Buffalo Chicken Meatballs
These meatballs have all the things you LOVE about Buffalo Chicken Wings all wrapped up together in a crispy meatball!
- Prep Time: 15 min
- Chill Time: 15 min
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 6-8 servings 1x
- Category: Appetizer
- Method: Fried
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Gluten Free
Ingredients
1 pound ground chicken
1 celery stalk, finely diced
1 carrot, finely diced
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 cup cornstarch
peanut oil for frying, see note
1 (23-ounce) bottle of store-bought hot or mild buffalo sauce
To serve: ranch or blue cheese dressing, celery sticks
Instructions
Line a baking sheet that can fit into your freezer with parchment paper and set aside.
Combine the chicken, celery, carrot, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper in a large mixing bowl. Mix to combine, it is easiest to mix with your hands.
Working with wet hands, form the mixture into 1 1/2-inch meatballs. Place prepared meatballs on the parchment-lined baking sheet and transfer them to the freezer to firm up for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, add the oil to a large Dutch oven to a depth of approximately 2-inches. Warm over medium to medium-high heat to 375°F. See note.
While the oil is heating, place the Buffalo sauce in a saucepan and warm over low heat stirring occasionally. Also, place the cornstarch in a shallow container and roll each meatball to coat completely. This will make the exterior super crunchy!
Working in batches, gently drop the meatballs into the hot oil and fry until golden brown and cooked through, about 6-8 minutes depending on how hot your oil is.
Place the cooked meatballs on a paper towel-lined plate to drain any excess oil and repeat the cooking process with any remaining meatballs.
When all of the meatballs have been cooked, add them to the sauce and toss to coat. Serve immediately with ranch or blue cheese dressing.
Notes
A note about oil:
You can use any high-temperature oil for frying the meatballs that you prefer, we like the flavor of peanut oil.
A note about deep-frying:
We have found that when frying on a glass cooktop it is important to take into account the fact that, unlike gas cooktops, it takes a considerable amount of time for the glass to cool once the heat has been lowered. When frying in oil maintaining a constant temperature is key to avoid overcooking the exterior of the meatball. If using a glass cooktop heat the oil over medium - it will take longer to come to temp, but you won't have to worry as much about the oil becoming too hot too quickly.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2-4 meatballs
- Calories: 134
- Sugar: 0.9 g
- Sodium: 2046.8 mg
- Fat: 6.3 g
- Carbohydrates: 9.3 g
- Protein: 10 g
- Cholesterol: 48.2 mg
