Buffalo Chicken Meatballs

So my two favorite things may actually be buffalo sauce, and meatballs.I mean I can't be positive because, I have a lot of favorite things. But... those two top the list.

So how about we get the best of both worlds?

I LOVE meatballs. I love taking all of the fresh ingredients and molding them all together into perfect bites of flavor. I will definitely be adding more meatball variations in the future, but these are the perfect ones to start with.

If only I could snap a picture of how good the fresh parsley smells.

I cut the recipe in half because it yields quite a lot of meatballs.

I combined ground sausage and ground chicken. I have tried multiple variations, but the mild Italian sausage is so good in these! The flavor is so dynamic between the two meats.

I also added an egg, half of a white onion, a little diced celery, bread crumbs, and a combination of spices with fresh parsley.

For the breadcrumbs, I have tried both Panko and just the original breadcrumbs, or even a combination of both. Panko is a Japanese breadcrumb made from white bread. If you use Panko breadcrumbs, you will get more of a crunch, or a less dense, more flaky texture to your meatballs. The Original Style breadcrumbs will give your meatballs a more dense, almost spongy texture. Some people have a preference, I liked using half of each.

Then you want to get your hands dirty. Shove them in there and mash it all together until it is all combined.

Some Buffalo Chicken Meatball recipes use the crockpot, so that the meatballs can cook slowly in the buffalo sauce. I was not a huge fan of this method, as they tend to come out soggy. So to improvise, I drizzled my buffalo sauce on the baking sheet prior to putting them into the oven.

And then... just to be sure they're super buffaloey.... drizzle some more sauce on top...

Sauce on sauce on sauce..

Notice.. not all of my meatballs are the same size or shape. Not a huge deal, not all meatballs are created equally.

Bake them at 400 degrees for 25 minutes. I like to open the oven and flip mine around a bit so that they cook evenly. I promise, baking meatballs is the way to go. They don't end up dry, or soggy, and they get a delicious crusty crunch. Yum.

Of course, drizzle with more sauce and Parmesan cheese. These are great for a weeknight dinner, or perfect for an appetizer at a party. I would double the recipe, because I promise they will run out quick!

XO

Full Recipe:

1lb ground sausage

1lb ground chicken

2 eggs

1 cup breadcrumbs

1/2 white onion, minced

1 stalk celery, miced

2 Tbls salt

2 Tbks black pepper

1/2 Tsp garlic powder (optioinal)

1/4 cup finely chopped parsley
Your favorite buffalo sauce

1. With your hands. combine all ingredients except the buffalo sauce, to large mixing bowl. Mash until combined.

2. Roll meat into your hands to form meatball-sized portions. If you feel mixture is too soft to hold shape, add additional breadcrumbs.

3. Once meatballs are formed, add to a baking sheet drizzled with buffalo sauce. Drizzle additional serving of buffalo sauce on top, per your taste preference.

4. Bake meatballs at 400 degrees for 25 minutes, periodically flipping to ensure even baking.