Spicy 'Buffalo Chicken' Mini-Meatballs

Daniel Holzman and Michael Chernow of The Meatball Shop  demonstrated these spicy chicken mini-meatballs on a recently aired Martha Stewart program, they looked good so I wanted to give them a try.

All the flavors of Buffalo Chicken wings, but without the bones.

The key to the authentic "Buffalo" (as in Buffalo, New York) is the hot sauce and Frank's Red Hot  Original is the one to use.  Mixed with a little melted butter, it is perfect.  Rather than tossing the meatballs in the sauce, I drizzled just a little over (keeping in mind those who are sensitive to the heat) and offered additional sauce on the side for those who like it spicier.

Frank's Original Red Hot Sauce






~ The meatballs ~


The ingredients and method for the meatballs are fairly typical of many meatball recipes; the raw ground chicken meat, bread crumbs and eggs, minced celery, salt, mixed together, formed into 1-inch balls then baked.






You can buy ground chicken (preferably thigh meat, because it contains a little more fat so the meatballs will be moist and tender.)   I had skinless, boneless chicken thighs on hand so I just ground my own meat using the Kitchenaid stand mixer food grinder attachment.







I use the grinder attachment more frequently than I thought I would when I purchased it years ago. When you grind meat in your own kitchen you can be assured of the quality, plus you know just what you are eating. It's easy to use and I like that two plates are included, one for fine grinding, and the other for coarsely ground meat -- Chili grind.   Optional accessories make the grinder even more versatile.*


Of course you can also chop the chicken meat finely using the metal blade in your food processor, but I prefer the texture  the KitchenAid attachment produces.


Tip: If you cut the chicken thighs into approximately 2-inch pieces, then chill the meat in the freezer for several minutes you'll have an easier time of grinding or chopping it.

I made homemade Blue Cheese dip/dressing with 'Crater Lake Blue', from our local  Rogue Creamery with lots of crumbled chunks. :)  Store bought dip would be perfectly acceptable (if you don't care for blue cheese, Ranch Dip is a good alternative.)  You might want to offer celery sticks for dipping, too.

If you would like a copy of the recipe,  please click  HERE.




* Optional accessories: Sausage Stuffing device, Pasta Plates/Discs for making extruded pasta such as spaghetti (thick or thin), flat noodles, macaroni & lasagna noodles, and also a fruit/vegetable strainer attachment.




Thank you for coming by to take a look today!