Buffalo Chicken Meatballs
Ingredients:
3/4 cup almond meal (or bread crumbs)
1 tablespoon raw sugar (or 1 teaspoon regular white sugar)
1/3 cup chopped celery (third cup finely, plus another one-third cup, about 3 sticks)
1/2 onions (small, finely chopped)
1 large eggs
4 garlic cloves (medium size, minced)
2 green onions (finely chopped)
1 pound ground chicken (lean)
1 handful parsley (finely chopped, about 3 tablespoons)
1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon salt (and pepper)
1/2 cup Franks Hot Sauce (or Tabasco Sauce for a spicier flavor)
3 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup plain greek yogurt (fat free)
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
3 ounces blue cheese (crumbled, 1 ounce melted in microwave)
1/3 cup fat-free buttermilk
1/4 lemon (or to taste)
1 tablespoon chopped parsley (finely)
1 tablespoon green onions (finely sliced)
2 tablespoons chopped celery (finely)
Directions:
- For The Meatballs & Buffalo Sauce:
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat; set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine ground chicken, almond meal, egg, garlic, onions, green onions, parsley, salt, pepper, and cayenne. With a wooden spoon or clean hands, stir until well combined.
- Roll the mixture into 1¼-to-1½-inch meatballs, forming about 21 meatballs.
- Place meatballs onto prepared baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes, or until a meat thermometer inserted in the center of the meatball reads 165 degrees.
- To make the Buffalo Sauce, add butter and sugar to a large pot over medium heat, and stir in Tabasco sauce. Allow the sauce to incorporate for 1-2 minutes, then turn off heat.
- Add the cooked meatballs to the pot, and gently coat them in the sauce. As the sauce cools, it will form a nice coating that sticks to the meatballs.
- Serve immediately, drizzled with blue cheese sauce, if desired
- For The Blue Cheese Sauce:
- Combine the first seven ingredients in a small bowl.
- Smash some of the blue cheese crumbles with the back of a spoon and stir to incorporate. Add parsley and celery.
