Buffalo Chicken Meatballs

Ingredients

  • 1 cup finely diced celery
  • 1 cup finely diced onion
  • 3 garlic clove(s) minced
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1-2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
  • 2 pounds ground chicken
  • 1 pound ground pork
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2-3 cups bread crumbs see note
  • 2 tablespoons dry ranch dressing mix
  • 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1 teaspoon Salt
  • 1 teaspoon Black Pepper
  • 1 bottle Hot Wing Sauce

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
  2. Saute celery, onion and garlic in olive oil over medium-low heat until tender, 5-6 minutes.
  3. Add vinegar to pan to deglaze the pan (i.e. get all the "fond" or "yummy brown bits" off of the bottom). Remove from heat and allow to cool. 
  4. In a large bowl, combine ground chicken and pork, cooled celery/onion/garlic, eggs, 2 cups of the bread crumbs, and seasonings. Gently, mix by hand until evenly distributed.
  5. Form into balls (1 1/2 inch in diameter). If the mixture is too sticky, add more breadcrumbs (1/2 cup at a time) until they will hold their shape. Place in a pan(s) lined with aluminum foil and lightly coated with cooking spray (for easy clean-up).
  6. Bake for 15 minutes.
  7. Remove from oven. Increase oven temperature to 400°.
  8. Turn meatballs over and drizzle half of the sauce over meatballs.
  9. Return to oven for 15 minutes.
  10. Drizzle meatballs with remaining sauce, turning meatballs to coat. Continue baking for 5-10 minutes or until sauces are bubbly and meatballs are fully cooked.

Image and recipe sourced from https://picniclifefoodie.com/buffalo-chicken-meatballs-bbq-asian-sauce-pork-recipe-food-blog/