Buffalo Chicken Meatballs

Hello! It’s great you’re here today. I have a fun riff on hot wing flavors with Buffalo Chicken Meatballs. I decided to make these a meal, served over rice with fresh, crunchy sliced celery and carrot. This rice bowl combination was so savory, delicious and fun to eat. The crisp crunch of the fresh raw celery and carrot brings the hot wing bar food flavors and textures, with easy to eat, super flavorful chicken meatballs. To top it off, we have a sour creamy hot wing sauce, blue cheese crumbles, sliced scallions and fresh dill. Let’s do it!

I have been slightly obsessed with meatballs for a while now. They’re so easy and the possibilities for flavors is endless. I also love how great they are for meal prep and make ahead dinners; they freeze well and can be served a variety of ways. These Buffalo Chicken Meatballs would also be great as an appetizer, served in the sour cream hot sauce. The meatballs have a mild heat and the sour cream sauce cools them off so the flavors are enjoyable and satisfying.

Buffalo Chicken Meatballs

Start by using your hands to gently mix the ground chicken, egg, panko, garlic powder, onion powder, celery salt, Worcestershire and Frank’s Red Hot Sauce. Line a sheet tray with a sheet of parchment to catch the meatballs. Use a 1.5 tablespoon cookie scoop to scoop about 16-20 meatballs and place them on the parchment.

Then use your hands to lightly roll each meatball into a sphere. Sprinkle a tiny bit of celery salt on top of each meatball. Set up a large pan or braiser with 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil over medium-high heat. Set your raw meatballs to one side, then set a clean sheet tray with your tongs to the other side. When the oil is shimmery, carefully add each meatball to the pan. Add only as many as you’re comfortable turning, you can do them in batches if needed.

Let the meatballs cook for about 2-3 minutes on the first side. They will tell you when they are ready to be turned by releasing easily from the pan. Use the tongs to carefully roll each to a raw side and keep cooking and turning until all the meatballs are browned on their exteriors. Turn the heat down as needed to keep them from getting away from you. After the first side, the rest of the sides go pretty fast, about 1-2 minutes for each side.

When the meatballs are browned on all sides, cut the heat and transfer the meatballs to the clean sheet tray and set aside.

Buffalo Sauce

Return to the pan and turn the heat to medium-low. Add the butter to the pan and when it’s melted, add the chicken broth and the Frank’s Hot Sauce. Whisk to combine and let the mixture come up to a simmer.

When the sauce is simmering, add the meatballs back to the pan and let the whole thing simmer for about 5 minutes. Stir occasionally. The sauce is ready when it has thickened enough for a trail made by your spatula fills in slowly.

Cut the heat and add the sour cream. Stir in the sour cream until the sauce is well mixed.

If desired, stir fresh dill into the meatballs and sauce.

Buffalo Chicken Meatballs

Now it’s up to you how you serve these Buffalo Chicken Meatballs. If you want to go the route I did, make your rice before you get started on the meatballs. For the fresh celery and carrot, slice each thinly and on the bias for a nice presentation and easier eating. I like blue cheese with my hot wings, so I added crumbled blue cheese and scallion slices. I sprinkled the whole bowl with a little extra fresh dill.

This dish has a lot going for it. The hot wing flavors are all there, it’s a satisfying meal when prepared as a rice bowl. Like meatballs themselves, rice bowls are such a great way to get creative in the kitchen. You can swap the white rice for brown rice or any other grain you prefer; bulgur, farro, quinoa, or even go with riced cauliflower. I hope you give this a try – especially if you’re a fan of hot wings. If you want to get creative, try one of these recipes as a starting point and then make it your own: Sheet Pan Sesame Glazed Meatballs, Lamb Meatballs and Snap Peas, Ginger Pork Meatballs.

Thank you for stopping by today, take care and be well. xo Kelly

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Buffalo Chicken Meatballs

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Dinner, Main Course, Appetizer – American

By Kelly Djalali (inspired by Salt and Lavender) – Serves: 2-4

Prep Time: 10-15 Minutes – Cooking Time: 15-20 Minutes – Total Time: ~30 Minutes

The spicy, tangy hot wing flavor served up as meatballs with a sour cream sauce. Make it a rice bowl with crunchy celery and carrot slices.

Ingredients

• Buffalo Chicken Meatballs
• 1 lb. Ground Chicken
• 1 Large Egg
• 1/2 cup Panko Breadcrumbs
• 1/2 tsp. Worcestershire Sauce
• 1 tbsp. Frank's Red Hot Original Sauce
• 1/2 tsp. Garlic Powder
• 1/2 tsp. Onion Powder
• 1/2 tsp. Celery Salt, plus a tiny sprinkling more for each formed meatball
• Buffalo Sour Cream Sauce
• 2 tbsp. Butter
• 1/4 cup Frank's Red Hot Original Sauce
• 3/4 cup Low-Sodium Chicken Broth
• 1/2 cup Sour Cream
• Toppings and Serving Suggestions
• Cooked Rice or Other Grain
• Thinly sliced Celery and Carrot
• Blue Cheese Crumbles
• Sliced Scallions
• Fresh Dill

Instructions

1

Start by using your hands to gently mix the ground chicken, egg, panko, garlic powder, onion powder, celery salt, Worcestershire and Frank's Red Hot Sauce.

2

Line a sheet tray with a sheet of parchment to catch the meatballs.

3

Use a 1.5 tablespoon cookie scoop to scoop about 16-20 meatballs and place them on the parchment.

4

Then use your hands to lightly roll each meatball into a sphere. Sprinkle a tiny bit of celery salt on top of each meatball.

5

Set up a large pan or braiser with 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil over medium-high heat. When the oil is shimmery, carefully add each meatball to the pan. Add only as many as you're comfortable turning, you can do them in batches if needed.

6

Let the meatballs cook for about 2-3 minutes on the first side. They will tell you when they are ready to be turned by releasing easily from the pan.

7

Use the tongs to carefully roll each to a raw side and keep cooking and turning until all the meatballs are browned on their exteriors.

8

Turn the heat down as needed to keep them from getting away from you. After the first side, the rest of the sides go pretty fast, about 1-2 minutes for each side.

9

When the meatballs are browned on all sides, cut the heat and transfer the meatballs to the clean sheet tray and set aside.

10

Return to the pan and turn the heat to medium-low. Add the butter to the pan and when it's melted, add the chicken broth and the Frank's Hot Sauce. Whisk to combine and let the mixture come up to a simmer.

11

When the sauce is simmering, add the meatballs back to the pan and let the whole thing simmer for about 5 minutes. Stir occasionally.

12

The sauce is ready when it has thickened enough for a trail made by your spatula fills in slowly.

13

Cut the heat and add the sour cream. Stir in the sour cream until the sauce is well mixed.

14

If desired, stir fresh dill into the meatballs and sauce.

15

Serve as desired, or over rice with celery and court slices, blue cheese crumbles, more fresh dill and sliced scallions.

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