Description
Delicious and easy Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken Meatballs combine tender ground chicken with spicy buffalo sauce for a flavorful appetizer or main dish. Perfect for game day or casual dinners, these meatballs are baked to brown and then simmered in a slow cooker to absorb the tangy sauce. Serve with ranch or blue cheese and crunchy celery sticks for the ultimate buffalo experience.
Ingredients
Scale
For the Meatballs:
- 1 pound ground chicken
- 1/4 cup tapioca flour (or breadcrumbs)
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 2 green onions, thinly sliced
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
For the Sauce:
- 3/4 cup hot sauce (Frank’s Red Hot or Primal Kitchen recommended)
- 1/4 cup butter, vegan butter, or ghee, melted
- Ranch, blue cheese, celery sticks, or carrot sticks for serving
Instructions
- Preheat and Prepare: Preheat your oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, foil, or a silicone baking mat to prevent sticking and for easy cleanup.
- Mix Meatball Ingredients: In a large bowl, combine ground chicken, tapioca flour, egg, garlic powder, onion powder, green onions, kosher salt, and black pepper. Stir well with a wooden spoon or your hands until fully combined.
- Form Meatballs: Using a spoon or your hands (dusted with tapioca flour to reduce stickiness), roll the mixture into 1 1/4 to 1 1/2-inch meatballs. You should get about 24 meatballs.
- Brown the Meatballs: Arrange the meatballs on the prepared baking sheet and bake in the oven for 5 minutes until browned on all sides. This step seals in moisture before slow cooking.
- Prepare Buffalo Sauce: While the meatballs brown, whisk together the melted butter (or ghee/vegan butter) and hot sauce in a small bowl until smooth and well combined.
- Combine and Slow Cook: Transfer the browned meatballs to the slow cooker. Pour the buffalo sauce over them and gently toss to coat the meatballs evenly. Cover and cook on low heat for 2 hours to allow flavors to meld.
- Serve: Once done, serve the buffalo chicken meatballs immediately with ranch or blue cheese dressing and celery or carrot sticks on the side for a classic buffalo platter experience.
Notes
- For a quicker option, cook the meatballs in an air fryer at 380°F for 12 minutes and toss in buffalo sauce immediately after cooking.
- If tapioca flour is unavailable, breadcrumbs can be used as a substitute for binding the meatballs.
- Adjust the heat level of the buffalo sauce to taste by choosing milder or hotter hot sauce variants.
- These meatballs freeze well cooked; cool completely and freeze in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
- Use vegan butter to make this recipe suitable for a dairy-free diet.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 320 kcal
- Sugar: 2 g
- Sodium: 780 mg
- Fat: 22 g
- Saturated Fat: 8 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 12 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 6 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 25 g
- Cholesterol: 85 mg
