Smoked Buffalo Chicken Meatballs
Juicy ground chicken meatballs seasoned with celery, green onion, garlic, and ranch seasoning, cooked hot and fast with a touch of smoke, then coated in buttery Buffalo sauce. Serve with blue cheese or ranch for an easy game day appetizer.
Equipment
- Smoker, pellet grill, gas grill, charcoal grill, or oven
- Grill-safe wire rack and rimmed sheet pan or grill-safe tray
- Large mixing bowl
- Small saucepan or microwave-safe bowl
- Cookie scoop, optional but helpful
- Instant-read meat thermometer
- Tongs
- Basting brush or large tossing bowl
Ingredients
For the Chicken Meatballs:
- 1 pound ground chicken preferably around 92–93% lean
- 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1 large egg
- 1/3 cup celery very finely diced
- 2 green onions thinly sliced
- 2 cloves garlic finely minced
- 1 teaspoon ranch seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt adjusted depending on ranch seasoning
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
For the Buffalo Butter Sauce:
- 1/2 cup cayenne-style hot sauce preferably Frank's RedHot
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
For Serving:
- Blue cheese dressing or ranch dressing
- Crumbled blue cheese optional
- Sliced green onions
- Celery sticks
- Carrot sticks
Instructions
- Preheat the smoker or pellet grill to 375–400°F. For a charcoal or gas grill, set up an indirect cooking zone at approximately the same temperature. For the oven method, preheat to 425°F.
- Place the panko, egg, finely diced celery, green onions, garlic, ranch seasoning, onion powder, smoked paprika, kosher salt, and black pepper in a large mixing bowl. Stir until evenly combined.
- Add the ground chicken and gently mix just until the ingredients are evenly distributed. Do not aggressively knead or overwork the mixture.
- Using a small cookie scoop or damp hands, portion the mixture into approximately 18 meatballs, about 1 1/4 inches each.
- Arrange the meatballs on a lightly greased grill-safe wire rack positioned over a rimmed sheet pan or on a grill-safe perforated tray, leaving a little space between each meatball.
- Place the meatballs in the smoker, pellet grill, or over indirect grill heat.
- Cook for approximately 16–20 minutes, checking the internal temperature as they approach doneness. Cooking time will vary with meatball size and actual cooker temperature.
- While the meatballs cook, combine the hot sauce, butter, Worcestershire sauce, and garlic powder in a small saucepan over low heat or in a microwave-safe bowl. Heat just until the butter melts, then stir until smooth.
- When the meatballs reach approximately 160–162°F internally, remove them briefly from the cooker and toss or brush them generously with the Buffalo butter sauce.
- Return the sauced meatballs to the cooker for approximately 2–4 minutes, just until the sauce becomes tacky and the center of the meatballs reaches at least 165°F.
- Remove the meatballs from the cooker and rest for approximately 5 minutes.
- Toss with a small additional amount of warm Buffalo sauce if you prefer them extra saucy.
- Garnish with sliced green onions and optional blue cheese crumbles.
- Serve warm with blue cheese dressing, ranch dressing, celery sticks, and carrot sticks.
OVEN METHOD
- Preheat the oven to 425°F.
- Arrange the formed meatballs on a lightly greased wire rack set over a rimmed baking sheet.
- Bake for approximately 14–17 minutes, or until the meatballs are approaching 160–162°F internally.
- Coat with Buffalo butter sauce and return to the oven for approximately 2–3 minutes, until the sauce is hot and the meatballs reach at least 165°F.
- Rest briefly and serve with the desired dipping sauces.
Notes
GROUND CHICKEN:
Ground chicken around 92–93% lean is preferred because extremely lean chicken breast can dry out more quickly. Ground chicken thigh also works well. MEATBALL SIZE:
Keep the meatballs close to 1 1/4 inches so they cook evenly. Larger meatballs will require additional cooking time. DO NOT OVERMIX:
Ground chicken can become dense when overworked. Mix only until the ingredients are evenly distributed. RANCH SEASONING:
A store-bought ranch seasoning blend works perfectly. Check its sodium level before adding additional salt. HOT SAUCE:
Frank's RedHot or another cayenne-style hot sauce gives the most familiar Buffalo flavor. BLUE CHEESE:
Blue cheese does not need to be mixed into the Buffalo sauce. Serve a good store-bought blue cheese dressing on the side or add a few crumbles over the finished meatballs. RANCH:
Store-bought ranch dressing is completely fine and makes this recipe more crowd-friendly. SMOKE:
Use a mild wood such as apple, cherry, pecan, or maple. These meatballs cook quickly and only need a subtle smoke flavor. DO NOT SMOKE LOW AND SLOW:
Cook around 375–400°F. Ground chicken meatballs benefit from enough heat to brown and set rather than spending a long time at traditional low-and-slow BBQ temperatures. SAUCE AT THE END:
Adding most of the Buffalo sauce after the meatballs have set helps preserve their exterior texture and lets the sauce cling to the outside. SPICY VERSION:
Add 1/4 teaspoon cayenne to the meatball mixture or use a hotter Buffalo-style sauce. MILD VERSION:
Use less Buffalo sauce on the finished meatballs and serve additional sauce on the side. MAKE AHEAD:
The meatball mixture can be prepared and portioned earlier in the day. Keep the raw meatballs refrigerated until ready to cook. FREEZING:
Cooked unsauced meatballs freeze well. Cool completely, freeze in an airtight container, then thaw and reheat before coating with fresh Buffalo sauce. FOOD SAFETY:
Ground chicken must reach at least 165°F internally before serving. Check the center of one of the larger meatballs with an instant-read thermometer. STORAGE:
Refrigerate cooked leftovers promptly in an airtight container and use within 3–4 days. REHEATING:
Reheat gently in an oven, air fryer, skillet, or covered grill until hot. Add fresh Buffalo sauce after reheating if necessary. NUTRITION Estimated nutrition per serving of approximately 3 meatballs with Buffalo sauce, excluding dipping sauce: Calories: approximately 250 Protein: approximately 18 g Carbohydrates: approximately 8 g Fat: approximately 16 g Saturated Fat: approximately 7 g Sodium: approximately 750 mg Sugar: approximately 1 g Fiber: approximately 1 g Nutrition is estimated and will vary based on ground chicken, hot sauce, ranch seasoning, butter, brands, portion sizes, and dipping sauces used.
Ground chicken around 92–93% lean is preferred because extremely lean chicken breast can dry out more quickly. Ground chicken thigh also works well. MEATBALL SIZE:
Keep the meatballs close to 1 1/4 inches so they cook evenly. Larger meatballs will require additional cooking time. DO NOT OVERMIX:
Ground chicken can become dense when overworked. Mix only until the ingredients are evenly distributed. RANCH SEASONING:
A store-bought ranch seasoning blend works perfectly. Check its sodium level before adding additional salt. HOT SAUCE:
Frank's RedHot or another cayenne-style hot sauce gives the most familiar Buffalo flavor. BLUE CHEESE:
Blue cheese does not need to be mixed into the Buffalo sauce. Serve a good store-bought blue cheese dressing on the side or add a few crumbles over the finished meatballs. RANCH:
Store-bought ranch dressing is completely fine and makes this recipe more crowd-friendly. SMOKE:
Use a mild wood such as apple, cherry, pecan, or maple. These meatballs cook quickly and only need a subtle smoke flavor. DO NOT SMOKE LOW AND SLOW:
Cook around 375–400°F. Ground chicken meatballs benefit from enough heat to brown and set rather than spending a long time at traditional low-and-slow BBQ temperatures. SAUCE AT THE END:
Adding most of the Buffalo sauce after the meatballs have set helps preserve their exterior texture and lets the sauce cling to the outside. SPICY VERSION:
Add 1/4 teaspoon cayenne to the meatball mixture or use a hotter Buffalo-style sauce. MILD VERSION:
Use less Buffalo sauce on the finished meatballs and serve additional sauce on the side. MAKE AHEAD:
The meatball mixture can be prepared and portioned earlier in the day. Keep the raw meatballs refrigerated until ready to cook. FREEZING:
Cooked unsauced meatballs freeze well. Cool completely, freeze in an airtight container, then thaw and reheat before coating with fresh Buffalo sauce. FOOD SAFETY:
Ground chicken must reach at least 165°F internally before serving. Check the center of one of the larger meatballs with an instant-read thermometer. STORAGE:
Refrigerate cooked leftovers promptly in an airtight container and use within 3–4 days. REHEATING:
Reheat gently in an oven, air fryer, skillet, or covered grill until hot. Add fresh Buffalo sauce after reheating if necessary. NUTRITION Estimated nutrition per serving of approximately 3 meatballs with Buffalo sauce, excluding dipping sauce: Calories: approximately 250 Protein: approximately 18 g Carbohydrates: approximately 8 g Fat: approximately 16 g Saturated Fat: approximately 7 g Sodium: approximately 750 mg Sugar: approximately 1 g Fiber: approximately 1 g Nutrition is estimated and will vary based on ground chicken, hot sauce, ranch seasoning, butter, brands, portion sizes, and dipping sauces used.