Air Fryer Buffalo Chicken Meatballs

THE perfect party appetizer – air fryer buffalo chicken meatballs! They’re healthy-ish, but full of all your favorite buffalo chicken flavors. Made with lean ground chicken and seasonings, a delicious buffalo sauce, and topped with blue cheese crumbles. Definitely add this to your collection of air fryer recipes!

You guys know I LOVE my party appetizers, and I also LOVE my air fryer! My air fryer nashville chicken bites are a crowd favorite, as are all of my air fryer chicken wing recipes! The air fryer just makes cooking party appetizers so easy! These air fryer buffalo chicken meatballs use my favorite buffalo ranch wing sauce, and are healthy-ish because they use a lean ground chicken and cook up easily in the air fryer.

Ingredients needed

• 1 pound of ground chicken
• 1/2 cup plain bread crumbs
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup finely chopped celery
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup buffalo sauce
• 1/4 cup ranch dressing
• 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
• blue cheese crumbles
• chopped chives for garnish
• Appetizer toothpicks

How to make air fryer buffalo chicken meatballs

1. Combine the buffalo sauce, ranch dressing, and unsalted butter into a saucepan and heat on medium-low, occasionally stirring. Once it’s well-combined, reduce heat to low and warm until ready to use.
2. In a mixing bowl, add the ground chicken, bread crumbs, egg, chopped celery, minced garlic, and salt. Using your hands, mix to thoroughly combine.
3. Spray your air fryer basket with cooking spray or oil, then form the chicken mixture into 1-inch balls and place into the air fryer basket. Be sure to give them a bit of room.
4. Air fry at 400 degrees F. for 20 minutes. Remove the meatballs from the air fryer basket and place them onto a plate.
5. Pierce each meatball with one of the appetizer toothpicks, I’ve shared my favorite below, and then dip into the buffalo sauce and place onto your serving platter. Repeat this process for all of the meatballs.
6. Top with crumbled blue cheese and chopped chives and serve immediately.

Recipe FAQs and Variations

How do you know when chicken meatballs are done?

You can test the chicken meatballs with a meat thermometer. Optimal internal temperature is 165 degrees F.

Can I use ground beef or turkey?

Yes, if preferred, you can replace the ground chicken with beef or turkey, but we recommend ground chicken to keep that true buffalo chicken flavor.

Can I make these ahead of time?

Yes, you can cook these air fryer buffalo chicken meatballs ahead of time and then sauce right before serving. You could also cook ahead of time, transfer to a slow cooker, and warm in the sauce. This is especially a great option if taking these to a party.

What size air fryer do you recommend for this recipe?

Honestly, you can use any size air fryer, you may just have to cook them in two batches if you have a smaller air fryer basket. You can read my recommendations for best air fryers and accessories if you’re still looking for an air fryer or looking for accessories to up your air fryer cooking game.

Recommended kitchen resources for this recipe

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If you love buffalo chicken, you’ll love these additional recipes!

• Homemade Buffalo Chicken Fries – another delicious party appetizer
• Buffalo Chicken Lettuce Wraps – a great low-carb meal option
• Buffalo Chicken Soup – velvety soup with a kick of heat
• Buffalo Chicken Spaghetti Squash – a great gluten-free buffalo chicken dinner option
• Buffalo Ranch Chicken Wings – one of our most popular chicken wing recipes

Additional meatball recipes

• Paleo Grilled Gyro Meatballs
• Greek Orzo Salad with Chicken Gyro Meatballs
• Paleo Italian Meatballs on Spaghetti Squash

Air Fryer Buffalo Chicken Meatballs