Are You Ready For Some Football?: Buffalo Chicken Meatballs

It is football season, time for tailgates and parties. Here is an easy recipe that will please a crowd on the weekend or your family on the weeknight.

Buffalo Chicken Meatballs

2 lbs ground chicken

1/3 c blue cheese crumbles

1/2 c panko bread crumbs

2 T buttermilk ( you can use regular milk and add 1 t vinegar)

3 T hot sauce

1 t minced garlic

1/4 c chopped onion

1 T Italian seasoning

1 t salt

1/4 t pepper

1 c  buffalo wing sauce (We made our own, melt 1/2 stick butter, add 1 t minced garlic, 1 c hot sauce, and 2 t brown sugar, stir)

Preheat oven to 350. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. form into balls and place on a cookie sheet. Bake for about 20-25 minutes or until no longer pink. Toss with wing sauce in a large bowl. Serve on toasted buns with blue cheese and lettuce. Add shredded mozzarella cheese if desired.

** Entertaining tip, add meatballs and wing sauce into a crock pot and set on warm. Or make smaller sized meatballs and serve as appetizers with a side of blue cheese dressing.

Buffalo Cauliflower

Yes I am mean, this is what I tried to serve my husband and kids as so called wings. But guess what it was delicious, maybe not low fat but it sure is healthier than regular buffalo wings and if you don’t over think it , it tastes pretty similar. The heat and crunch are there and dip anything in blue cheese and its a winner. Mix it up this Super Bowl and try this, perfect for vegetarians and dieters.

3 T butter

2 T hot sauce

1 head cauliflower , cut into florets

blue cheese dressing (optional)

Met butter in a pan

add hot sauce and stir over med high heat. Add cauliflower and saute for about 4 minutes, until coated, but still crunchy.

Sprinkle with salt. Serve with blue cheese dressing

Buffalo Chicken Casserole

We eat a lot of wings around here. I have two teenage boys and I think if it was up to them we would eat pizza and wings every night. I saw a post awhile back from a fellow blogger, Fantastic Frugal Foods from Justa’s Kitchen for a Buffalo Chicken Casserole. What a great idea for my family. So when I was in my kitchen with some extra chicken cutlets that need to be used up, I remembered her recipe. I wanted to use what I had in my kitchen without going to the store, so I kinda of created my own version, but here is hers.

Buffalo Chicken Casserole

1 1/2 lbs boneless chicken breasts cut into bite size pieces

2T butter

1 t chopped garlic

2T hot sauce (I used Frank’s)

1/4 c chopped celery (if you are not a celery fan, try carrots)

1/4 c flour

3 cups milk

3 oz cream cheese

2 T blue cheese

16 oz box of ziti (or other pasta), cooked and drained

1/2 c crushed Buffalo flavored Pretzel Crisps

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, Add butter to a large pan and melt over med high heat, add chicken, garlic, 1 T hot sauce and celery. Sauté til chicken is cooked through, about 4 minutes. remove from heat and sprinkle chicken and veg with flour.

Place back on burner over low.for 1 minute. Add milk and bring to boiling, turn to low and add cream cheese, blue cheese and remaining 1 T of  hot sauce cook until cheese is melted into sauce and it is slightly thickened.

Add sauce to pasta and stir, pour into a large baking dish, 9×13

Top with crushed pretzels.

Bake for 20 minutes.