Description
Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken Meatballs are a flavorful and easy-to-make dish featuring tender ground chicken meatballs coated in a spicy buffalo sauce. Perfect as a savory appetizer or main dish, these meatballs combine the convenience of slow cooking with a deliciously tangy sauce, served best with celery sticks and ranch or blue cheese dressing.
Ingredients
Scale
Meatballs
- 1 pound ground chicken
- ¼ cup tapioca flour (or breadcrumbs)
- 1 large egg
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- 2 green onions, thinly sliced
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
Sauce
- ¾ cup hot sauce (Frank’s Red Hot or Primal Kitchen recommended)
- ¼ cup butter, vegan butter, or ghee, melted
- Ranch, blue cheese, celery sticks, or carrot sticks for serving
Instructions
- Preheat and prepare baking sheet: Preheat your oven to 400°F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper, foil, or a silicone baking mat.
- Mix meatball ingredients: In a large bowl, combine ground chicken, tapioca flour, egg, garlic powder, onion powder, sliced green onions, kosher salt, and black pepper. Stir with a wooden spoon or clean hands until well blended. If the mixture is sticky, dust your hands lightly with tapioca flour for easier handling.
- Form meatballs: Roll the meatball mixture into 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 inch meatballs to make about 24 meatballs. Place them on the prepared baking sheet.
- Brown meatballs: Bake meatballs for 4-5 minutes until all sides are browned and partially cooked.
- Prepare buffalo sauce: While meatballs bake, whisk together the melted butter or ghee and hot sauce in a small bowl until combined.
- Combine in slow cooker: Transfer browned meatballs into a slow cooker, pour the buffalo sauce over them, and gently toss to coat all meatballs evenly.
- Slow cook: Cover and cook on low heat for 2 hours to fully cook and infuse flavors.
- Serve: Serve meatballs immediately with ranch or blue cheese dressing and celery or carrot sticks for dipping.
Notes
- To make this recipe in an air fryer, shape the meatballs and air fry at 380°F for 10-12 minutes. Then toss with the buffalo sauce and serve warm.
- If tapioca flour is unavailable, breadcrumbs can be used but will affect gluten content.
- Adding extra green onions or a pinch of cayenne pepper to the meatball mix can intensify flavor.
- Use vegan butter to make the recipe suitable for a dairy-free diet.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 220 kcal
- Sugar: 2 g
- Sodium: 650 mg
- Fat: 14 g
- Saturated Fat: 6 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 7 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 6 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 18 g
- Cholesterol: 85 mg
