Honey Buffalo Chicken Meatballs with Slaw

You can’t have too many solid meatball recipes. You simply cannot. They’re ever versatile, always welcome, and lovably mix-and-matchable. You can “meatball” just about anything – from pasta, to hoagies, to rice, to … you name it. These Honey Buffalo Chicken Meatballs with their tangy yet very simple slaw are AWESOME. And easy. And just spicy enough to make an otherwise unremarkable weeknight dinner well, kind of remarkable.

I suppose, just as one can “meatball,” anything he or she can also “buffalo” anything. I’m sitting here having a hard time believing that this is the very first buffalo anything recipe that I’ve shared here on My Kitchen Little. It’s a little whack. I LOVE Buffalo-style anything and I’m annoyed with myself for lolligagging so long. But alas, here we are and at least it’s a good one – a very good one.

These chicken meatballs are a wonderfully tasty way to employ some (otherwise bland) ground chicken. It’s leaner and lighter and a bit healthier than the proteins that are typically wielded in the making of a meatball. So, that’s a win.

But there are a few key things that are nice to keep in mind when making meatballs (or burgers) with lighter proteins such as chicken or turkey …

Tips and Tricks for Buffalo Chicken Meatball Mastery

1. Because there’s less fat, these babies need some help in the moisture department. So, we’ll use that buffalo sauce to our advantage in that regard, along with the egg.
2. Speaking of the egg, this combined with the panko breadcrumbs, will help bind the meat to itself as we shape the meatballs. The ground chicken is decidedly lighter and more delicate (read: harder to handle), than pork or beef or veal would be, so the egg and the breadcrumbs really help a lot in that regard.
3. You’ll notice that I have the optional ingredient of “celery leaves” listed for these meatballs. With Italian style meatballs, you’ll see parsley typically listed in their makeup. In my wonderfully clever twist (pats self on back) I’m swapping in the punchy, grassy flavor of celery leaves – since we’re using celery in the slaw. BOOM! One ingredient, two uses. We love this so, so very much.
4. BROIL. In my recipe below, I ask you to quickly broil these meatballs at the end of their cook time – just for a couple of minutes. This is to offset their (again) lighter tendencies and to give them a more fetching, browned color. It also makes the honey buffalo sauce sticky and caramelized a bit. Beef and pork don’t really require this step, as their fat content helps them to brown better as they bake. But the blast from a good broiling will help the ground chicken brown up right nicely for you.

Honey Buffalo Chicken Meatballs: Ingredients

1 lb. ground chicken

⅓ cup + 1/2 cup buffalo sauce, divided

¾ cup crumbled blue cheese

¾ cup panko bread crumbs

1 egg

1 tsp salt

1 tsp garlic powder

Freshly cracked black pepper, to taste

2 TBSP chopped celery leaves (optional; I use the leaves from the celery in the slaw)

1 bag coleslaw mix

3 celery stalks, very thinly sliced

2 green onions, thinly sliced

¾ cup mayonnaise 

½ cup buttermilk

1 TBSP apple cider vinegar (white or red wine vinegar would work)

How to make these Honey Buffalo Chicken Meatballs

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Adjust the rack to the middle position.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the ground chicken, 1/3 cup of the buffalo sauce, blue cheese, panko, egg, salt, garlic powder, pepper, and chopped celery leaves (if using). Mix (I use my hands) just until everything seems nicely combined. 

Spray a large baking pan with nonstick spray (or grease with oil). Form the chicken mixture into round, golf ball-sized meatballs and place them side by side in the greased pan. Bake for 25 minutes. Combine the remaining 1/3 cup buffalo sauce and the honey in a small bowl or liquid measuring cup, and stir to mix well. Pour this over the meatballs in the pan.

Turn the broiler on high, and broil the meatballs for two minutes. This will help to brown the tops. Just make sure they’re cooked all the way through before you take them out. 

Meanwhile, prepare the slaw. Put the slaw mix in a large mixing bowl. Add the celery and green onions. In a separate bowl/jar, combine the mayo, buttermilk, vinegar, salt to taste (I use about 1.5 to 2 tsp), and lots of pepper. Pour the dressing over the slaw mix and toss to coat. 

I like to serve the meatballs piled on some warmed naan, piled on top of some slaw. But you can skip the flatbread and use a bun or a hoagie roll, if you prefer. These would also be good with rice or even orzo.

If you like the looks of these Honey Buffalo Chicken Meatballs with Slaw, you might also enjoy:

Sweet and Spicy Pacific Rim Meatballs

Lemony Pesto Orzo with Meatballs and Burrata

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