The Superbowl is on its way this simple buffalo chicken meatballs appetizer will make sure you can partake in the festivities and stay on track! It is a given that with any Superbowl party comes a huge amount of food, and it is usually food that makes it pretty hard to stay on track. Food like pizza, wings, cheesy dips, meatballs, etc. The list goes on! Most of you know of my love for buffalo chicken, so that was definitely my first thought when planning to make an appetizer.
These buffalo chicken meatballs are easy to make, super filling and, I won’t lie, they are spicy! But you can always lower the hot sauce to tone them down a bit if you like a lower heat level. This recipe makes 36 meatballs and ever since Weight Watchers made chicken a zero point food, these meatballs are zero points each!
Three reasons why you need to make this recipe!
They are a Zero Point food.
Win-win! If you plan on snacking at the Superbowl party, make your snack these buffalo chicken meatballs. They’ll satisfy your cravings, and keep you from going overboard, without costing you any points.
It makes a great snack, not just an appetizer.
You can pack these on the go for a high protein afternoon snack. Once they’re cooked, they don’t need to be heated to be enjoyed because they are packed with flavor. Even straight from the fridge.
You can easily adjust the heat level.
Whether you like things super spicy or not spicy at all, it’s easy to adjust these! See the tips and tricks below to find out how.
Ingredients you need to make Buffalo Chicken Meatballs:
- 2 lbs raw fat free ground chicken
- 1 cup bread crumbs
- 1 egg
- 2 cloves garlic, diced
- ⅔ cups + 2 tablespoons Frank’s original hot sauce
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 2 teaspoons dried parsley
- 2 teaspoons dried chives
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- ½ teaspoon dill weed
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
How to make Buffalo Chicken Meatballs (step by step):
- Preheat the oven to 400F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and spray with some nonstick cooking spray.
- Mix the ground chicken, breadcrumbs, egg, 2 tablespoons of Frank’s sauce (leave the ⅔ cups for after they have cooked), and all the seasonings in a bowl. Form into balls using approx 1 tablespoon of the chicken mixture. Place the meatballs on the baking sheet. You should yield 36 meatballs.
- Bake the meatballs for 15 minutes making sure to turn halfway through. Remove from oven and let sit for 5 minutes, then toss the meatballs in the rest of the franks sauce. Return them to the baking tray and bake for 10 more minutes.
- Serve warm.
Makes 36 meatballs. Nutrition info for 1 meatball: Calories 23, Fat 0 g, Saturated fat 0 g, Carbs 2 g, Fiber .11 g, Sugars .18 g, Sodium 290 mg, Protein 4 g.
WW Points
- Fat-free ground chicken 0 points
- Bread crumbs 13 points
- Egg 0 points
- Diced garlic cloves 0 points
- Franks original hot sauce 0 points
- Onion powder 0 points
- Dried parsley 0 points
- Dried chives 0 points
- Garlic powder 0 points
- Salt 0 points
- Pepper 0 points
- Dill weed 0 points
- Paprika 0 points
0 points per serving based on the WW app recipe creator.
If you’re using an older version of WW, check out these points below.
Personal Points- 1-2 depending on your 0PP foods
Freestyle Smart points per serving- 3 meatballs (blue & purple) 1 using WW recipe builder
Smart Points- (green) 2 using WW recipe builder
Points Plus- 3 using PP calculator
Different ways to change up this recipe:
- If you have the points for it, you can use a ground chicken or a ground turkey that is 93/7 lean rather than fat free. It’ll add a bit of moistness to the meatballs.
- Use this recipe to make Zero Point buffalo chicken burgers. Mix all ingredients together, and make eight even patties. Each burger will be four ounces. You could use lettuce buns to keep things low-carb.
Tips and Tricks for Making Buffalo Chicken Meatballs:
- The seasonings used in these meatballs are the same that are used to make my ranch dip and this is also what I served for the dipping sauce. If you do not have all those seasonings in the house you could just use some packaged ranch dip.
- To increase the heat in these meatballs, use a whole cup of hot sauce! To decrease the heat, use Frank’s mild buffalo sauce instead of hot sauce.
- You can make a huge batch of these (although 36 is already a big batch) and freeze them in ziplock freezer bags once they’re cooked. You can pull a few out and put them into a container in your lunchbox. But the time lunch rolls around, they’ll be thawed out, and there is no need for an ice pack. Pair them with some fruit and nuts for a fully balanced meal.
- Keep these stored in the fridge for up to 7 days.
- If taking to a party, cook the meatballs for the full time without tossing them in the sauce. Put the cooked meatballs into a crockpot, and pour the remaining Frank’s hot sauce over the meatballs. Keep the crockpot on warm while serving.
Similar recipes you’ll enjoy:
Buffalo Chicken Meatballs
Ingredients
- 2 lbs raw fat free ground chicken
- 1 cup bread crumbs
- 1 egg
- 2 cloves garlic, diced
- 2/3 cups + 2 Tbsp franks original hot sauce
- 2 tsp onion powder
- 2 tsp dried parsley
- 2 tsp dried chives
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- 1/2 tsp dill weed
- 1/4 tsp paprika
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and spray with some nonstick cooking spray.
- Mix the ground chicken, breadcrumbs, egg, 2 tablespoons of Frank’s sauce (leave the ⅔ cups for after they have cooked), and all the seasonings in a bowl. Form into balls using approx 1 tablespoon of the chicken mixture. Place the meatballs on the baking sheet. You should yield 36 meatballs.
- Bake the meatballs for 15 minutes making sure to turn halfway through. Remove from oven and let sit for 5 minutes, then toss the meatballs in the rest of the franks sauce. Return them to the baking tray and bake for 10 more minutes.
- Serve warm.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I made half buffalo, and half teriyaki. They were so good! Great recipe – I am making them for Game day. And I made the. Zero point ranch. Can’t wait for the game!
Awesome, hope they were all a hit 🙂
If I’m doing the weight watchers turnaround program what points value for your recipes will I count towards my daily points? Is it the same as points plus?
Sorry I am not sure what you mean by the turnaround program?
Hi! Love this site! May i ask what brand of ground chicken you used for these? I’m having trouble finding one that is low enough in points to make it 1 point for 3 meatballs. I’m in Ontario, where abouts are you? 🙂
Hi Jen, so glad you are enjoying the recipes 🙂 Honestly I just buy what I can find, sometimes it’s not 99% but I just go with it, in my head my saying is 95% ground chicken is not why I am on WW haha, for those who want to add points for the ground chicken because they can’t find 99% FF they are more than welcome to build the recipe in the App to calculate the points
Thanks for the speedy reply, I like your method, I will go with that 😀