Try this meatball version of buffalo chicken wings for a lighter dish that can be served as an appetizer or turned into a full meal.
It’s a shame that football season is over, because I have the perfect addition to any game day food menu. Alright, even though I’m not a huge sports fan (unless I’m out there playing), I can still appreciate the food that comes with it. One of the most popular? Chicken wings.
I’ve made homemade chicken wings a couple times before, but they’re not really something I want to make all the time. Today’s recipe for buffalo chicken meatballs, on the other hand, is so simple and takes less than 30 minutes to make. So HELLLLO, new addition to our weekday meal rotation!
Oh, by the way, it’s National Meatball Day today—because of course there’s a holiday for that…and everything ever. So I’m super timely with this recipe and feel way too proud of myself for this post.
I tried a few different versions of this recipe, but the one I’m sharing below ultimately won us over. I’ve seen other recipes for buffalo chicken meatballs, but some of them get weirdly complicated, using a long list of ingredients. Although I’m sure they’re amazing, I wanted a recipe that was quicker and simpler to make.
Similar to my Italian Meatballs recipe, these bad boys use quick-cook oats instead of breadcrumbs, making them a wee bit healthier. And if you look at the ingredients, the only less-than-nutritious ingredient would be the buffalo sauce—the beautiful, flowing buffalo sauce.
So I’d consider this fairly “guilt-free.” But that’s assuming you’re not drowning your meatballs in ranch (which I’ve totally never done with chicken wings ever but I’m also lying right now).
I highly recommend serving these straight-up with carrots and celery sticks. OR, you could throw them in a wrap or on a salad, both of which I’d recommend with the addition of carrots, celery, blue cheese (or feta), and dressing (blue cheese or ranch).
Ingredients:
- 1 lb. ground chicken (or turkey)
- 1/2 cup quick-cook oats
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/8 tsp celery salt
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1/3 cup buffalo sauce
- Garnish with finely chopped celery leaves
- Serve with blue cheese or ranch dressing
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with a silicone mat or parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, add the chicken, oats, egg, and seasonings. Mix using your hands or a spoon.
- Roll meat into 1 1/2-inch balls, forming about 18 meatballs.
- Place the meatballs on the baking sheet and bake about 16-18 minutes, or until cooked through.
- Place the meatballs in a bowl; pour the buffalo sauce and gently toss to combine.
- Serve immediately topped with celery leaves and with a side of blue cheese or ranch dressing.
Since ground chicken and ground turkey are a similar consistency and wetness, you should be able to use them interchangeably with this recipe. However, if your meatball mixture is still too wet, you can simply add more quick-cook oats to absorb more of the moisture. (I’ll pretty much always use ground turkey for this, because I don’t keep ground chicken on hand like I do ground turkey.)
Are you a chicken wing fan? What’s your favorite sauce?
