Juicy Buffalo Chicken Meatballs (Printable version)
Tender chicken meatballs baked and tossed in a spicy, buttery buffalo sauce for a flavorful bite.
# What You'll Need:
→ For the Meatballs
01 - 1 lb ground chicken
02 - 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
03 - 1 large egg
04 - 1/4 cup finely chopped celery
05 - 1/4 cup finely chopped green onions
06 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
07 - 1/2 tsp salt
08 - 1/2 tsp black pepper
09 - 1/2 tsp onion powder
→ For the Buffalo Sauce
10 - 1/3 cup hot sauce
11 - 2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
12 - 1 tbsp honey
→ Optional Serving Accompaniments
13 - 1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese or ranch dressing
14 - Celery sticks
15 - Carrot sticks
# Directions:
01 - Preheat oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
02 - In a large bowl, combine ground chicken, breadcrumbs, egg, celery, green onions, garlic, salt, pepper, and onion powder. Mix until just combined; do not overmix.
03 - Using damp hands or a small scoop, form mixture into 1 1/2-inch balls and place on the prepared baking sheet.
04 - Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, or until meatballs are cooked through and lightly browned.
05 - While meatballs bake, whisk together hot sauce, melted butter, and honey in a large bowl.
06 - When meatballs are done, add them to the bowl with the buffalo sauce and toss gently to coat evenly.
07 - Serve immediately with blue cheese or ranch dressing, celery, and carrot sticks.
# Expert advice:
01 -
- These disappear faster than you can say touchdown, even with people who swear they dont like spicy food
- The honey in the sauce creates this perfect sticky coating that keeps every meatball impossibly juicy
02 -
- Do not skip the damp hands trick when shaping or you will end up with sticky meatball hands for hours
- The honey is not optional, it is what keeps the sauce from being one-note spicy
03 -
- Let the meatballs rest about 5 minutes after baking before tossing in sauce so they do not fall apart
- Double the sauce recipe because everyone always wants to dip their veggies twice