Buffalo Chicken Meatballs Paired with a Creamy Blue Cheese Dip

When a dish is easy to carry around, it suits parties and get-togethers—especially ones centered on watching sports. These buffalo chicken meatballs fit that bill: they work well at a potluck and deliver the familiar hot-wing taste without leaving your hands sticky.

Info

• Cook time: 1 hour 5 minutes
• From start to finish: 2 hours 15 minutes
• Yield: 16 to 20 meatballs

Ingredients

For the Meatballs

• 1 pound ground chicken
• 4 ounces shredded Parmesan
• 1/2 cup lightly packed chopped fresh basil
• 1/2 cup lightly packed chopped fresh parsley
• 1/3 cup white onion, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons plain breadcrumbs
• 1 teaspoon Hungarian paprika
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 3 garlic cloves, grated on a rasp
• 2 scallions, finely chopped
• 1 slice white or wheat bread, cut into tiny cubes
• 1 large egg white, whisked until frothy
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 to 2 cups cornstarch

For the Dipping Sauce

• 1 cup ranch dressing
• 8 ounces blue cheese
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• Pinch celery salt, or to taste
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 2 to 3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh chives

For the Glaze

• 1/2 cup hot sauce (I like Frank’s RedHot here)
• 1/4 cup honey
• 2 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Peanut oil, for frying

Instructions

1. Make the meatball mixture: Put the ground chicken in a large bowl and break it up. In a separate medium bowl, combine the Parmesan, basil, parsley, onion, breadcrumbs, paprika, salt, garlic, scallions, bread cubes, egg white and some pepper. Stir until everything is blended. Add this mixture to the chicken and gently mix with your less dominant hand, turning the bowl with the dominant hand and using your fingers on the less dominant hand as a pitchfork, folding as you go. Once it’s well mixed, divide and form into 16 to 20 meatballs. Rest on a plate or baking sheet in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
2. Make the dipping sauce: In a food processor, add the ranch dressing, blue cheese, lemon juice, celery salt and a few grinds of black pepper. Taste and season with more salt, if needed. Transfer to a dipping bowl and top with the chives. Refrigerate until served.
3. Make the glaze: In a small saucepan on medium-high heat, add the hot sauce, honey, confectioners’ sugar, red wine vinegar and a few grinds of black pepper. Cook, stirring, until the sauce reduces and thickens slightly, 5 minutes.
4. Get ready to fry and bake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare a baking sheet with parchment or nonstick aluminum foil and a baking rack over the top, then set aside. In a tall, heavy-bottomed Dutch oven, add 2 to 3 inches of oil and raise the temperature to 350 degrees F.
5. Fry the meatballs: Roll and dust the meatballs in the cornstarch, shaking off the excess. Gently add the meatballs to the oil in batches while holding the temperature at 350 degrees F. Fry until the outsides are golden and firm, 3 to 5 minutes. The goal is not to cook them fully, but to just get color all around and maintain their shape.
6. Bake, glaze and serve: Remove to a paper towel-lined plate, then place on the prepared baking sheet rack an inch apart. Bake for 10 minutes, then remove and quickly brush the balls with glaze. Return to the oven for 5 more minutes, then repeat the glazing and baking in 5-minute increments for a total of 20 minutes. Remove and allow to cool off a bit, then serve with toothpicks and the chilled dipping sauce.