Buffalo Chicken Meatballs with Blue Cheese Sauce
Move over chicken wings, these Buffalo Chicken Meatballs with Blue Cheese Sauce are a flavorful, mildly spicy appetizer that’s perfect for game day, tailgating or any gathering of friends!
Less messy than their namesake, who doesn’t love a spicy meatball? Even my hubby, who has a tender palate, didn’t complain about the heat as the dipping sauce calmed the intensity.
Buffalo Chicken Meatballs with Blue Cheese Sauce
So have you eaten Buffalo chicken wings? They’re deep-fried wings that are bathed in a combination of cayenne pepper hot sauce, butter, vinegar, and a few spices. Typically served with celery sticks and blue cheese dressing, these Buffalo chicken meatballs echo the classic flavors of the wings.
I’ve made Buffalo Chicken Dip numerous times, but have never made nor eaten those famous wings. Served with a fork or toothpicks, these meatballs are less messy to eat and just as tasty!
Why You Must Make
- Buffalo Chicken recipes are perfect for game day (or anytime you’re entertaining).
- Serving them with a blue cheese sauce makes them company worthy.
- Even with a little hot sauce added, they’re not super spicy, so these should be fine for any occasion.
Appetizers for Book Club
I love trying out new recipes on my book club. My friends are always extremely receptive. Unlike my family, they will try anything. We read and discussed a marvelous book about the assassination of President Garfield. When researching him, I found that Garfield’s favorite dish was squirrel.
I had plenty of offers to drop off some roadkill so I could make my “squirrel meatballs.” Only one skeptical friend thought I actually used squirrel in these meatballs. Nope, ground chicken is more my style! I have a feeling these Buffalo Chicken Meatballs with Blue Cheese Sauce might taste a wee bit better than a squirrel version.
I’ve been in the same book club since 1996 and, if you’re interested, here are the books we have read over the years. As far as the food goes, I tend to go overboard. A number of recipes I’ve made for my book club have also been shared on the blog including:
- 2014 Book Club Menu
- Muenster and Spinach Pinwheels
- Bacon-Wrapped Scallops
- Easy Queso Dip
- Easy Dill Pickle Dip
- Glazed Cocktail Meatballs
- Kahlua Caramel Baked Brie
- French 75 Cocktail
- Peanut Butter Chocolate Mousse Cake
- Peanut Butter Tagalong Dip
- Best Ever Brownies
- Cranberry Baked Meatballs
- Plus check out all my Best Appetizer Recipes
How to Make Buffalo Chicken Meatballs
- These mini meatballs are flavored with hot sauce and a generous amount of butter, but they are baked not fried if that makes you feel any better.
- Roll the meatball mixture into tightly packed ¾-inch balls before laying them out across a rimmed sheet pan. You’ll get about 40 small meatballs.
- Since the wings are served with celery, these meatballs needed a little celery, too. Make sure to mince it well as you don’t want to bite into big pieces of celery.
- These cocktail meatballs are served with a lovely blue cheese dressing.. If you are not a fan of blue cheese, my homemade Ranch Dressing is a nice alternative.
- Perfect for football gatherings, book club or any cocktail party, these have a lovely kick but not overly spicy. And the blue cheese is the perfect complement. Next time you’re hosting a party, give these Buffalo Chicken Meatballs with Blue Cheese Sauce a try!
Add to Your Shopping List:
- Kitchen Staples: Vegetable Oil, Salt, Butter, Eggs, Celery
- Frank’s Red Hot Sauce (affiliate link)
- Ground Chicken (dark meat preferred since the extra fat will help make the meatballs more moist and tender)
- Bread Crumbs – PRO-Tip: You can make your own by processing a couple of slices of fresh bread in a food processor, then spreading them into a thin layer on a baking sheet to let air dry.
- Sour Cream (full fat)
- Blue Cheese (any favorite variety)
- Mayonnaise – (affiliate link) I prefer Hellmann’s or Duke’s over generic brands.
- Red Wine Vinegar – (affiliate link)
This post was originally posted in December 2012. Photos and text were updated in 2019, 2026..
Buffalo Chicken Meatballs with Blue Cheese Sauce
Spicy chicken meatballs served with a fabulous blue cheese sauce!
Ingredients
Meatballs:
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter
- ⅓ cup Frank’s Red Hot Sauce or any other favorite hot sauce
- 1 pound ground chicken (preferably thigh meat)
- 1 large egg
- ½ celery stalk (minced)
- ¾ cup bread crumbs
- 1 teaspoon salt
Blue Cheese Sauce:
- ¾ cup sour cream
- ⅓ cup crumbled Blue Cheese
- ⅓ cup whole milk
- ⅓ cup mayonnaise
- 1 teaspoon salt or more to taste
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
Instructions
- To make the meatballs, preheat the oven to 450°F. Drizzle the vegetable oil into a 9×13-inch baking dish and use your hand to evenly coat the entire surface. Set aside.
- Combine the butter and hot sauce in a small saucepan, and cook over low heat, whisking until the butter is melted and fully incorporated. Remove from the heat and allow the mixture to cool for 10 minutes.
- Combine the hot sauce mixture, ground chicken, egg, celery, bread crumbs, and salt in a large mixing bowl and mix by hand until thoroughly incorporated.
- Roll the mixture into round, ¾-inch balls, making sure to pack the meat firmly. Place the balls in the prepared baking dish, being careful to line them up snugly and in even rows vertically and horizontally to form a grid. The meatballs should be touching one another.
- Roast for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the meatballs are firm and cooked through. A meat thermometer inserted into the center of a meatball should read 165°F.
- Allow the meatballs to cool for 5 minutes in the baking dish before serving. Serve with blue cheese sauce.
- To make the blue cheese sauce, place the sour cream, blue cheese, milk, mayonnaise, salt, and vinegar in a medium bowl and whisk thoroughly until completely combined. Taste and adjust the seasoning, if needed.
Notes
Adapted from Epicurious and The Meatball Shop Cookbook
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
12Serving Size:
3 meatballsAmount Per Serving: Calories: 246Total Fat: 20gSaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 11gCholesterol: 81mgSodium: 703mgCarbohydrates: 6gFiber: 0gSugar: 1gProtein: 12g
56 Comments on “Buffalo Chicken Meatballs with Blue Cheese Sauce”
You should give credit to the people who actually created this recipie it’s the meatball shop in New York
Thank you for the information…I got the recipe from a friend who cited Epicurious. I’ve adjusted my recipe to give full credit.
Thank god you have your book club to appreciate your food. These look awesome. I am so glad you did not use squirrel lol but I know o9f other recipe who list it as a more original to the recipe ingredient.
The Meatball Shop in NYC has these meatballs on their menu and in their cookbook (in fact I think the recipe originally came from them). I’ve eaten them at the restaurant and they are sooooo good. Definitely a great party food that will be on a future football menu in my house 🙂 Happy New Year!
How delicious! This would be the perfect appetizer for playoff season! Thank you so much for sharing! I hope you have a beautiful beginning to 2013. Full of lots of love, good food, and peace!
These look addicting! I made some cocktail meatballs for NYE, but I made the mistake of using frozen meatballs and while I liked the glaze, the meatballs were terrible. Ugh.
These are wonderful! The mix was a little loose, so I added a little more breadcrumbs and refrigerated the mix prior to baking. Will keep these in the recipe file!!!
Great tips, Chris. Thanks for sharing…and I’m delighted you enjoyed these!
Lizzy, these are party perfect! Definitely going to give them a try for my next get together! Hope you had a wonderful Christmas! Wishing you & your family a healthy & happy new year!!
These look so delicious…I know they would be a big hit in my house!
I’ve been out of the blog loop for a few weeks. Lots of kids and grandkids to love and spend time with. These meatballls look delicious. Bleu cheese is a winner in most anything. Can’t wait to check out all the yummy things you have been making!
Squirrel meatballs ?! That’s a great conversation starters ! lol They look fantastic and I bet it tastes divine as well 😀
These sound fabulous, Liz! Pinning and planning on making next week 🙂
These sound fabulous, Liz! Pinning and planning on making next week 🙂
My husband just got wind of this recipe and I know what I will be making this weekend!
Oh, yum-me! Great finger food for New Year’s. Definitely not a squirrelly recipe!
Mmmmm – these look good!!! Love the idea of meat ball wings!
These meatballs sound and look delicious. I am going to make them for New Years. Thanks for sharing.
Terrific job with these meatballs. What a good idea for twist on the usual wings and blue cheese! Have a wonderful New Year!
Oh my god! Lizzy! These are divine! Perfect New Years apps!
Hi Liz, may all the sweet magic of Christmas conspire to gladden your heart & fill every desire. Merry X’mas with love from Shirley’s Luxury Haven! xoxo
These would be so, so perfect for New Years!