It’s actually pretty easy to make meatballs gluten free, and these buffalo chicken meatballs are no exception. They’re quick and easy to make. You can double or triple the recipe for big parties, and you can use whatever buffalo sauce suits your fancy.
I made this recently for a girls’ day in. After they were prepared I just tossed them into the crockpot with some additional buffalo sauce and set the crockpot to warm. Depending how hot your crockpot is, you’ll want to make sure you either spray the sides of your crockpot and/or check it regularly to give it a stir. My “warm” setting made the buffalo sauce bubble after a while so I turned it off and popped the lid on to hold in the heat.
Buffalo Sauce
I used Frank’s Red Hot Buffalo sauce on this particular occasion, but I only recommend this if you like your buffalo sauce to have quite a kick. I think next time I will use something milder like Sweet Baby Ray’s or the Kroger brand sold at my local grocery store.
How to Make Buffalo Chicken Meatballs Gluten Free
The ingredient in most meatballs that will not make them GF-friendly is panko, or breadcrumbs. Breadcrumbs are the usual binding agent in most meatball recipes. Parmesan cheese is the easy substitute for this that maximizes flavor and retains texture. It’s a 1:1 substitution. You can still roll the mixture into balls with ease and as I mentioned, the flavor is amazing.
Serving Suggestions
There seems to be an epic debate about whether Blue Cheese or Ranch dressing is the better dipping sauce for buffalo chicken dishes!! This was news to me, (lol), and I planned to serve it with Blue Cheese dressing on the side for dipping. I quickly discovered that Ranch is equally delicious, and I recommend it for those of you who are not a fan of Blue Cheese. This recipe is wonderful as a party food for toothpicks and dip, but I also think these meatballs would make a great spin on a meatball sub!
I also always wondered why restaurants include celery as a side with buffalo sauce. I assumed it was just a garnish. Now I wonder if it’s because the celery really helps cut through the heat of a spicy buffalo sauce. Frank’s Red Hot Wings Buffalo sauce really packed a punch for me, and the celery helped cleanse the palate between bites of deliciousness.
Gluten Free Buffalo Chicken Meatballs
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground chicken
- 1/2 cup grated (NOT shredded!) Parmesan
- 1 egg
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 2 green onions, chopped
- 1 cup Buffalo sauce
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375'F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
- Combine chicken, Parmesan, egg, garlic and onion powders, and green onion in a large bowl. Mix to combine.
- Roll mixture into 1-inch balls and place on prepared cookie sheet.
- Bake for 20 minutes in preheated oven. Keep in mind that this is chicken, not beef, so meatballs will not turn a dark brown when finished. It'll look like a cooked chicken breast on the outside.
- Remove from oven and toss in a bowl with buffalo sauce. Serve as desired.