These buffalo chicken meatballs are savory, spicy and super easy to make! Just one pot and 20 minutes are all you need for these tasty meatballs. Drizzled with a homemade Whole30 Ranch, they’re great as a weeknight dinner over cauliflower rice or alone as a quick appetizer.
After making these buffalo chicken meatballs I definitely kicked myself for waiting this long. They’re super easy, made all in one skillet.
They’re also really fast, even if you aren’t great at meal prepping – which I am totally guilty of. Trust me, I’m not proud of slacking big time on mea-prep, but it’s a reality of my weekdays.
Knowing I can go from zero to dinner in 20 minutes is a big draw for any recipe.
The meatballs themselves are your basic (but awesome) chicken meatballs. I used almond flour and an egg to bind, but you can also use tapioca or arrowroot to make them nut-free. The measurement is just slightly different – see the recipe box for details.
As for the sauce, it’s two ingredients – Whole30 compliant hot sauce, and ghee. Yes, you DO have to use ghee if you want this recipe to be Whole30 compliant, and I know it’s pricey, but WAY worth it here!
If you are not doing the Whole30 and are okay using grass-fed butter, you can definitely sub that in for the ghee in the sauce.
Basically, you brown the meatballs in a skillet, then pour the sauce over them and let everything cook together for a few minutes. Meatballs + sauce = best friends.
Luckily, they don’t have to cook long before they’re well acquainted with one another. While they cook, you prepare the ranch. The only bit of prep here I recommend is having homemade mayo on hand – it makes the ranch taste approximately 100 times better than if you use a store bought Paleo mayo.
Trust me, I’ve tried to cut corners – not worth it! Anyway, the ranch mixes up in seconds as long as you have your mayo ready. And then, it’s time to party!
I really enjoyed these served over cauli rice, and I’m not even a huge fan of cauli rice. The flavors go well together and the rice absorbs some of the spicy buffalo sauce which is always a good thing.
I sprinkled lots of chopped chives over everything but you can use scallions too – or skip the garnish altogether – still so tasty.
These buffalo chicken meatballs would also make GREAT appetizer meatballs. You can serve with a toothpick and use the ranch as a dip instead of a drizzle.
However you serve them, you’re going to love them for how easy and TASTY they are! While they were too spicy for my younger two kids, my oldest and my husband went wild for them and fought over the last ones.
Okay, it’s time! Grab that hot sauce (and an apron because you know, hot sauce) and let’s make THE BEST buffalo chicken meatballs!
Buffalo Chicken Meatballs {Paleo, Whole30}
Easy One Pot Buffalo Chicken Meatballs {Paleo, Whole30, Keto}
Ingredients
Meatballs:
- 1 1/2 Tbsp ghee or other cooking fat
- 1 1/4 lbs ground chicken I used thighs
- 3 Tbsp blanched almond flour or 2 Tbsp Tapioca, for nut free
- 1 large egg
- 1 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- 3 cloves garlic minced (or 1 tsp garlic powder)
- 1/2 tsp sea salt fine grain
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- Chopped fresh chives for garnish
- Ranch drizzle for garnish see below
Ranch Drizzle:
- 1/2 cup homemade mayo or purchased paleo mayo*
- 3 Tbsp non-dairy milk almond or coconut 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 2 tsp dried chives
- 1/4 tsp dried dill optional
- 3/4 tsp fresh lemon juice
- 1/8-1/4 tsp salt or to taste
Instructions
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In a large bowl, combine the ground chicken, egg, almond or tapioca, onion, paprika, garlic, salt and pepper. Mix well with your hands until fully combined, careful not to overwork the meat.
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Heat a large nonstick heavy skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add the 1 1/2 tbsp ghee.
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Chicken mixture will be sticky, so I recommend lightly wetting your hands OR coating them with olive or coconut oil to roll into meatballs. Simply re-coat when things start sticking.
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Roll chicken mixture into balls about 1 - 1.5” (on the small side) and place in the hot skillet to brown. Use a spoon to carefully turn them 3-4 times to brown evenly on all sides.
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While meatballs brown, whisk together the sauce ingredients. After browning, pour sauce over meatballs and lower the heat to med-low. Cover the skillet and cook another 3-4 minutes or until cooked through. Uncover and stir sauce, spooning it over the meatballs.
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You can serve these as a main dish over fried cauliflower rice or other sides of choice, OR as an appetizer! Before serving, garnish with fresh chopped chives and drizzle with ranch sauce (see below). You can also serve the ranch as a dip if you prefer. Enjoy!
Ranch Drizzle:
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In a mixing bowl, whisk together all ranch ingredients until very smooth. Serve right away and store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Recipe Notes
For best flavor, use my homemade recipe for this, otherwise buy a paleo friendly mayo such as Primal Kitchen.
Shop Products and Ingredients:
Want More Paleo and Whole30 Meatball Recipes? Try One of These!
Slow Cooker Meatballs with Marinara Sauce
Swedish Meatballs with Mashed Potatoes
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Hi Michelle, In my pre-paleo days i loved a good buffalo chicken sandwich so i can’t wait to try these. Any tips for making them less spicy? (Like less sauce, different sauce, dilute the sauce? I like spice but “mild spice”.)
Thanks for any tips!
I’d say for less spicy you can just use less sauce/don’t pour the sauce over the meatballs. These come out where you can add more or less sauce, or serve them with plain cauli rice to kill some of the spice. You can also go lighter on the buffalo sauce and heavier on the ranch for less spice but more flavor 🙂
Hey,
great Looks ! very nice Recipe it’s very useful video Thank you!
Hi! I’m thinking about making these for dinner but wanted to see if you thought the heat was okay for an 8 year old? He has a decent heat tolerance but thought I’d get your expert opinion!
These are delicious, made them tonight.
Hi! These look great. Do you think I could prep these and keep them on low in a crockpot? Wondering how the sauce would turn out…
This was so delicious! I used the Nobel Made pre-made buffalo sauce (whole30 approved) and it was nice and spicy. The meatballs themselves were fantastic! Loved the spice mixup you have in them. I did not try making the ranch dressing. No time. 🙂
OMG these were absolutely amazing! The biggest highlight was that mayonnaise which was the easiest way to make it ever! Totally floored at how it just came together in front of my eyes. Will probably look for a mild spicy sauce even though I love it hot I think it will be more enjoyable dish a touch milder. This didn’t impact the flavour though it’s just personal choice ..made the ranch dressing as well after I made the mayo.10 out of 10 easily!!! I am so glad I took the time to prep all this and make it after having link saved for so long.
Thank you!!
Hello. I really want to confirm as this is labeled “Paleo” but based on the calculations of the recipe one serving is 29.8 grams of fat which is super high for Paleo. Can you confirm please?
These are soooooooo good??? thank you!
do you have the nutrition information for this recipe?
I have been making these on repeat for 3 weeks now, and I just wanted to tell you thank you. 🙂 I made them as written the first time, then without the sauce, flattened, and made them chicken nuggets in the air fryer (after pan frying them like the recipe), and now I’m doing them flattened with the sauce to make boneless buffalo wings. 🙂 Great recipe!
Forgot my rating!
Do you think these would bake well in the oven? If yes, what would you suggest? Also, do you think these will freeze well without any sauce and then heated later? Thank you for all the wonderful recipes.
Delicious! I’m a buffalo fanatic and your recipes are the best. I flattened my meatballs into patties to make them easier to cook. We served it with cauliflower rice and some cut up cucumbers and celery for crunch. The ranch is yummy too!
It was good but it probably wont be on repeat. The spice level was fine but the overpowering flavor of Frank’s just made it so that I didn’t taste any other flavors in the meatballs, which I bet were pretty good.
Okay first off these meatballs are the bomb.com!!! I’ve sent them to nearly everyone I know telling them they have to make them! I did 1/2 C of hot sauce and it was the perfect amount of spice for my mild palette.
I make your recipes all the time and they are always my favorites! Thank you so much for giving us GF DF meals that I want to make over and over and over again!!! Can’t believe I’ve never commented!
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SO. GOOD! Though I made a couple modifications and didn’t have the proper ingredients for the ranch. Everything else was DELISH! Definitely going on rotation! (And making ranch next time 😉 )
This impressed me so much amazing. Keep working and providing information
crack
Are these safe to freeze?