream. Use one or the other!
- buttermilk: Buttermilk is the foundation of a good ranch. That makes it creamy and delicious.
- Mayonnaise: Mayo is also great for adding creamy texture and rich flavor to ranch. You can always substitute with vegan mayo if needed.
- Spices: We used a seasoning mix of parsley, chives, dried dill, onion powder, and garlic powder for this ranch!
- Sugar: Sugar adds a touch of sweetness and balances out all the flavors of this homemade ranch.
- Salt pepper: Salt and pepper are necessary to bring out all the flavors.
- Lemon peel: Lemon adds acidity and zest to the ranch to create the classic ranch flavor.
- white wine vinegar: another great ingredient for adding acidity. Don’t skip it!
Try it!
Home made ranch
So our Homemade Ranch Recipe makes the perfect dipping sauce for these buffalo meatballs!
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Easy exchange
Need to swap some recipes? No problem. Below are some common recipe swaps for this recipe.
- Ground Chicken —> Ground turkey, ground pork, ground beef or a combination of these.
- Dried dill —> dried tarragon
- greek yogurt -> sour cream
How to make Buffalo Chicken Meatballs
PREPARE THE RANCH DRESSING
Place all ingredients in a medium-sized bowl and whisk. Put aside.
PREPARE BUFFALO SAUCE
Next, melt butter in a saucepan. Then stir in the buffalo sauce and honey. Remove from stove and set aside.
ASSEMBLE MEATBALLS
Place all the ingredients for the meatballs in a large mixing bowl and mix together with your hands. Using a tablespoon scoop, scoop about 2 tablespoons of the ground chicken mixture and form a ball with your hands.
Pro tip: It helps if you wet your hands for this step! Repeat until all meatballs are done.
BROWN MEATBALLS
Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sear the meatballs for 2-3 minutes on each side until the internal temperature reaches 165ºF.
Pro tip: It takes about 10 minutes to brown the meatballs. However, the time may vary depending on the stovetop and the size of the meatballs.
COOKING EVERYTHING TOGETHER
Add the buffalo sauce to the meatballs and simmer over medium-high heat. Flip the meatballs so they are coated in sauce.
SERVE + ENJOY
Remove from heat and serve with homemade ranch or blue cheese. Enjoy!
What to serve with Buffalo Chicken Meatballs
These delicious chicken meatballs are the perfect game day appetizer. If you want to make this a complete meal, we recommend serving it over pasta like our Wholemeal Pasta with Sundried Tomatoes, Pasta Primavera, and Vegan Pasta with Creamy Tomatoes.
It’s also great mixed with mac and cheese and even salads like our Chicken Caesar Salad or Siracha Chicken Salad (keep the chicken!).
frequently asked Questions
You’ll know your chicken meatballs are done cooking when the juices run clear, it’s piping hot throughout, and there’s no pink meat left.
Using an egg will ensure your meatballs stay together. However, if you use too much or too little egg, they can fall apart.
We recommend only using a smaller egg for best results. If you’re egg-free, you can always soak your breadcrumbs in milk instead, being careful to squeeze out excess milk.
freezer instructions
We recommend freezing these meatballs BEFORE adding them to the sauce.
- Place them in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Freeze them for 2 hours. Once set, transfer to an airtight container lined with parchment paper or a Ziploc bag for up to 3 months.
- Once you’re ready to serve them, thaw and reheat in a skillet, then toss with the buffalo sauce.
storage
Store your leftover buffalo chicken meatballs in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
To warm up: Place the meatballs in the air fryer for a few minutes or in the oven for 10 minutes until heated through.
Photography: The photos captured in this post are by Erin from The Wooden Skillet.
Photography: The photos captured in this post are by Ashley McGlaughlin of The Edible Perspective.