Crockpot Buffalo BBQ Chicken Meatballs

These slow cooker buffalo chicken meatballs are my favorite "throw-together-quick" appetizer.

Delicious homemade meatballs are made with ground chicken and green onions, then stuffed with blue cheese crumbles.

The chicken meatballs get baked until browned on the outside, then they finished cooking in the crockpot with an incredibly easy and delicious buffalo-BBQ sauce.

Serve these babies with extra sauce (cause it's seriously finger licking good!), more blue cheese crumbles and some extra green onions.

I'm a huge fan of chicken wings and BBQ sauce.

At a local bar, they had "buffa-que" wings on their menu. This was a game changer for me.

I do like buffalo once in a while but I'm not a big fan of spicy, so to have a plate full of buffalo chicken is just not for me.

However, the buffalo sauce combined with the BBQ sauce is a match made in heaven.

Sweet, spicy with that perfect tanginess.

That's what inspired my buffalo bbq chicken meatballs.

The meatballs are the perfect party food appetizer. Make them ahead and keep them warm in the crockpot!

Ingredients for Crockpot Buffalo BBQ Chicken Meatballs:

• ground chicken (ground turkey also works!)
• eggs
• panko breadcrumbs
• garlic
• green onions
• onion powder
• smoked paprika
• salt
• pepper
• olive oil
• blue cheese crumbles

I like to make sure my green onions are chopped very finely. You don't want too big of chunks in your meatballs.

I like the little bit of smokey flavor the paprika adds but if you don't have it you can certainly omit it.

If you're not a fan of the blue cheese you can substitute for gorgonzola or leave it out completely!

Easy Sauce for Chicken Meatballs:

• your favorite BBQ sauce (I love Sweet Baby Ray's Honey BBQ sauce)
• your favorite Buffalo wing sauce (I also love Sweet Baby Ray's)
• honey
• butter

Even though the BBQ sauce I used has honey in it, I like adding a little bit of extra to cut the heat from the buffalo sauce.

If you like a more spicy sauce, add more buffalo and less BBQ!

Make Ahead Crockpot Buffalo BBQ Chicken Meatballs:

You can certainly make these chicken meatballs ahead!

1. Make the meatballs and shape into balls, stuffing each meatball with the blue cheese. Place on dish or baking sheet. Broil as state in recipe instructions. Let cool, then cover and refrigerate up to one day in advance.
2. Make the sauce and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
3. When ready to cook, place meatballs and sauce in crockpot and cook as stated in recipe.

I like keeping them in my crockpot on the "warm setting" so when my company arrives, the meatballs are still nice and hot!

Can I air fry the meatballs instead of broiling them?

Yes! You can air fry the meatballs at 400 F for 2 minutes, then flip and air fry additional 2 minutes, just until the edges are browned.

Proceed with placing them in the crock pot with the sauce as stated in recipe instructions.

Can I use store bought frozen turkey meatballs instead?

You can certainly use frozen store bought meatballs instead of making your own homemade ones, however, you won't be able to stuff them with the blue cheese.

If you use pre-made meatballs, you could always serve the blue cheese on the side with extra sauce.

You may need to cook the meatballs for an additional hour if using frozen meatballs.

Do I have to bake the chicken meatballs before adding them to the slow cooker?

No, you don't have to bake the meatballs before adding them to the slow cooker if you're pressed for time.

However, I will say that browning the chicken meatballs before adding them to the crockpot, makes them more flavorful and seals in the juices.

Either way, they will fully cook in the crockpot.

For more easy appetizer recipes try:

Red Pepper Jelly Cream Cheese Dip

Air Fryer Goat Cheese & Sweet Potato Bites

Puff Pastry Baked Brie with Fig Jam

Don't forget to leave me a comment or star rating below if you give this recipe a try. I always love to hear your feedback!