Cure your craving for buffalo in one swift, healthy, easy swoop with these buffalo chicken meatballs! They come together with a very short list of ingredients you probably already have on hand and then, that dipping sauce, well …it’ll knock your socks clear off.
Why We Love These Meatballs
I love these meatballs so much because they’re a fun way to mix up dinner for the week! I love a meatball night, but sometimes I get stuck on a classic beef and marinara meatball meal. These buffalo chicken meatballs are unique in flavor and protein: ground chicken!
What’s In Buffalo Chicken Meatballs?
The ingredient list is short and sweet – here’s everything you’ll need for both the meatballs and the blue cheese sauce:
For the Meatballs
- 1 pound of ground chicken
- ¼ cup of buffalo sauce (or Frank’s Red Hot Sauce)
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- ½ teaspoon of pepper
For the Sauce
- 4 ounces of blue cheese crumbles
- 1 cup of creme fraiche
- 2 tablespoons of lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon of water
- ¼ teaspoon of salt
Ingredient Modifications and Variations
These buffalo chicken meatballs are divine as written, but if you’re looking for some subs and swaps, we’ve got ideas for you!
- Make them dairy-free – the buffalo chicken meatballs are dairy-free as-is, but to make the sauce dairy-free, you’ll need to swap the blue cheese crumbles for a dairy-free blue cheese and the creme fraiche for a plain dairy-free yogurt. If you can’t find these dairy-free subs, consider swapping the blue cheese sauce for a dairy-free ranch dressing!
- Swap the creme fraiche – if you can’t find creme fraiche in your local grocery store, swap it for whole milk sour cream or plain full-fat Greek yogurt.
- Use a different protein – feel free to use ground beef, turkey, or pork in place of the ground chicken here!
How To Make Buffalo Chicken Meatballs
If you’re looking for an incredibly easy recipe, look no further! Here’s the full how-to:
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Combine the meatball ingredients – add the ground chicken, buffalo sauce, garlic, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Use your hands to fully combine the ingredients.
- Form the meatballs – use a #30 scoop (1.25 ounce/2.5 tablespoons) to form your meatballs, and place them on a rimmed baking sheet (we recommend a quarter sheet so that the meatballs can be placed close together and steam one another as they cook).
- Bake – bake the meatballs at 400°F for 25 minutes.
- Make the sauce – while the meatballs are baking, make your sauce by combining the blue cheese crumbles, creme fraiche, lemon juice, water, and salt in a blender (you could also use an immersion blender), and blend on high until smooth.
- Garnish, serve, and enjoy – garnish your meatballs with chives and serve with celery sticks. Enjoy!
How to Serve Buffalo Chicken Meatballs
Serve your buffalo chicken meatballs as an appetizer alongside celery sticks and the blue cheese sauce, or as a full meal over perfect, fluffy white rice and your favorite green veggie (oven-roasted asparagus would be delicious!) or a simple arugula salad! Â
How to Store and Reheat
Store any leftover buffalo chicken meatballs in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. If you’re looking for a longer storage option, place the meatballs in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months.
To reheat from the fridge or freezer, simply pop the meatballs back in the oven for 15-20 minutes until warmed through, in the microwave for 1.5-2 minutes until warmed through, or in the air fryer for 5-10 minutes until warmed through.
FAQs for Making the Best Chicken Meatballs
Just for You
Chicken Recipes
Want more recipe ideas like this?
Buffalo Chicken Meatball Recipe
Ingredients
For the Meatballs
- 1 pound ground chicken
- ¼ cup buffalo sauce or Frank's Red Hot Sauce
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
For the Sauce
- 4 ounces blue cheese crumbles
- 1 cup creme fraiche
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon water
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Add the ground chicken, buffalo sauce, garlic, salt, and pepper to a large bowl. Use your hands to fully combine the ingredients.
- Use a #30 scoop (1.25 ounces/2.5 tablespoons) to form your meatballs, and place them on a rimmed baking sheet. (We recommend a quarter sheet so that the meatballs can be placed close together and steam one another as they cook.)
- Bake the meatballs at 400°F for 25 minutes.
- While the meatballs are baking, make your sauce by combining the blue cheese crumbles, creme fraiche, lemon juice, water, and salt in a blender (you can also use an immersion blender), and blend on high until smooth.
- Garnish your meatballs with chives and serve with celery sticks. Enjoy!
Recipe Notes
- Nutrition facts are calculated for 1 meatball.
- These meatballs freeze REALLY well. Simply pop them in an airtight container and stick them in the freezer for up to 3 months. Reheat from frozen in either the oven, air fryer, or microwave until warmed through.
Nutrition
Is the nutrition information per meatball? Or what is considered a serving?
Hi Sarah! The nutrition was calculated automatically as 1 serving (out of 19 total servings) of the entire recipe (so 1 meatball and 1/19th of the sauce). I changed it to show the nutrition for JUST one of the meatballs since it’s hard to know how much sauce someone would eat with a single meatball. I hope that helps and makes it more user-friendly!
Delicious and so easy to make! I enjoyed these over a salad of romaine, celery, & carrots for lunch.
That sounds so yummy, Carrie! Thank you for sharing!