Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken Meatballs.
It’s time for a reeeeally good game day snack.
One that you barely have to work with. One that you can make and throw in the slow cooker and forget about while you watch all the commercials and drink all the sangria.
This sounds like fun! Please invite me.
If you’re on the hunt for superbowl eats, I have a bunch of them (like, 190!) right here. I’m thinking about making some nachos, a dip and a big house salad, along with something in the slow cooker. If not these meatballs, probably something sandwich-like. Have you tried that whole Mississippi roast thing? It’s pretty darn good.
The problem is that I’m so fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants when it comes to party planning. I know what I want TODAY and what sounds good TODAY but what will I want a week from now? Don’t make me choose.
I love this recipe so much more than I expected to. But! There are some important things that you really need to do.
First, ground chicken. Not ground chicken breast. I made them once with ground chicken breast and they were so, so dry. So unappetizingly dry.
Next, butter in your buffalo wing sauce. It’s my go-to ingredient in all of my buffalo chicken recipes, but this time you’re going to cube it and add it to the slow cooker. Weird and perfectly delicious. It makes a huge difference, I swear!
Third, all the toppings! I sound like a broken record if you’ve made my other buffalo-inspired recipes, but these are the required goods for LOADS of flavor:
Crumbled blue cheese!
Ranch dressing drizzle, and I don’t even like ranch so trust me.
Snipped chives…
Thinly sliced green onions…
And a sprinkle of cilantro.
YES YES YES.
I’m not really a meatball-on-a-stick girl. There is something about meatballs that scream “I belong in a bun with cheese!” to me, so if that’s your game plan, we are right on the same page.
But don’t get me wrong. You can absolutely serve these as is, with a little toothpick poked in the center for easy grabbing. I just don’t always go for a big bite of meat and want to give the carbs some loving. Grab a few brioche buns for those like me and keep some extra blue cheese on the side. Maybe even cheddar!
Maybe even all the cheese.
Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken Meatballs
Ingredients
- 2 pounds ground chicken
- 3 tablespoons buffalo wing sauce
- 1/4 cup panko bread crumbs
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- ¼ cup crumbled gorgonzola cheese
- 1/3 cup romano cheese
- 1 tablespoon ranch dressing
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 egg
- 2 green onions thinly sliced
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 tablespoon vegetable or canola oil
- 2/3 cup buffalo wing sauce
- 6 tablespoons butter cut into pieces
- to serve: chopped cilantro chopped chives, sliced scallions, ranch dressing for drizzling, crumbled blue cheese
Instructions
- In a large bowl, add chicken, egg, 3 tablespoons wing sauce, oil, ranch dressing, green onions, cheeses, breadcrumbs, garlic, salt, pepper, basil and parsley. Mix to combine, gently tossing a few times with your hands. Don’t overmix – it will result in tough meatballs!
- Roll the chicken into 1-inch meatballs (about 2 tablespoons of chicken). If your slow cooker can sear and saute food, you will want to heat the slow cooker to the highest setting to sear the meatballs. If it doesn’t, you can heat a skillet over medium heat and add the canola oil, the brown the meatballs until just golden on the outsides. I find that this helps the meatballs hold together as opposed to adding them raw to the slow cooker.
- Place the browned meatballs into the slow cooker and cover with the buffalo wing sauce. Add the butter pieces on top. Cover and cook on low for 4 to 6 hours. If you’re home at the time, you can toss the meatballs and stir them a few times.
- To serve, cover with the ranch dressing drizzle, chopped chives, green onions, cilantro and blue cheese.
Did you make this recipe?
Be sure to follow @howsweeteats on instagram and tag #howsweeteats. You can also post a photo of your recipe to our facebook page.
I appreciate you so much!
These might work on pizza too. Just sayin’.
44 Comments on “Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken Meatballs.”
Pingback: Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken Meatballs. - Recipe Land
These look so good! I have a thing for the buffalo flavors, too! I just made a Buff Chic Pasta Rustica last week, and I’m still dreaming about it =)
I made buffalo chicken meatballs last year for the Superbowl (though not in the slow cooker) and they turned out FAB. But I recently discovered the butter addition and it is a total game changer!
Omg! These meatballs look sooo good. These would be perfect for a weeknight dinner!
meatballs are super cozy already (glad you used chicken thigh btw; why use chicken breast when you can use thigh?!), but adding butter/buffalo sauce sounds even better!
Just mmm………
These meatballs look amazing! I need to try them soon!
Paige Flamm
The Happy Flammily
http://bit.ly/2jEd6V2
YYEEESSSSS!!
I love buffalo anything, and I especially love slow cooking. Slow cookers are the only way I make it though life.
Can’t wait to try!
These look amazing! I love slow cooker recipes.
buffalo all day, everyday. These look delish!
Yeah … Buffalo meat is to my favorites, these look amazing :D
Pingback: Forest & Food
A combination of two of my favorite things: buffalo chicken and meatballs. YES! Absolutely perfect recipe!
Meatballs are the perfect comfort food for these cold dark days. These look delish!
Oh my god these look soooo good!
x Annabelle
travelsandtea.com
After rearranging the ingredient list so to match the the order of use in the directions, I realised the 3 tablespoons of buffalo wing sauce are ‘homeless’. I assume it goes into the meatball mixture or shouldn’t it be there at all? Thanks.
These look amazing! I’ll be saving this for Super Bowl Sunday!
************Income Information***************]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
Stay at home mom Kelly Richards from New York after resigning from her full time job managed to average from $6000-$8000 a month from freelancing at home… This is how she done it
ggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggg
❥❥❥❥❥❥❥ https://goo.gl/WdGl9e
love these, and thank your for the ground chicken vs ground chicken breast tip and the butter, needless to say much easier to serve/handle than wings, thank you for this!
Pingback: Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken Meatballs. | How Sweet It Is – Danufactured
A fantastic restaurant in my hometown makes a version of these with boar instead of chicken, but I bet the chicken is wonderful, too!
Pingback: 21 Slow Cooker Recipes That’ll Inspire You To Pull Out The Crock Pot | MaviNews.com
Pingback: 21 Slow Cooker Recipes That'll Inspire You To Pull Out The Crock Pot |
Pingback: Crock Pot Buffalo Chicken Meatballs
can I make meat balls a day ahead then put in slow cooker next day?
Pingback: The Instant Pot Recipes That’ll Win The Super Bowl – DollarViral
Pingback: The Instant Pot Recipes That’ll Win The Super Bowl – FiveStarsTV
Pingback: The Instant Pot Recipes That'll Win The Super Bowl - Time4Newz
Pingback: Guacamole Buffalo Chicken Pizza. – Fruitide
Pingback: Buffalo Chicken Pizza - Guacamole Buffalo Chicken Pizza
Pingback: The Instant Pot Recipes That'll Win The Super Bowl | All Of Beer
Pingback: The Instant Pot Recipes That’ll Win The Super Bowl – All of Beer
Pingback: The Instant Pot Recipes That’ll Win The Super Bowl – Beer Glass Collection
Pingback: The Instant Pot Recipes That’ll Win The Super Bowl – News About Beer
These look delicious! I would definitely make these in the future.
Pingback: The Instant Pot Recipes That'll Win The Super Bowl - Smoking & BBQ
buffalo is amazing
Can you make these in the instant pot? If so, how long can they cook under what pressure setting? Thank you!
If I’m freezing, would you sear then freeze or freeze, thaw, sear, then slow cook?
when i freeze meatballs, i actually don’t sear them! i roll, flash freeze (so put on the baking sheet for 30 minutes, remove and place them in a plastic bag), then take directly from the freezer and put them in the slow cooker with sauce!
Pingback: 15 Easy & Delicious Tailgating Recipes | The Middle Edit
Pingback: Superbowl snacks – Three Plates Full
Pingback: 20 Buffalo Chicken Recipes For Any Occasion
I made it a couple times. Crock pot version didnt work well but made it into patties and was great. Do you have nutritional numbers for this?