Enjoy Buffalo Chicken Meatballs as a party snack, game day snack, or easy weeknight dinner idea. You only need a few ingredients along with a couple of spices, and these appetizer meatballs are done in less than 30 minutes!
Honestly, meatballs made with ground chicken are underrated. It’s cheaper to purchase than other ground meats, is a lighter option, and can be made a ton of different ways. Also, the nutrition profile for lean ground chicken is quite impressive. While these may be small they sure are mighty! Each meatball is less than 50 calories, has 5 grams of protein, and are keto, paleo, and Whole30 friendly.
By the way, it’s really easy to make a double batch of these. What you don’t eat, just freeze for later!
Love the buffalo flavor? If you are a fan of chicken buffalo wings, I know you will love this buffalo chicken meatball recipe. Lately, buffalo chicken recipes have been my jam, so I made Buffalo Chicken Fries, and the week before, I tested a Buffalo Chicken Dip recipe so I could have these perfected before the big game.
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🍗 Ingredients:
- Chicken – Ground Chicken
- Garlic – minced
- Spices/herbs – cayenne pepper, coarse black pepper, coarse sea salt, fresh parsley
- Bread crumbs – I prefer the seasoning in the Italian herbed bread crumbs
- Milk – we like whole milk, but any milk will do
- Egg – helps to bind the meatball together
- Spicy Buffalo sauce – hot buffalo sauce for that spicy flavor!!
- Ranch dressing or blue cheese dressing – for dipping or a drizzle on top
- Blue cheese crumbles – for that extra pop of flavor on top!
For a full list of ingredients and their measurements, 📋 please view my printable recipe card at the bottom of the post.
Substitutions and Variations
- Sometimes it’s difficult to find ground chicken in the grocery store. If you have an attachment on your Cuisinart or a meat grinder, you can very simply grind yourself.
- You can also use ground turkey!
- For the bread crumbs: you can also use panko breadcrumbs, plain bread crumbs, or your favorite gluten free option.
🔪 Instructions:
PREP: Line a baking sheet with parchment paper (or use non-stick cooking spray) and preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
Step 1: Combine the milk and breadcrumbs in a medium bowl and let them sit for about 5 minutes. Just long enough that the breadcrumbs absorb the milk. This will help add moisture to the meatballs.
Step 2: Combine ground chicken, garlic, black pepper, cayenne pepper, salt, and egg to the mixture and stir.
Step 3: Use a cookie scoop and form 1 ½ inch balls of the meatball mixture. Roll between your hands and place it on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat until all of the chicken meatballs are rolled. Leave just a little space between each one.
Step 4: Bake for 10 to 15 minutes in the preheated oven. Make sure the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees.
Step 5: Drizzle the buffalo sauce over the cooked meatballs and toss to coat. Transfer the meatballs to a serving platter.
GARNISH/SLICE/SERVE: Drizzle more buffalo or hot sauce, blue cheese or ranch and green onions over the Chicken Buffalo Meatballs. Serve with blue cheese, ranch, celery sticks and carrot sticks.
Recipe Tips for Chicken Buffalo Meatballs
- If you are grinding the meat yourself, its most easiest when the meat is ½ frozen.
- These would be really cute as tiny meatballs too for the perfect party appetizer. Just cut down the cooking time as needed.
- You can also cook these on the stove top in large skillet or frying pan, single layered, with olive oil.
- This can also be made in a slow cooker. Follow the recipe fully except place single layer into the slow cooker instead of the oven.
- The secret to keeping buffalo meatballs tender is to not overcook them. Because ground chicken is very lean it can dry out quicker than beef meatballs. Use a digital thermometer to check the internal temperature of the meatballs. Remove them from the oven as soon as they reach 165°F on the meat thermometer.
Once they have cooled completely, they are ready to be put away. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
You can freeze the meatballs raw or after they have been cooked. They will be good for up to 3 months in the freezer in an airtight container.
More Tasty Appetizer Recipes
If you tried this recipe for Buffalo Chicken Meatballs or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how you liked it in the 📝 comments below.
Buffalo Chicken Meatballs
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground chicken
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ½ teaspoon coarse black pepper
- ½ teaspoon coarse sea salt
- ½ cup Italian herb seasoned bread crumbs
- ½ cup milk
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon chopped parsley plus more for garnish
- 2 tablespoon Buffalo sauce
- 2 tablespoon Ranch or blue cheese dressing
- Blue cheese crumbles for garnish, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F.
- In a medium bowl, mix together bread crumbs and milk. Allow the bread crumbs to absorb the milk for about 5 minutes.
- Add ground chicken, minced garlic, cayenne pepper, black pepper, salt, and egg to the bread crumb mixture and stir well.
- Use a 1 ½ tablespoon cookie scoop to form equal balls of the meat mixture. Roll each ball between your palms and place on a parchment paper-lined baking pan/sheet.
- Bake 10-15 minutes or until the center of the meatballs reach 165°F.
- Drizzle with ½ cup of buffalo sauce and toss to coat the meatballs.
- Place meatballs on a platter for serving. Drizzle with more buffalo sauce and ranch dressing. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and blue cheese crumbles, if desired.
- Serve with toothpicks.
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