Learn how to make meatballs that are better than ever by making them into buffalo chicken meatballs. They’re so sassy!
I’m a huge fan of meatballs, aren’t you? What about Buffalo sauce, love that too? Of course you do! Here we’re combining the two to make a show-stopping hit.
For this Buffalo Chicken Meatball recipe, which makes a fantastic appetizer for parties or game days, we’re using ground chicken and Buffalo sauce. These meatballs get baked in the oven, so feel free to double the recipe to feed a crowd. I like a drizzle of Ranch dressing to complete the delicious bite.
Get tips for making this fun party food below or click here to head straight to the recipe.
Tips For Amazing Buffalo Chicken Meatballs
I also have a great tip to take these buffalo chicken meatballs to the next level. Ready for this?
Add melted butter to Buffalo sauce! Yes, I can completely vouch for this. Adding melted butter to any wing/hot sauce enhances the flavor. It was definitely a total game changer.
Another tip I have for you is for tender meatballs that are evenly mixed. Ground meat gets tough if it is over mixed. So this is a way to not have to mix it as much. Whenever I’m adding ingredients to ground meat, I mix together everything except the meat first. Then I know that the seasoning/breadkcrumbs/egg is all well-combined. After that, add in the meat and mix until just combined. You’ll already know that all the other ingredients are mixed well, so you’re just trying to get that evenly spread through out the meat.
A final tip for making meatballs is to test out the seasoning before baking them all. How do you do that when working with raw meat? Make a small meatball after your seasoning is mixed in. You’ll microwave it on a plate 10 seconds at a time until cooked through. Let it cool a bit and then taste it. You’ll then know if the amount of seasoning is right for you or if you need to add more. This trick has definitely saved me from baking a batch of under-salted meatballs in the past, so give it a try.
Topping Buffalo Chicken Meatballs
To finalize these epic meatballs, I added a drizzle of ranch dressing. You can use homemade ranch dressing or store-bought. In a pinch, mix together a small batch of this homemade ranch seasoning made from ingredients that you probably have in your pantry, and then mix it with sour cream or Greek yogurt.
You can go in with more toppings to, if you’d like. Maybe some shredded cheese or sliced green onions. The sky’s the limit for these baked buffalo chicken meatballs… and honestly, so is the flavor!
More Meatball Recipes
Podcast Episode On Making Buffalo Chicken Meatballs
Listen to our editor, Christine Pittman, explain briefly about how to make this recipe, with some great tips along the way, by clicking the play button below:
Listen to more Recipe of the Day episodes here.
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Buffalo Chicken Meatballs Recipe
Learn how to make meatballs that are better than ever by making them into buffalo chicken meatballs. They’re so sassy!
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 20–24 meatballs 1x
- Category: Appetizer
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 2/3 cup Buffalo wing sauce
- 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
- 1/2 cup plain bread crumbs
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1 lb. ground chicken
- 1/4 cup ranch dressing, store-bought or homemade
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spray with cooking spray. Set aside.
- In a bowl, mix Buffalo sauce with butter.
- In another bowl, mix together bread crumbs, egg, 2 tablespoons of the now buttery Buffalo sauce, garlic powder, and salt. Once mixed, add the ground chicken and mix with your hands to just combine, being careful not to overmix.
- Shape the mixture into small 1” balls and place them on the baking sheet. Bake until no longer pink inside, about 20-25 minutes. Remove from oven.
- Toss meatballs with remaining Buffalo-butter sauce. Drizzle with ranch dressing and serve immediately.
Love this recipe? I’d appreciate it if you could scroll down and add a *5 star rating* to help others know they’ll love it as well!
Notes
*Add a bit of salt and pepper to your mixture, about ¼ teaspoon of each. Then make a small meatball and microwave it on a plate 10 seconds at a time until cooked through. Let it cool a bit and then taste it. You’ll then know if the amount of seasoning is right for you or if more is needed.
This post originally appeared in March 2017 and was revised and republished in March 2023.