Game day or any day, these Buffalo BBQ Chicken Meatballs will hit the spot. They’re baked to perfection with browned edges and a tender center then coated in a tangy, sweet n’ spicy sauce. They’re the perfect make-ahead app and freezer friendly!
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How to Make the Sauce
Traditional buffalo sauce gets a new spin with the addition of bbq sauce, worcestershire, apple cider vinegar, honey, and a good pinch of ground celery seed. A pat of butter gives the sauce a glossy finish and the result is a rich flavor that keeps the heat with a bit of sweet.
How to Make Chicken Meatballs
For the meatballs, all the ingredients get mixed together at once to keep things simple. So easy! Ground chicken is more moist than ground beef so the mixture may seem on the wetter side. That’s ok! It means you’ll have nice, tender meatballs.
TIP: When forming them, have a bowl of water next to you to keep your hands wet. That way the mixture will form a smoother meatball and not stick to you.
The uncooked meatballs can be made a day ahead of serving. Just loosely cover and stick in the fridge. When ready to eat, pop in a preheated oven and in just 15 minutes you’ll have pillowy meatballs with browned edges ready to bathe in that silky, sweet n’ spicy sauce.
When I bake them in advance, I’ll rewarm them in a slow cooker on low so they stay hot throughout the game. Serve them up with a bunch of celery sticks, crumbled blue or gorgonzola cheese, and your dressing of choice. Enjoy!
More Super Delish Snacking Recipes to Try!
Roasted Chicken Verde Taquitos
Asian Meatball Sliders with Spiced Pickles
French Onion Smashed Potato Bites
Honey Roasted Pear & Brie Flatbread
Sheet Pan Buffalo Chicken Nachos
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Buffalo BBQ Chicken Meatballs
Ingredients
Sauce
- 1 cup Frank’s Buffalo Sauce
- ¾ cup BBQ sauce (I’m a fan of Stubb’s)
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- ¼ teaspoon celery seed, ground in mortar and pestle
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Meatballs
- 2 lbs ground chicken
- ¾ cup Panko breadcrumbs
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 1 egg
- ½ cup minced celery
- ¼ cup grated onion
- ¼ cup Buffalo BBQ Sauce
- 1 tablespoon Ranch dressing
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
To Serve
- Celery sticks
- Ranch dressing
- Sliced green onions
- Chopped chives
- Crumbled blue or gorgonzola cheese
Instructions
Sauce
- In a medium saucepan, combine buffalo sauce, bbq sauce, honey, vinegar, butter, Worcestershire sauce, and celery seed.
- Bring to a low simmer over medium heat until butter melts, stirring frequently. Gently simmer 5 minutes more for flavors to meld and sauce to thicken slightly. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Reserve ¼ cup of sauce for meatball recipe. Set remaining sauce aside.
Meatballs
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, add ground chicken, panko, milk, egg, celery, onion, ¼ cup Buffalo BBQ sauce, ranch dressing, cumin, parsley, salt and pepper. Mix with your hands until combined.
- Gently roll into 1 ¼ to 1 ½-inch meatballs and place on prepared baking sheet. You should get around 30 meatballs.
- Bake meatballs for 13-15 minutes until browned, cooked through, and still tender. Transfer cooked meatballs to paper towels to drain of excess liquid then place into a large bowl.
- Pour enough Buffalo BBQ sauce over meatballs to thoroughly coat.
- Transfer to serving bowl and pass remaining sauce alongside with celery sticks, ranch or blue cheese dressing, and suggested garnishes. Enjoy!
Notes
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Believe it or not, I’ve only recently discovered the beauty of glazed meatballs (I only served them with some kind of sauce or gravy on a side.) But I am 100% into all possible ways to jazz up meatballs, and I particular love all those sweet & savoury & sticky (and moderately spicy) combos. So these meatballs are right up to my alley! Needless to say, they look and sound wonderful!
Thanks Ben! They’re always a hit. I think you’re really going to like them!