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Baked Buffalo Chicken Meatballs With Brown Sugar

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These easy Baked Buffalo Chicken Meatballs are my favorite game day appetizer! Made with Franks Red Hot sauce and brown sugar, they are spicy, sweet and covered in sauce! Plus, they’re gluten free AND can be kept warm in your slow cooker for hours!

How To Bake Buffalo Chicken Meatballs

This recipe for homemade buffalo chicken meatballs is as simple as you can get. You could use store-bought frozen meatballs if you prefer but making them does not take long.

What you need is ground chicken (or turkey), an egg to act as a binder, chopped celery, grated onion and breadcrumbs OR instant tapioca (if your gluten free).ground chicken. egg, breadcrumbs, onion and celery in a bowl

How To Make My Brown Sugar Buffalo Sauce

This sauce is everything. This version has brown sugar in it for some added sweetness. It also helps to tone down the heat so the result is a perfect spicy sweet combo!

The thicken the sauce, I added some cornstarch to the hot sauce, butter and brown sugar. Then I simmered it for a little over the stove before pouring over top of my meatballs. If you leave out the cornstarch, the sauce will be delicious but the consistency will be too thin.

Can I Make These In My Slow Cooker?

The meatballs will stick together if they are stacked on top of one another so a crock pot is not ideal for cooking meatballs. They are ideal, however for keeping cooked meatballs WARM!

So what you can do is bake the meatballs and then add them to your slow cooker with the sauce over top. Then set it to warm and let your guests at them!

spicy and sweet buffalo turkey meatballs on a skewer

Can I Freeze These To Make Ahead of Time?

Yes!

What I do, is bake a large batch of the meatballs at once, maybe 2-3 lbs. of chicken, freeze them, then pull them out Sunday morning (or whenever you want) and throw them in the slow cooker with the brown sugar buffalo sauce! By the time the game starts, the meatballs are perfectly warmed through. You want to give them about 90 minutes to defrost!

Here are some other delicious meatball appetizers.

meatballs in a bowl covered in buffalo sauce

Check out these other delicious game day appetizers!

Buffalo Chicken Sweet Potato Rounds

Buffalo Chicken Brown Sugar Bites

Puff Pastry Sausage Pigs in a Blanket

Crispy Zucchini Squash Chips

Creamed Spinach and Feta Phyllo Cups

Baked Buffalo Chicken Meatballs With Brown Sugar

Franks Red Hot Buffalo Chicken Meatball Recipe

Baked Buffalo Chicken Meatballs With Brown Sugar

These easy Baked Buffalo Chicken Meatballs are my favorite game day appetizer! Made with Franks Red Hot sauce and brown sugar, they are spicy, sweet and covered in sauce! Plus, they're gluten free AND can be kept warm in your slow cooker for hours!
5 from 4 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: American
Keyword: buffalo sauce, chicken, crock pot, football, meatballs
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 12 minutes
Total Time: 22 minutes
Servings: 6 People
Author: Aleka Shunk

Ingredients

Meatballs

  • 1 lb. Ground Chicken (or turkey)
  • 1 Stick Finely Chopped Celery
  • 1/4 Cup Grated Onion
  • 1 Large Egg
  • 1/2 Tsp. Salt
  • 1/4 Tsp. Pepper
  • 1/4 Cup Instant Tapioca ((OR substitute 3/4 cup GF bread crumbs))

Brown Sugar Buffalo Sauce

  • 1/2 Cup Hot Sauce
  • 1/3 Cup Brown Sugar
  • 1/2 Stick Salted Butter
  • 1 Tbsp Cornstarch

Instructions

  • Option 1: Add all meatball ingredients in a bowl and mix until combined.
    Option 2: If you don't feel like chopping the celery or grating the onion, add everything but the meat and tapioca to a food processor and pulse until pureed. Then add to meat and tapioca in large bowl to the puree and mix until combined.
  • Using a mini ice cream scoop (about 1 oz.) for consistency, scoop meatballs onto large greased baking sheet and bake at 375° F for 12-15 minutes on middle rack, (I do not turn them but you can halfway if you want more even browning.) 
  • Meanwhile, add the melted butter, hot sauce, brown sugar and cornstarch to a small saucepan and simmer over medium heat until thickened. (about 5 minutes)
  • When meatballs are done, toss them in the sauce while hot. (Sauce does not need to be hot, if your meatballs are hot)
  • Serve with blue cheese or ranch dressing on the side! Skewers are optional!

Recipe Notes

If your meatballs are TOO sticky, add more tapioca or breadcrumbs just until they hold their shape!
Make more sauce if you need! These babies should be drenched in it!                    
Party Tips*
  • Place skewers/toothpicks in a small shot glass and allow guests to grab them as they please!
  • Keep in crock-pot and set on "warm" if you want to serve these all day.
  • These freeze well so make ahead of time, allow to cool, and place in plastic bag or Tupperware until you need them! Then just warm up in a 350 F oven OR throw the cooked meatballs straight from the freezer in a crock-pot, add sauce and turn on "warm"!                                                               
Note!
I do not put the meatballs in the crock-pot raw to cook! Uncooked meatballs will stick to one another when they are stacked on top of each other! This is why I bake them FIRST then add them to the crock pot!
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Comments

    • Bite Sized Kitchen

      Hi Brittany! Good question. Coconut oil is my favorite but I can’t say it would add much flavor to the sauce like butter does. Have you thought about using, ‘Ghee’, ‘I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter’ or ‘Smart Balance’? Ghee is just clarified butter, so there are no milk solids. This would be my 1st recommendation for the tastiest sauce. The other two are butter substitutes, both dairy free and the closest thing to butter that I have found that is also available in most grocers! Let me know what you choose and how it goes so I can add it to the recipes notes!!

      Reply

  3. Brittany

    I want to try this recipe but need a lactose free alternative to butter. What do you think about coconut oil?

    Reply

    • Bite Sized Kitchen

      Hi Brittany! Good question. Coconut oil is my favorite but I can’t say it would add much flavor to the sauce like butter does. Have you thought about using, ‘Ghee’, ‘I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter’ or ‘Smart Balance’? Ghee is just clarified butter, so there are no milk solids. This would be my 1st recommendation for the tastiest sauce. The other two are butter substitutes, both dairy free and the closest thing to butter that I have found that is also available in most grocers! Let me know what you choose and how it goes so I can add it to the recipes notes!!

      Reply

  4. Michelle Frank | Flipped-Out Food

    5 stars
    My Badgers have their home opener tonight, and these meatballs will be PERFECT. There IS nothing better than the aroma of Mr. Crockpot hard at work in the kitchen, and I can’t wait to fire him up with these meatballs! I love the scattering of scallions on top for serving. I’m definitely a blue cheese girl, but my kids are devout ranch dressing eaters, so I’ll be setting out both—with some celery sticks!

    Reply

  5. Michelle Frank | Flipped-Out F

    My Badgers have their home opener tonight, and these meatballs will be PERFECT. There IS nothing better than the aroma of Mr. Crockpot hard at work in the kitchen, and I can’t wait to fire him up with these meatballs! I love the scattering of scallions on top for serving. I’m definitely a blue cheese girl, but my kids are devout ranch dressing eaters, so I’ll be setting out both—with some celery sticks!

    Reply

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