These Buffalo Chicken Cocktail Meatballs provide all the flavor of buffalo chicken without the mess of eating wings! A delicious cocktail meatball that's perfect for a party, holiday gathering, or dinner!
These mini meatballs are amazing as an appetizer! All the flavor of our favorite buffalo chicken wings without the mess. Serve with blue cheese dressing on the side for a dip. A perfect game day appetizer!
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Ingredients
This easy buffalo chicken meatball recipe has just a few basic ingredients and only take 30 minutes to make.
- Ground chicken - Buy pre-ground or grind your own using chicken breasts.
- Buffalo sauce - We used Frank's but there are so many goods ones available. Find a favorite wing sauce and use it here!
- Crumbled blue cheese - Use crumbles or crumble your favorite brand yourself.
- Green onions -These add a pop of color and flavor to the meatballs.
- Pantry staples - Panko bread crumbs, salt, pepper
Equipment We Used
We used a Silpat nonstick silicone baking mat to line our baking sheet pans. We love silpats because they are reusable. Just wash, dry and use again! No silpat? Use parchment paper instead.
We like to use a cookie scoop to shape the meatballs - it gives us consistent sizes and makes the shaping process quick and easy. We use a 2-teaspoon size cookie scoop for these cocktail meatballs, which will yield around 30 mini meatballs. You can also use a 1 Tablespoon scoop, which will give you about 18 meatballs. You can always double or triple the recipe with the handy 2x and 3x buttons in the recipe card below for extra meatballs - make them as big or small as you like!
Picks. We do not recommend using colored toothpicks as the color can come off on the food. We like to use a reusable toothpick, but recognize if you are hosting a large party this may not be feasible. For large parties use a decorative toothpick when possible - like a bamboo knotted toothpick. These are found at most party stores, some grocery stores, or restaurant supply stores. Here are a few of our favorite pick sources.
- Wooden toothpicks - Least expensive and easy to get
- Knotted bamboo toothpicks - Inexpensive and easy to get at many locations
- Bamboo w/’pearl’ - Step up from basic pick and available at Amazon
- Metal cocktail pick - Most expensive option but reusable!
Substitutions for Buffalo Chicken Meatballs
We expect the blue cheese flavor when we think buffalo chicken. Don't love blue cheese? Substitute feta, goat, or white cheddar instead. Just make sure it is in small pieces or crumbles.
It is very easy to grind your own chicken for this recipe - even without a meat grinder. We used a skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut it into pieces, placed it in our food processor with the metal blade, and pulsed it until it was the desired texture. We liked it as small chunks, not completely smooth. Of course, if you have a meat grinder, this is a great time to pull it out! Ground turkey would also work for this recipe.
We made these with the Panko bread crumbs and without. We liked the texture and feel of those with the Panko better, but it definitely worked without them if a gluten free option is needed.
Time Saver Tips
- Using a small cookie scoop is the biggest time saver. It is very easy to make consistent size meatballs and requires very little rolling after forming.
- While grinding your own chicken in a food processor only takes a few minutes, using pre-ground chicken is a definite time saver.
- Blue cheese crumbles are readily available in most stores and will also save a few minutes.
Make Ahead Tips
This is a great make ahead recipe. Store buffalo chicken balls in an airtight container as described below.
Form meatballs in advance & bake later
Form the meatballs as directed, then store in an airtight container in the fridge up to 24 hours. When you're ready to serve, transfer meatballs straight from the fridge to the baking sheet and bake as directed. It may take a few extra minutes if you're putting the meatballs in the oven straight from the refrigerator.
Freeze unbaked meatballs in an airtight container in the freezer for up to one month. When you're ready to serve, defrost meatballs overnight in the fridge (and then bake as directed) or bake them straight from frozen in a cast iron skillet at 400° F until cooked through (this usually takes 20-30 minutes). Meatballs are done when they reach an internal temperature of 160° F.
Bake meatballs in advance
Form and bake the meatballs as directed but don't toss with the final buffalo sauce. Let cool and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. When you're ready to serve, transfer meatballs to a sheet pan or baking dish and heat in a 350° F oven until warmed through (about 10 minutes). Toss with additional Buffalo Sauce before serving.
Freeze baked meatballs in an airtight container up to one month. When ready to serve, defrost meatballs in the refrigerator overnight, place on sheet pan or baking dish, and reheat in a 350º F oven about 10 minutes or until warm. To reheat straight from the freezer: place frozen meatballs in a covered dish and reheat in a 350º F oven until warm, usually 20-25 minutes. Stir every 5 minutes or so. Toss meatballs with additional Buffalo Sauce before serving.
Do not place a cold dish - especially glass or ceramic - into a hot oven, as the temperature difference can cause the dish to break. Use a metal or cast iron dish, bring food to room temperature before placing in the oven, or place the dish into a cold oven and then turn the oven on. Cooking time will need to be increased if placing into a cold oven.
Saving Leftovers
The FDA recommends discarding any perishable food that has been out at room temperature for more than 2 hours.
If you are within the FDA recommendations, these buffalo chicken cocktail meatballs can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Loving this Buffalo Chicken Meatball?
Try our Buffalo Chicken Mini Burgers with our Mini Burger Buns - so cute and delicious!
Some more favorite bites
FAQ's for Buffalo Chicken Cocktail Meatballs
The recipe, as written, has bread crumbs. HOWEVER, we did test them without them and they were still delicious. We liked the texture better with the Panko, but leaving the Panko bread crumbs out still gives a delicious buffalo chicken meatball.
Not a huge fan of blue cheese? Reduce the amount or substitute white cheddar, smoked gruyere, or feta.
We love this cocktail size meatball as an appetizer. Serve with a side of blue cheese dressing or more wings sauce. To keep these bites warm and food safe over time, keep them in a chafing dish or on a warming plate. We like eating these with a pick instead of a fork and plate. Our 20 years catering experience shows people will take A LOT more if these are served with a spoon and there are plates and forks available.
📖 Recipe
Buffalo Chicken Meatballs
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 24-30 pieces 1x
Description
These Buffalo Chicken Cocktail Meatballs provide all the flavor of buffalo chicken without the mess of eating wings! Delicious and perfect for your next party, holiday gathering, or even dinner!
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground chicken
- ⅔ cup buffalo sauce (we used Frank’s), divided
- 2 Tablespoon chopped green onion
- 5 ounces blue cheese, crumbled
- ¼ cup Panko bread crumbs
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400° F.
- In a medium bowl combine ground chicken, ⅓ cup buffalo sauce, green onion, blue cheese, panko bread crumbs, salt and pepper. Mix JUST until combined. You don’t want to over mix the meat or break down the cheese too much - you want pieces of cheese in the mixture.
- Using a small cookie scoop, form chicken mixture into meatballs. Roll between your hands to make sure the meatball is tightly rolled.
- Place on a lined baking sheet about 1 inch apart.
- Bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 12-15 minutes.
- Remove from oven.
- Place meatballs in your serving dish and add the remaining ⅓ cup buffalo sauce. Toss to coat.
- Serve with picks or plates and forks.
Notes
You can use pre-ground chicken or turkey or grind your own. Use a meat grinder if you have one and place your chicken or turkey through it according to the instructions. If you don’t have a meat grinder (hand raised here!) cut your meat into pieces and put in a food processor. Process with the steel blade until the meat is ground to the desired consistency.
Use your favorite sauce here. We use Frank’s Buffalo Sauce, but there are many, many good sauces that would work great with this recipe.
Not a huge fan of blue cheese? Reduce the amount or substitute white cheddar, smoked gruyere, or feta.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Appetizer
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 meatball
- Calories: 48
- Sugar: 0.1 g
- Sodium: 277.5 mg
- Fat: 3 g
- Carbohydrates: 0.9 g
- Protein: 4.3 g
- Cholesterol: 18.9 mg
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