Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken Meatballs
These meatballs are a lighter, healthier alternative to buffalo wings, and you can easily make them right in the slow cooker!
It’s been insanely warm out here in the Bay Area, and I even think it high 90 degrees in the house yesterday. So the last thing I want to do is leave the stovetop or oven on. That’s why I finally dusted off my slow cooker, and seeing that I had an entire bottle of Frank’s RedHot ready to be used up, I just had to make these epic buffalo chicken meatballs. I’m not even a buffalo fan but these meatballs still blew my mind!
You can even make these ahead of time up to the point of baking them. When you’re ready to serve, pop these babies right into the slow cooker for about 2 hours, really letting the buffalo flavors soak right in. From there, you can drizzle on that blue cheese dressing goodness to taste. Best of all, these can be served as a snack, a party appetizer or even a light dinner!
Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken Meatballs
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground chicken
- ¾ cup Panko*
- 1 large egg
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- 2 green onions, thinly sliced
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- ¾ cup buffalo sauce
- ¼ cup blue cheese dressing
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat; set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine ground chicken, Panko, egg, garlic and onion powder and green onions; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Using a wooden spoon or clean hands, stir until well combined. Roll the mixture into 1 1/4-to-1 1/2-inch meatballs, forming about 24 meatballs.
- Place meatballs onto prepared baking sheet and bake for 4-5 minutes, or until all sides are browned.
- Place meatballs into a slow cooker. Add buffalo sauce and gently toss to combine. Cover and cook on low heat for 2 hours.
- Serve immediately, drizzled with blue cheese dressing, if desired.
Notes
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The best !!Made so many times
This is one of my go to appetizer recipes! So easy and so yummy. Definitely my most requested app for parties. I use gluten free panko.
What size cookie scoop did you use for the meatballs?
DELICIOUS!! Easiest recipe ever!
Just came here to say this recipe is an absolute classic in my extended family and we have it at every major function–I have never left a review but thought I finally should! Delicious!
just a question… could these be made and then put on a bed of rice or pasta ( adding a little more sauce though ) to make it like more of a meal?
Tried this recipe out on a whim for my job’s potluck and it was a big hit! I made my own buffalo sauce, and then followed the directions for preparing the meatballs. I made them the night before, refrigerated them, and then reheated them a couple hours before the potluck. I will definitely be making this again!!
Super easy and fast. Delicious! Great appetizers for no dipping during Covid 19
These are amazing! I made a double batch and they were so easy to make. They were a huge hit at the Super Bowl party today! thank you!
I have made these many times and they are always a hit! I put a cube of mozzarella cheese inside each meatball before baking. They’re fabulous!
I have made these about 6 times now for pot pucks and there are never any left overs. Tonight I am about to precook some for a Sip & See tomorrow but I’m going to try with Impossible Burger since the guest of honor is vegetarian. I bet they’ll be amazing as well. This is a recipe I have saved on my phone cause I use it so often. Thank you
I have made these a few times, and they come out very tasty..Never have any left once they come out of the slow cooker..
I haven’t made these yet but they look like something my boys would both love. I noticed in the picture you have the meatballs on a baking rack…does that work better than just putting them on the parchment?
Either option should work just fine, Theresa! 🙂
could these be baked fully in the oven and reheated in a crockpot the next day (with the sauce added at that time)?
What a great idea! But unfortunately, without having tried this myself, I cannot answer with certainty. But if you get a chance to try it, please let me know how it turns out! 🙂
I do this all of the time and they taste great!!!
Hi Brooke. I love this recipe too!
Made these as written, except using chopped sweet onion instead of spring onions, and using Sweet Baby Ray’s buffalo sauce. The meatballs were tender, moist and flavorful. Was not fond of SBR sauce, so will try something new next time. This is a keeper.
Made these yesterday and they were fantastic. I doubled the recipe and every one was eaten. Thanks for such an easy tasty appitizer!
This looks awesome! Do you think it would be okay if I made the meatballs the night before, stored them in the fridge overnight and then put them in the slow cooker the next day? Any recommendations that I let them come to room temp before putting them in the slow cooker or straight from the fridge is just fine?
What a great idea! But unfortunately, without further recipe testing, I cannot answer with certainty. As always, please use your best judgment when making substitutions and modifications.
Hi there! I’m wondering what the instructions would be if I cooked these meatballs the night before ? Would I bake in oven then hold off on cooking in the crock pot ? Thank you in advance!
What a great idea! But unfortunately, without further recipe testing, I cannot answer with certainty. As always, please use your best judgment when making substitutions and modifications.
wondering if you wound up cooking these a day before and reheated? thinking of going this route for the super bowl, but i don’t want to sacrifice taste/texture. thanks for any insight!
Anyone has recommendations of a good side dish or veggie to go with this to help make it a full meal? Looks delicious!
My absolute favorite side dish is the garlic parmesan roasted potatoes. But please feel free to check out all of my side dish recipes here.
Nicole, being on a low carb diet, I tried these with spiralized veggies, such as carrots or zucchini, and it was a great dinner. I even subbed out the bread crumbs for almond flour.
These were fabulous! I used Anchor Bar medium wing sauce. Yes that’s the bar that originated the chicken wing. I did notice that the flavor was not as good when they cooled. Next time I’ll serve them warm.