Buffalo Chicken Meatballs

Buffalo Chicken Meatballs are baked chicken meatballs seasoned with ranch and buffalo wing sauce and tossed in even more spicy buffalo sauce! It’s a great weeknight dinner or party snack.

Originally posted March 27, 2013. Updated February 17, 2025.

If you have been on the hunt for an easy, spicy dinner (or party snack!) idea, I’ve got a really good one. I’ve been making these for over 10 years and they are always a hit.

Buffalo chicken meatballs are made with ground chicken and have ranch seasoning mix and buffalo wing sauce in the chicken mixture. Then once they are baked, they get tossed in even more spicy buffalo sauce. They are so flavorful and delicious!

They’re pretty easy to make and bake in about 20 minutes. In the time they bake, you have plenty of time to prep your side dishes!

Ingredients

• Onion – you will be cooking the onion before adding it to the meatballs so you won’t have chunks of raw onion throughout the meatballs.
• Celery – I don’t like celery so I left it out but when I first made this recipe (this is a redo to update photos) I did include it so I know it works. But if you don’t like celery either, leave it out.
• Garlic – you can use garlic powder if you don’t have garlic.
• Ground chicken – you can use ground turkey if that’s what you have. It will basically taste the same.
• Breadcrumbs – regular breadcrumbs, not panko.
• Egg – this helps to bind the chicken mixture and the proteins in the egg also help the meatballs keep their ball shape.
• Ranch seasoning mix – the powdered mix, not the prepared salad dressing. You can find it in the salad dressing aisle of any grocery store.
• Buffalo sauce – use your favorite buffalo wing sauce. I like the Buffalo Wild Wings sauce because it’s very thick and really coats the meatballs.
• Butter – the butter and buffalo sauce combine to make a buttery, spicy sauce for the meatballs.

How To Make Buffalo Chicken Meatballs

• Cook vegetables. Sauté onion and celery in olive oil until softened. Add garlic and cook just until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
• Combine. In a large mixing bowl, combine ground chicken, breadcrumbs, egg, ranch seasoning mix, buffalo sauce, salt, pepper, and the cooked vegetables. Mix well.
• Shape. Roll into 1-inch balls and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
• Bake. Bake at 400F for 17 – 20 minutes until the middle of the meatballs reach 165F.
• Make sauce. While meatballs are baking, melt butter and buffalo sauce together.
• Toss. Toss cooked meatballs in the sauce until all the meatballs are coated.
• Serve. Serve with ranch dressing for dipping, if desired.

How Long Are They Good For?

Buffalo chicken meatballs will be good for up to 3 days. Make sure to store them in an airtight container in the fridge.

Reheat them in the microwave when you are ready to serve them.

Can You Make Them Ahead?

If you need to prep these meatballs ahead, you can make the chicken mixture and shape it into meatballs. Place them on the sheetpan you plan to bake them on and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Bake as instructed when you are ready to serve.

You could also go ahead and bake them ahead so that all you have to do when you are ready to serve is heat them in the microwave and toss them in sauce!

Can You Freeze Them?

You can freeze buffalo chicken meatballs for up to 3 months. Let them cool completely and transfer them to a freezer-safe, airtight container. If you are using a freezer ziploc bag, squeeze as much air out as possible. And then place in the freezer.

When you are ready to serve them, let them defrost overnight in the fridge. I would reheat in the microwave and maybe have some extra buffalo sauce on hand in case they’re not super saucy.

What To Serve With Them

I tend to serve these as a party appetizer or a snacky-type dinner so I’ll just put some toothpicks next to them. You could also do carrot sticks and sliced celery, especially if you have ranch on the side for dipping.

If you want to do a full dinner with them, something like rice or mashed potatoes, to soak up extra sauce would work great. Roast a veggie to go on the side and you have a hearty dinner!

You could also do buffalo chicken meatball subs on French bread with extra sauce, monterey jack cheese, and whatever your typically sub toppings are. Or even buffalo chicken meatball sliders on Hawaiian rolls!

More Meatball Recipes

• Slow Cooker Salisbury Steak Meatballs
• Slow Cooker BBQ Meatballs
• Turkey Teriyaki Meatballs
• Slow Cooker Meatball Subs
• Chicken Alfredo Twice Baked Potatoes

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