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thehungryhungryhiker

Baked Buffalo Chicken Meatballs

Everyone's favorite - buffalo chicken - rolled up into the shape of a meatball and stuffed with a few hidden vegetables! These spicy meatballs make a great appetizer when served with ranch dressing, or make them the star of the show served with a baked potato or over a bed of salad greens!
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 25 minutes
Servings: 5 people
Course: Appetizer, Main Course
Cuisine: American
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

For the meatballs:
  • 2 tbsp ghee or avocado oil
  • 2 stalks celery, diced small
  • 1 carrot, large, shredded
  • ½ cup yellow onion, diced small
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 lb ground chicken
  • 2 eggs, whisked
  • ½ tsp sea salt
  • ½ tsp fresh ground black pepper
  • ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
  • 2 tbsp Frank's Red Hot
  • ½ cup almond flour
For the sauce:
  • 3 tbsp ghee sub butter if not Whole30
  • ¼ cup Frank's Red Hot
  • 1 tsp coconut aminos
  • 1 tsp garlic powder

Method
 

  1. Make the meatballs: add 2 tbsp ghee or avocado oil to a large skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add the celery, carrot, onion, and garlic. Season with a little sea salt. Sauté, stirring occasionally, for 8-10 minutes until the vegetables are softened considerably. Pour the vegetable mixture into a large bowl and let cool for 10 minutes. Keep the skillet on the burner, but turn the burner off.
  2. Preheat the oven to 375° F. Grease a 9" x 13" baking dish with cooking fat of choice (I used avocado oil).
  3. Add the remainder of the meatball ingredients to the large bowl. Using clean hands, mix until combined completely. Use an ice cream scoop to scoop out the meatball mixture, and then roll with your hands to form the meatballs, approx. 1.5" in diameter (see Note). Place the meatballs in the greased baking dish in a single layer. They will touch and that is okay. When all of the meatballs have been formed, bake at 375° F for 10 minutes.
  4. While the meatballs are baking, make the sauce. Add 3 tbsp ghee to the skillet over medium heat. Once melted, add in the Frank's Red Hot, coconut aminos, and garlic powder and whisk to combine. Stir occasionally to keep the mixture combined.
  5. Remove the meatballs from the oven when the 10 minutes is up. Spoon the sauce evenly over the meatballs until the sauce is gone. Return the meatballs to the oven and bake at 375° F for about 15 minutes more, until they reach an internal temperature of 165° F. Remove from oven. Serve hot with ranch dressing on the side for dipping and enjoy!

Notes

The best way (I have found) to form meatballs is to use an ice cream scoop to scoop the meat mixture out of the bowl. Then, I roll the meat in my hands to form the meatball. If I find the meat is sticking to my hands too much, I rinse my hands under cold water, shake off the excess water, and continue until all of the meatballs have been formed.