Crock Pot Buffalo Chicken Meatballs Recipe! - Tammilee Tips (2024)

Woohoo! It is one of my favorite times of the year! Football party time! I love any time I can make appetizer recipes in the CrockPot. Today's Crock Pot Buffalo Chicken Meatballs Recipe is so tasty and perfect for upcoming football parties!

Buffalo Chicken Meatballs Recipe

This simple Crock Pot Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken Meatballs is perfect for your Super Bowl Football Parties or any day you need a good appetizer recipe. These CrockPot meatballs are also great over rice for dinner.

We love how versatile chicken is in the crockpot! We are constantly testing new CrockPot chicken recipes and wanted to share this great list of Great Crock Pot Chicken Recipes so you can easily find more recipes to try!

This is one of our favorite party appetizer recipes but we also like to serve it for dinner. A fun alternative to buffalo chicken wings.

Ingredients

Here is a quick overview of the simple ingredients needed to make epic Crock Pot Buffalo Chicken Meatballs! The printable recipe card at the bottom of the post includes specific measurements and step-by-step instructions.

Buffalo Chicken Meatballs

• Ground Chicken
• Panko Crumbs or Bread Crumbs
• Your Favorite Bottled Buffalo Hot Sauce
• Onion Powder
• Garlic Powder
• Dried Parsley
• Dried Italian Seasoning
• Eggs
• Chicken Stock/Broth
• Salt and pepper to taste

Sauce

• Bottled Buffalo Hot Sauce/buffalo wing sauce
• Butter

Optional Garnishes: Blue Cheese Dressing, Sesame Seeds, green onions, carrots and celery sticks, ranch dressing

Equipment Needed

• CrockPot: We suggest using a 6-quart crockpot with a digital timer that automatically switches the slow cooker to warm after a set time to ensure your dinner cooks perfectly without stressing about cooking time.
• Large Mixing Bowl
• Skillet
• Kitchen Spoon/Stirring Utensil
• Parchment Paper or Slow Cooker Liners or cooking spray

How to Make Crock Pot Buffalo Chicken Meatballs

I've included complete instructions in the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post, but here's a quick version.

Buffalo Chicken Meatballs

1. Mix all ingredients, except those listed for the sauce, in a large bowl.
2. Form small tablespoon-sized (or larger if you prefer) meatballs from the mixture
3. Heat a skillet with oil and sear the meatballs until evenly browned on all sides.
4. Add meatballs to a parchment-lined slow cooker bowl after all of them have browned.
5. Pour in chicken broth. Cover and cook on low.

Sauce

1. Mix the sauce ingredients and drizzle over the meatballs approximately ½ hour before cooking time is complete.
2. Drizzle with blue cheese dressing when served. You can serve the meatballs on rice, OR, as an alternative, serve them on a platter with toothpicks for an appetizer.

Preparation and Storage

Make-Ahead: These Buffalo Chicken Meatballs are make-ahead-friendly! They take four hours to cook in your slow cooker, giving you ample time to relax or work on other menu items.

Storage: Refrigerate any leftovers in an airtight container and enjoy them within four days.

Freezing/How to Freeze: Transfer leftover meatballs to an airtight, freezer-safe container or Ziploc bag and enjoy them within three months.

How to Reheat: You can reheat your slow cooker Buffalo Chicken Meatballs using the microwave, stovetop, or oven, depending on how many portions you need to prepare. Let frozen meatballs thaw overnight in the fridge to ensure they reheat evenly.

Recipe Variations

Substitutions:

You are welcome to use your favorite bottled buffalo hot sauce.

You can use ground turkey instead of ground chicken if you prefer turkey.

We prefer chicken broth in this recipe for how it pairs with chicken, but vegetable broth works if you don’t have chicken broth.

Vegetarian Option: Replace the ground chicken with your go-to ground meat substitute and the chicken broth with vegetable broth to make this recipe vegetarian.

Vegan Option: In addition to the guidance for vegetarians, vegans should use plant-based substitutes for eggs, butter, and blue cheese dressing. Many hot sauces are vegan, but check the label on your buffalo sauce before getting started.

Gluten-Free: Gluten-free eaters should use gluten-free bread crumbs to make this recipe safe for a gluten-free diet. Chicken stock is typically gluten-free but check for a gluten-free label on this ingredient, as some brands may contain gluten-unsafe additives.

Smaller Serving Size + Larger Group/More Servings: We use a pound of ground chicken to make 20 servings of tablespoon-sized Buffalo Chicken Meatballs. Scale the written recipe up or down to your desired yield, working in batches as needed if you scale up.

Make It Spicy: The spice level of your meatballs depends on how spicy your buffalo sauce is, so choose an extra spicy one if you enjoy the heat!

Sugar-Free: Whether this appetizer contains sugar depends on your hot sauce, so check the nutrition label beforehand.

Tips for the Best Crock Pot Buffalo Chicken Meatballs

• You can measure your meatballs with a cookie scoop if you want them to be uniform.
• Check out our recipe for Homemade Chicken Stock if you want to go the DIY route for this ingredient!
• We have yet to try it for this recipe, but you can use frozen meatballs instead of ground chicken as we did in our 3-Ingredient Grape Jelly Meatballs if you want a time-saver.

What to Serve with CrockPot Buffalo Chicken Meatballs

I would set up a bowl of blue cheese, ranch, and other dipping sauces next to your meatball platter. I served the Buffalo Chicken Meatballs on a rice platter, but you could easily stack them in a bowl or spread them out along a platter. Here are some menu planning suggestions.

Sides: CrockPot Chipotle Honey Meatballs, CrockPot Swedish Meatballs, CrockPot Cranberry Barbecue Meatballs, CrockPot Spicy Mango Jerk Wings, CrockPot Mexican Chili over Fritos, CrockPot Honey Sriracha Barbecue Wings, CrockPot Beer-Braised Kielbasa

Main Dishes: CrockPot Chili Mac and Cheese, CrockPot Bacon Mac and Cheese, CrockPot Kielbasa and Sauerkraut, CrockPot Beer Chili, CrockPot Cuban Pork Sandwiches, Buffalo Chicken Wontons, CrockPot Bacon Ranch Chicken, CrockPot Buffalo Sloppy Joes

Desserts: Red Velvet Brownies, Chocolate Coconut 5 Layer Bars, CrockPot Mixed Berry Cobbler, Black Bean Brownies, Easy Homemade Banana Bread, , Peanut Butter Bacon Cookies, Molasses Cookies

Drinks: co*ke Slushie, Kool-Aid Slushie, Red Robin Freckled Lemonade, Brazilian Lemonade, Sonic Ocean Water, CopyCat McDonald's Sweet Tea, Watermelon Agua Fresca

When to Serve

• Lunch
• Dinner
• Potlucks
• Family and Friends Gatherings
• Game Day

Great CrockPot Appetizer Recipes

If you love slow cooker appetizers, check out a few of these delicious recipes! There is something magical about using the slow cooker to make party planning and prep much more manageable.

Slow Cooker Spicy Kielbasa

Slow Cooker Bourbon Bacon Meatballs

Slow Cooker Jamaican Jerk Chicken Wings

Slow Cooker Meat Lovers Queso

Cranberry Barbecue Meatballs

There is indeed a slow cooker appetizer for every taste!

Do you love recipes? Check out our copycat recipes, dessert recipes, and our CrockPot Recipes.

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Recipe originally shared on January 3, 2017. Updated October 2020.