Creamy Crockpot Buffalo Chicken Meatballs (Easy & Cheesy!)

The Party Appetizer That Lets You Join the Party

I used to be a frantic host. For any big game day or casual get-together, I’d be juggling three different timers, pulling trays out of a hot oven, and generally missing all the fun. Then I discovered the absolute magic of a truly great slow cooker recipe. It was a revelation! The idea that I could create an incredibly delicious, crowd-pleasing appetizer without the last-minute stress changed everything. These Crockpot buffalo chicken meatballs are the pinnacle of that discovery. They are the ultimate “set it and forget it” party food, letting you actually enjoy your own party while your slow cooker does all the work.

Ingredients for Your New Favorite Appetizer

This recipe combines tender chicken meatballs with a rich, cheesy, and perfectly spicy buffalo cream sauce. We even sneak in some broccoli for a pop of green and extra nutrients!

this now & bake later ❤️

Timing Breakdown

The beauty of this recipe is its flexibility. With just a few minutes of prep, your slow cooker takes over.

• Preparation Time: 15 minutes
• Cooking Time: 2-3 hours on HIGH or 4-6 hours on LOW
• Total Time: 2 hours 15 mins to 6 hours 15 mins

Data Insight: With only 15 minutes of active work, this recipe is a true time-saver. Compared to oven-based meatball recipes that require frying or baking then simmering, this slow cooker method frees up over 90% of your time to focus on other things.

Step-by-Step Slow Cooker Instructions

Step 1: Form the Chicken Meatballs

In a large bowl, gently combine the ground chicken, panko breadcrumbs, grated Parmesan cheese, onion powder, garlic powder, chipotle chili powder, and a generous pinch of salt and pepper. Pro Tip: Mix with your hands until the ingredients are just combined. Over-mixing can lead to tough, dense meatballs. Roll the mixture into 1.5-inch meatballs (you should get about 24-28).

Step 2: Create the Creamy Buffalo Sauce Base

In your slow cooker, combine the hot sauce and the salted butter. If your butter is cold, you can turn the crockpot on high for a few minutes to help it melt. Once melted, add the room temperature cream cheese. Whisk everything together until the cream cheese is fully incorporated and the sauce is smooth and creamy.

Step 3: Combine and Slow Cook

Gently place the raw meatballs into the creamy buffalo sauce in the slow cooker. Spoon some of the sauce over them to ensure they are coated. Cover the crockpot and cook on LOW for 4-6 hours or on HIGH for 2-3 hours. The meatballs are done when they are cooked through.

Step 4: Add the Finishing Touches

In the last 30 minutes of cooking, add the chopped broccoli florets to the slow cooker. Stir gently to incorporate them into the sauce. Sprinkle the shredded cheddar cheese over the top of the meatballs and broccoli. Place the lid back on and continue cooking until the broccoli is tender-crisp and the cheese is completely melted and bubbly.

Step 5: Garnish and Serve

Once everything is cooked and the cheese is melted, give the mixture a gentle stir. Sprinkle the chopped green onions over the top. You can serve them directly from the slow cooker (just turn it to the ‘Warm’ setting) or transfer them to a serving dish.

Nutritional Information

Here is an approximate nutritional breakdown per serving, assuming the recipe makes 8 servings.

• Calories: Approx. 450 kcal
• Fat: 32g
• Protein: 34g
• Carbohydrates: 6g
• Fiber: 1g
• Net Carbs: 5g

Disclaimer: Nutrition is estimated and can vary based on specific ingredients and portion sizes.

Variations and Dietary Needs

This crowd-pleasing recipe can be easily tweaked to fit your taste or dietary preferences.

• Keto/Low-Carb: To make this recipe keto-friendly, simply replace the 21​ cup of panko breadcrumbs with 31​ cup of crushed pork rinds or almond flour. The net carbs will be even lower!
• Lower Fat: Use Neufchâtel cheese, which has about one-third less fat than cream cheese, and use a reduced-fat cheddar cheese.
• Add More Veggies: Feel free to add other quick-cooking vegetables along with the broccoli, such as chopped bell peppers or cauliflower florets.
• Spice Level: You can easily adjust the heat by choosing a milder or hotter buffalo-style sauce, or by adding a pinch of cayenne pepper to the sauce.

Serving Suggestions

These meatballs are incredibly versatile—serve them as an appetizer or turn them into a full meal!

• The Perfect Appetizer: Serve them hot from the crockpot with celery sticks, carrot sticks, and small bowls of ranch or blue cheese dressing for dipping.
• Low-Carb Meal: Spoon the meatballs and sauce over a bed of cauliflower rice, zucchini noodles, or spaghetti squash.
• Meatball Sliders: Pile a couple of meatballs onto small slider buns (sweet Hawaiian rolls are amazing) for a hearty and delicious bite.
• Party Pro Tip: For gatherings, I keep the slow cooker on the “Warm” setting and set up a toppings bar with blue cheese crumbles, extra chopped green onions, and more hot sauce and ranch.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

1. Dry, Tough Meatballs: This is usually caused by over-mixing the meat mixture. Combine the meatball ingredients until they just come together to ensure a tender, juicy result.
2. A Lumpy Sauce: If you add cold cream cheese directly to the crockpot, it can be difficult to whisk smooth. Using room temperature, softened cream cheese is the key to a velvety sauce.
3. Mushy Broccoli: Don’t add the broccoli at the beginning! It only needs about 20-30 minutes to become perfectly tender-crisp. Adding it too early will result in mushy, overcooked broccoli.
4. A Greasy Sauce: If you use ground chicken with a higher fat content, the sauce can sometimes look a little greasy. You can easily skim any excess fat off the top before stirring in the cheese and broccoli.

Storing and Reheating Tips

These meatballs make for fantastic leftovers.

• Storing Leftovers: Allow the meatballs to cool completely, then store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
• Reheating: Reheat gently in a saucepan over medium-low heat or in the microwave until warmed through.
• Freezing: This recipe freezes very well. Place the cooled meatballs and sauce in a freezer-safe, airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.

Your Go-To Slow Cooker Favorite

These Crockpot buffalo chicken meatballs are the ultimate easy, cheesy, and satisfying dish for any occasion. They are packed with tender chicken, loaded with flavour from the creamy and spicy buffalo sauce, and require minimal effort for maximum reward. This is the perfect recipe to have in your back pocket for busy weeknights, game day parties, or any time you need to feed a hungry crowd without being stuck in the kitchen.

Give this effortless recipe a try for your next get-together! We’d love to hear how it went, so please leave a comment and a rating below. Don’t forget to subscribe for more delicious and easy slow cooker recipes!

FAQs

Q1: Can I bake the meatballs before adding them to the crockpot?

Yes, you can. Browning the meatballs first can add another layer of flavour. Bake them on a sheet pan at 400∘F (200∘C) for 15-20 minutes until lightly browned. This will also reduce the cooking time in the slow cooker to about 1-2 hours on HIGH or 3-4 hours on LOW.

Q2: Can I make this recipe on the stovetop instead?

Absolutely. Prepare the meatballs as directed. Brown them in a large Dutch oven or pot. Remove the meatballs, prepare the sauce in the same pot, then return the meatballs to the pot. Simmer on low for 20-30 minutes. Stir in the broccoli and cheese and cook for another 5-10 minutes until the broccoli is tender.

Q3: My sauce seems too thin. How can I fix it?

The sauce will thicken as the cheese melts. If it’s still thinner than you’d like at the end, you can make a small slurry with 1 tablespoon of cornstarch and 2 tablespoons of cold water. Stir the slurry into the crockpot and cook on HIGH for another 15 minutes until thickened.

Q4: Is this recipe keto-friendly?

As written, it’s very low-carb but not strictly keto due to the panko. To make it keto, simply swap the panko breadcrumbs for a keto-friendly binder like 31​ cup of almond flour or crushed pork rinds.

Q5: Can I use pre-made frozen meatballs for this recipe?

Yes, for an even faster shortcut, you can use about 2 pounds of pre-cooked, frozen chicken or turkey meatballs. Just add them directly to the prepared sauce and cook on LOW for 4-5 hours or on HIGH for 2-3 hours, until heated through.

Creamy Crockpot Buffalo Chicken Meatballs (Easy & Cheesy!)

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• Author: Evelyn Marcella Rivera
• Total Time: 2 hours 15 minutes
• Yield: 8 people 1x

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Description

Tender turkey (or chicken) meatballs simmer in a rich, tangy buffalo-cream sauce until perfectly cooked, then get a gooey finish with cheddar and crisp broccoli. This hands-off slow cooker dinner comes together in minutes and delivers all the flavor of buffalo wings in a comforting, cheesy one-pot meal.

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Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

For the Meatballs:

• 1 1/2 lb Ground turkey or chicken
• 1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs
• 1 cup Grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 Tbsp Onion powder
• 2 tsp Garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp Chipotle chili powder
• To taste Salt & black pepper

For the Sauce & Finish:

• 1/2 cup Hot sauce
• 4 Tbsp Salted butter
• 6 oz Cream cheese room temperature
• 2 cups Shredded cheddar cheese
• 3–4 cups Broccoli chopped (Added in last 30 min)
• 4 Green onions chopped (For garnish)

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Instructions

Form the Meatballs:

1. In a large bowl, gently mix turkey (or chicken), panko, Parmesan, onion powder, garlic powder, chipotle powder, salt, and pepper just until combined.
2. Roll into 1½-inch meatballs (about 24–28).

Make the Buffalo Sauce Base:

1. In the slow cooker, whisk together hot sauce and butter. Turn on HIGH briefly if needed to melt butter.
2. Add cream cheese and whisk until smooth and creamy.

Cook Meatballs:

1. Nestle raw meatballs into the sauce. Spoon sauce over them to coat.
2. Cover and cook on HIGH for 2–3 hours (or LOW for 4–6 hours) until meatballs are cooked through.

Add Broccoli & Cheese:

1. In the last 30 minutes, stir in broccoli.
2. Sprinkle cheddar evenly over the top, cover, and cook until broccoli is tender-crisp and cheese is melted and bubbly.

Garnish & Serve:

1. Stir gently to combine.
2. Sprinkle with green onions.
3. Serve straight from the crockpot on “Warm,” with extra buffalo sauce or ranch if desired.

Notes

• Time-Saver: Only 15 minutes active work—slow cooker does the rest.

• Protein Swap: Ground beef or pork also work, adjust seasonings if desired.

• Make-Ahead: Form meatballs up to 24 hours ahead and refrigerate.

• Veggie Boost: Stir in other quick-cooking veggies like bell peppers or peas.

• Leftovers: Store in the fridge 3 days; reheat gently to preserve creaminess.

• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 2 hours
• Category: Main Course
• Cuisine: American, Comfort Food, Slow Cooker Recipes

Nutrition

• Calories: 450