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Enjoy the taste of buffalo chicken without the mess with these Instant Pot Buffalo Chicken Meatballs . Oven-baking option included if you don’t own an Instant Pot!
It’s been 6 months since I purchased my very first Instant Pot, and it’s seriously been the best game changer in my kitchen. I didn’t think I would rely on it almost every day of the week, but it’s abilities are endless and amazing. If you’ve never heard of the Instant Pot before, it’s an electrical pressure cooker that also has a rice cooker, slow cooker, steamer, warmer, and sauté and browning function all in one. The new version, which I don’t have, also has a yogurt maker. It’s just wonderful.
As I got familiar and more comfortable with mine over the past several months, I’ve been thrilled at how I can cook rice in 10 minutes, bone broth that gels in under 2 hours, whole chicken in 20 minutes, and just transforming tough meat into fall-off-the-bone deliciousness in 30 minutes, which would’ve taken hours in the slow cooker.
As more and more people purchase this beautiful appliance, I have been receiving a ton of interest in how to cook with them every time I mention it. Because of this, I decided to start posting more Instant Pot recipes and uses. First up: buffalo chicken meatballs!
I think everyone loves buffalo sauce-flavored anything, right? At least that’s how C feels about it. He gets excited anytime he smells buffalo sauce scent drifting from the kitchen, or when he sees me making oven baked wings. It’s so popular at gatherings and sporting events, and it’s because of the spicy kick that’s so addicting and yummy for many people. I love these meatballs, because you get the same delicious flavors as wings but it’s less messy and you don’t have to deal with the bones.
Working with ground chicken can be sticky and difficult, so your raw meatballs may not look as round as you like. Don’t worry about it! Grease your hands well before shaping the meat, and even if they don’t look perfect, they’ll firm up and look delicious once they are cooked.
Don’t have an Instant Pot? These can easily be baked! Check out the recipe below to find out how to cook them in the oven.
What’s your favorite way to use your Instant Pot?
Instant Pot Buffalo Chicken Meatballs
Ingredients
- 1.5 lb ground chicken
- 3/4 cup almond meal
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 green onions, thinly sliced
- 2 tbsp ghee
- 6 tbsp hot sauce
- 4 tbsp ghee, or butter
- Chopped green onions, for garnish
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine chicken, almond meal, salt, minced garlic cloves, and green onions.
- Use your hands to combine everything together, but be careful not to overwork the meat.
- Grease your hands with ghee or coconut oil, then shape the meat into balls 1-2 inches wide.
- Set your Instant Pot to sauté setting and add 2 tbsp of ghee.
- ***Working in batches, gently place the chicken meatballs in the Instant Pot to brown them. Turn them every minute until all sides are brown.
- While the meatballs are browning, combine hot sauce and 4 tbsp of butter or ghee and heat them in the microwave or the stove top until the butter is completely melted. Use a spoon to stir. This is your buffalo sauce.
- Place all the browned meatballs in the Instant Pot, then pour the buffalo sauce evenly over the meatballs.
- Screw on the lid to the Instant Pot, make sure that the pressure valve is set to “sealing,” then set it to “Poultry.”
- Once the meatballs are finished cooking (about 15-20 minutes), the Instant Pot will beep. If you are eating right away, hit “Cancel” then release the pressure valve, making sure your hand is away from the opening where the steam escapes. If not, the Instant Pot will automatically switch to the “Warm” setting for the next 10 hours and the pressure will slowly lower on its own.
- Serve over rice, cauliflower rice, zoodles. or just eat on its own!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This is a family staple now. We use black bean noodles, ground turkey and then top with nutritional yeast. This is our all time favorite ‘spaghetti and meatballs’ now. Thanks for sharing this recipe with the world! ❤️
Thank you so much!!
I love this recipe. Only change I make is to add chopped celery because I love it’s crunch and who doesn’t love celery with buffalo sauce! Thanks for this awesome go to recipe.
Adding celery is such a great idea!! I’ll have to try that.
Can I substitute almond meal with almond floud? Can I use the same amount? Thank you!
Yes! You can substitute with the same amount.
Just FYI, your recipe has been stolen by spammers: https://www.facebook.com/groups/Instant.Pot.recipe/permalink/1368622366623950/
Ugh, thank you so much for letting me know. I’ll report it.