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close-up of easy buffalo chicken meatballs
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4.95 from 18 votes

Buffalo Chicken Meatballs

These buffalo chicken meatballs are pan seared and smothered in a spicy and tangy ranch sour cream sauce for a fun and flavorful dish with a kick!
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Total Time40 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: buffalo chicken meatballs
Servings: 4
Author: Natasha Bull

Ingredients

Meatballs:

  • 1 pound ground chicken
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
  • 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 tablespoon Frank's Red Hot Original Sauce
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil (for frying)
  • Chopped scallions (for serving) optional, to taste

Sauce:

  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1/4 cup Frank's Red Hot Original Sauce
  • 1 tablespoon ranch seasoning I used Hidden Valley
  • 3/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth
  • 1/2 cup sour cream

Instructions

  • To a prep bowl, add all the meatball ingredients (except for the olive oil and scallions). With your hands, mix it together well, but don't overwork the mixture. The mixture will be quite wet. Form 1" meatballs (it'll make around 20 or so). Place them on a parchment paper lined baking sheet for easy clean-up.
  • Add the olive oil to a skillet and let it heat up for a few minutes over medium-high heat. Fry the meatballs in 2 batches until they're browned all over (about 5 min/batch). I use tongs to turn them quickly and easily. They will brown quite fast, so turn them often. If needed, add another splash of olive oil to the skillet for the second batch. Transfer meatballs to a plate once they're browned.
  • If there's a lot of excess oil in the skillet, drain it, but leave the browned pieces (don't wipe out the pan). Take the skillet off the heat for a minute or so to let it cool a bit.
  • Reduce the heat to medium. Add the butter to the skillet, along with the hot sauce, ranch seasoning, and chicken broth. Whisk until smooth. Let it bubble for a minute or two, then add the meatballs back to the skillet.
  • Cook the meatballs for 5 minutes or so, until they're cooked through (165F) and the sauce has reduced a bit.
  • Turn the heat off and stir in the sour cream (I toss it with 2 spoons to do this easily). Serve with chopped scallions sprinkled over top.

Notes

  • The sauce is fairly salty, so you may want to make your own homemade ranch seasoning if you need it to be low sodium (see a recipe linked within the blog post).
  • If the sauce becomes too thick, add a splash of chicken broth.
  • Meatballs will cook at a different rate depending on how big/small you make them, so I recommend using an instant read meat thermometer to be safe.

Nutrition

Calories: 395kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 24g | Fat: 29g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 13g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 168mg | Sodium: 1380mg | Potassium: 715mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 414IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 64mg | Iron: 2mg