EASY homemade chicken meatballs that simmer in buffalo wing sauce, seasonings, and spices in your slow cooker! Juicy and full of all the flavor of traditional buffalo chicken wings, minus the messy factor! Great for game day parties, holidays, graduations, or anytime you need an appetizer that kids and adults alike just adore!
½teaspoonsmoked paprikaregular paprika may be substituted
¾cupbuffalo sauce
Ranch dressingoptional for serving
Carrot and celery sticksoptional for serving
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400F and line a baking sheet with foil for easier cleanup; set aside.
To a large mixing bowl, add the egg, panko bread crumbs, Parmesan, garlic and onion powders, smoked paprika, and mix to combine, using either very clean hands or a wooden spoon. Tip - Don't overmix or the meatballs will be tougher.
Using a small scoop, form 1 to 1 1/2-inch meatballs, place them on the prepared baking sheet evenly spaced apart, and bake for 8 minutes. They will not be cooked through at this point, but will finish cooking in the slow cooker.* (See Notes for using store bought meatballs)
Transfer the meatballs to a 6 to 8-quart slow cooker, evenly drizzle with buffalo wing sauce, cover your slow cooker, and cook on low for about 2 hours.
Optionally serve with ranch dressing, and/or carrot and celery sticks, if desired. Meatballs will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 4 months.
Notes
*For anyone short on time or energy, you can use frozen meatballs that have been previously cooked. Thaw them and add them directly to your slow cooker. Skip the baking step since they’ve already been cooked.Cover with sauce and then slow cook them on low for about 60 to 90 minutes. It’s not likely they will need the whole 2 hours that the scratch chicken meatballs require since they need more time to fully cook through.Additionally, if you can’t find store bought chicken meatballs, you can use turkey meatballs instead. I love Trader Joe’s frozen turkey meatballs.