Buffalo Chicken Meatballs! With herbs, veggies, & a little spicy cayenne. Heat is balanced perfectly by the cool, yogurt Blue Cheese Sauce. Healthy & delish!
Ingredients
For The Meatballs & Buffalo Sauce:
¾ cup almond meal (or bread crumbs)
1 tablespoon raw sugar (or 1 teaspoon regular white sugar)
One third cup finely chopped celery, plus another one-third cup (about 3 sticks)
½ small onion, finely chopped
1 large egg
4 medium size garlic cloves minced
2 green onions finely chopped
1 pound lean ground chicken
Handful of Parsley finely chopped ( about 3 tablespoons)
½ teaspoon ground Cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon Salt and pepper
½ cup Frank’s Red Hot Sauce, or Tabasco Sauce for a spicier flavor
3 tablespoons butter
For The Blue Cheese Sauce:
¼ cup fat free plain Greek yogurt
¼ cup mayonnaise
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
3 ounces blue cheese, crumbled (1 ounce melted in microwave)
One third cup fat free buttermilk
Juice of ¼ lemon, or to taste
1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley
1 tablespoon finely sliced green onion
2 tablespoons finely chopped celery
Preparation
1. For The Meatballs & Buffalo Sauce:
2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
3. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat; set aside.
4. In a large bowl, combine ground chicken, almond meal, egg, garlic, onion powder, green onions, salt, pepper, and cayenne. With a wooden spoon or clean hands, stir until well combined.
5. Roll the mixture into 1¼-to-1½-inch meatballs, forming about 21 meatballs.
6. 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.
7. 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.
8. 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.
9. Serve immediately, drizzled with blue cheese sauce, if desired
10. For The Blue Cheese Sauce:
11. Combine the first seven ingredients in a small bowl.
12. Smash some of the blue cheese crumbles with the back of a spoon and stir to incorporate. Add parsley and celery.
Credit: Foodista
