Buffalo Chicken Meatballs are a surefire hit for all your celebrations. Juicy and flavorful, they make the perfect game day appetizer or easy keto dinner recipe! Make a double batch because they will go fast!
These low carb, gluten-free Buffalo Chicken Meatballs have a very special place in my heart. I created the recipe back in 2016 for a friend’s Super Bowl party and they became an instant hit. Ever since, my friends insist that I bring my “balls” to any get together.
Being the lovely, goofy friends that they are, they have even hatched a plan for a local food truck called Carolyn’s Ballz. (Because it has to end with a z!). The idea being that I will serve all sorts of balls at this imaginary food truck, both savory to sweet. Everything from peanut butter protein balls to keto chocolate truffles to classic keto meatballs.
Round, bite-sized food is the name of the game, my friends. And these Buffalo Chicken Meatballs are the delicious appetizers that started it all.
Why we love these meatballs
I originally created this recipe with some Buffalo flavored chicken sausage. But the brand is no longer available and I decided that using ground chicken would make the recipe more accessible.
I also decided to lower the carb count by reducing the added flours. The meatballs still hold their shape and stay juicy, but now they have only 2.5g net carbs per serving (appetizer servings).
The original recipe called for adding crumbled bleu cheese into the meatballs themselves. But not everyone likes bleu cheese, so I scrapped that and simply added it to the dipping sauce. And you can still skip it, if you prefer!
This buffalo chicken meatball recipe makes a big ol’ batch and serves at least 12 as an appetizer. But you can scale it back and make a half batch easily, too.
Reader Reviews
“Made a double batch for camping this weekend… If I could keep family out of container, we may have some to take… Very Good…” — Debby
“We call these Buffalo Chicken Amazeballs! They are fantastic! I made only a half batch in case my family didn’t like them and I will definitely be making the full batch when I make them again soon” — Amy
“Another winner! I made half the recipe and made slightly bigger balls (5 minutes more in the oven). Instead of making the dipping sauce, we had several of these over mashed cauliflower for an easy dinner.” — Allison
Ingredient Notes
- Ground chicken: You can also use ground turkey. Ground beef and ground pork tend to have a lot more fat so while they will be tasty, they will shrink a lot as they cook.
- Shredded cheddar cheese: You can use sharp or mild cheddar. I think sharp adds more flavor.
- Almond flour and coconut flour: I use a combination of these keto flours to help the meatballs hold their shape and retain moisture.
- Buffalo sauce: Make sure to use Frank’s Original sauce rather than a pre-mixed wing sauce. The wing sauces often contain additives that raise the carb count. For super clean ingredients, check out the sauce from The New Primal. It’s my absolute favorite!
- Mayonnaise: I usually use an avocado oil mayo, to avoid the soybean oil. Also make sure to look for added sugar, as a few brands have them.
- Almond milk: This is the lowest carb option, and I use unsweetened and unflavored. But you can also mix a little cream and water (about half of each).
- Garlic: I prefer the flavor of fresh garlic, but you can substitute with garlic powder instead.
- Bleu cheese: This is entirely optional. If you don’t like it, simply skip it and make a ranch style sauce.
- Seasonings: Cayenne pepper, dried dill, dried parsley, salt and pepper
Step by Step Directions
1. Prepare the meatballs: In a large bowl, combine the chicken, cheddar cheese, almond flour, coconut flour, Buffalo sauce, salt, pepper, and cayenne. Mix thoroughly until well combined.
2. Shape the balls: Roll into 1-inch balls and place about an inch apart on two rimmed baking sheets lined with parchment paper.
3. Bake: Bake at 350ºF for about 25 minutes, until the internal temperature reaches 165ºF on an instant read thermometer.
4. Prepare the sauce: Combine mayonnaise, almond milk, garlic, dill, parsley, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl. Stir well and then mix in crumbled bleu cheese.
Expert tips
Ground chicken can be very soft and quite sticky when trying to form meatballs. The added almond flour and coconut flour help to firm it up a bit, but if the mixture is sticking to your hands, try wetting them a bit while shaping the balls.
You can prep the mixture and roll into balls the night before baking them. Simply keep them covered with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. You can also freeze the meatballs after they have been baked.
Frequently Asked Questions
Ground chicken is very soft and moist compared to beef or pork, so it often requires some additional requirements to give it structure. For these keto chicken meatballs, I use a combination of almond flour and coconut flour and they hold together perfectly!
There are so many things you have to forego on a keto diet, but thankfully buffalo chicken isn’t one of them. Just make sure your chicken isn’t breaded or dredged in something that contains gluten, grains, or starches.
This keto recipe has 4.2g of carbs and 1.7g of fiber per serving. That comes to 2.5g net carbs per serving of 4 sausage balls.
Store the leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 to 5 days. They also freeze very well. Arrange the cooled meatballs on a baking sheet and freeze for a couple hours. Once frozen solid, transfer them to a freezer bag. They will keep in the freezer for up to 4 months.
More delicious keto appetizer recipes
Keto Buffalo Chicken Sausage Balls
Ingredients
Sausage Balls:
- 2 lb (907.18 g) ground chicken
- 1 cup (113 g) shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 cup (112 g) almond flour
- 3 tbsp (21.3 g) coconut flour
- 1/2 cup (118.29 ml) Buffalo Sauce
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp pepper
- 1/2 tsp cayenne
Bleu Cheese Ranch Dipping Sauce:
- 1/3 cup (74.67 g) mayonnaise
- 1/3 cup (78.86 ml) unsweetened almond milk, (or a mix of cream and water)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp dried dill
- ½ tsp dried parsley
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp pepper
- ¼ cup (33.75 g) crumbled bleu cheese, or more, if desired
Instructions
Buffalo Chicken Meatballs
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF and line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, combine the chicken, cheddar cheese, almond flour, coconut flour, Buffalo sauce, salt, pepper, and cayenne. Mix thoroughly until well combined.
- Roll into 1-inch balls and place about an inch apart on the prepared baking sheets. Bake about 25 minutes, until golden brown. Serve warm with dipping sauce.
Dipping Sauce
- Combine mayonnaise, almond milk, garlic, dill, parsley, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl. Stir well and then mix in crumbled bleu cheese.
Notes
Total fat: 14.02g
Carbohydrate: 3.90g
Total dietary fiber: 1.67g
Protein: 14.54g
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
Please note that I am not a medical or nutritional professional. I am simply recounting and sharing my own experiences on this blog. Nothing I express here should be taken as medical advice and you should consult with your doctor before starting any diet or exercise program. I provide nutritional information for my recipes simply as a courtesy to my readers. It is calculated using MacGourmet software and I remove erythritol from the final carb count and net carb count, as it does not affect my own blood glucose levels. I do my best to be as accurate as possible but you should independently calculate nutritional information on your own before relying on them. I expressly disclaim any and all liability of any kind with respect to any act or omission wholly or in part in reliance on anything contained in this website.
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I can see why your son would be obsessed with these! Looks delicious!
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Can’t wait to try this out with my girls. Your photos are great, what camera do you use?
Canon 6D
Interesting recipe. Thanks for sharing. I wiil try it next weekend.
Hi Carolyn,
Just letting you know I featured these meatballs today in my weekly Low-Carb Recipe Love on Fridays post, which was all about low-carb meatballs today. (And I leave these comments partly so I can tell I’ve featured this recipe, in case I find it again!) Hope a lot of my readers will try the meatballs!
The Al Fresco sausages you use are not available in my neck in the woods. Any substitute suggestions?
Any sort of chicken sausage (or pork, if you prefer) and add buffalo sauce to it. Maybe 1/4 cup? You may need additional almond flour to make up for the added liquid.
Great, thanks! I’ll try it tomorrow 🙂
I kept checking the recipe for some sort of liquid to hold everything together, but lo and behold, it all stuck together just fine, especially after they cooled a little bit. My new favorite thing. Thank you Carolyn!
Voted for AND pinned your recipe. It looks delicious.
I too love everything buffalo flavored! My family would love these for game day, movie night… or just any time really.
Carolyn, I need your recipe for Chia crackers ! I looked and searched ( the search bar box) does not work. and finally gave up .
I hope that you will find a way to make a recipe search easier. A very good example is http://WWW.gourmetgirlcooks.com . One is able to access a recipe tout de suite.
/ThanksCarolyn !
Hi Barbara…my search box is working just fine. I just used it right now to get you the link to the recipe. It may be your browser?
https://alldayidreamaboutfood.com/2014/08/low-carb-rosemary-parmesan-chia-seed-crackers-nut-free.html
Worked fine for me. I typed Chia Crackers and I got the same link back Carolyn posted. I also haven’t had any issues in the past. I literally wore it out over the holidays 🙂
I used Firefox v43.0.4. I believe it’s the most current. Maybe Carolyn is right ? Strange stuff !
I use Chrome and the result is https://alldayidreamaboutfood.com/2014/08/low-carb-rosemary-parmesan-chia-seed-crackers-nut-free.html
Seems to work fine
Just made these…..YUM! So addicting!
Looks fantastic, Carolyn ! Who doesn’t loved Buffalo and Bleu cheese 🙂
I voted for you, and saw that you’re “way” ahead in votes ! Yea !!
I was pleasantly surprised to find out my local Kroger store carries al fresco products. I’ll be getting some of this Buffalo Chicken Sausage to try these sausage balls. I may not be obsessed like your son, but I am a huge fan of buffalo sauce 🙂 These sound like a great thing to make for the Superbowl. Thanks.
Is the net carb count per ball or for all 12?
Per 4 balls (4 per serving, 12 servings…as an appetizer).
What brand bleu cheese did you use? Not all bleu cheeses are gluten free.
Whole Foods raw milk bleu cheese crumbles. It does contain a little potato starch to keep it from clumping, but no wheat. But if people buy non-crumbled bleu cheese and crumble it themselves, it should certainly be gluten-free.
These look amazing and a lot quicker to make than my normal game day chicken strips with pork rind coating. Going to give them a try this year.
Voted for your recipe!
Thanks, Erin!