Buffalo Chicken Balls with Blue Cheese Dressing

Buffalo Chicken Balls are my new favourite party food and I haven’t even served them at a party yet. But I’m going to!

For our regular weekly dinner at my Mom’s house this week, she tried these Buffalo Chicken Balls with Blue Cheese Dressing from a recipe she found in The Ottawa Citizen, which in turn was from Bon Appétit. The readers of Bon Appétit had voted this their favourite recipe through online voting. I can see why. These are absolutely delicious. The recipe says it makes about 40 balls but my mom got 32 out of it. If making for a party, I highly suggest you make a couple of trays because five of us cleaned these out! Highly addictive.

Buffalo Chicken Balls with Blue Cheese Dressing

Chicken Balls

2 tbsps vegetable oil
4 tbsps unsalted butter
1/3 cup Frank’s Redhot Sauce
1 pound ground chicken
1 large egg
1/2 celery stalk, minced
3/4 cup breadcrumbs
1/2 tsp salt

Blue Cheese Dressing

3/4 cup sour cream
1/3 cup crumbled blue cheese
1/3 cup whole milk
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp red wine vinegar

Make blue cheese dressing up to one day ahead of time. Combine all ingredients in mixing bowl, whisking thoroughly until combined. Small lumps of blue cheese are expected. Cover and refrigerate.

Preheat oven to 425F. Drizzle vegetable oil in a 9×13 inch baking dish and use your hand to coat the entire surface; set aside.

In a small saucepan, combine butter and hot sauce and cook over low heat, whisking until butter is melted and fully incorporated. Remove from heat and allow mixture to cool for 10 minutes.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the hot sauce mixture, ground chicken, egg, celery, breadcrumbs and salt; mix by hand until thoroughly incorporated. Roll the mixture into 3/4 inch balls, making sure to pack the meat firmly. Place balls in the oiled baking dish, being careful to line them up snugly, in even rows vertically and horizontally to form a grid. The meatballs should be touching one another.

Bake 15 to 20 minutes, or until meatballs are firm and cooked through. A meat thermometer inserted into centre of a meatball should read 165F. Allow meatballs to cool 5 minutes before serving.

Serve with Blue Cheese Dressing.