Chicken Wing Meatballs, All The Flavor Non The Bone

Tasty chicken meatballs that taste like chicken wings. You will not miss the bones.

chicken wing meatballs

Tasty chicken wing meatballs, you will not miss the bones

Author: Zoe Morman

One pound of ground chicken
Quarter cup blue cheese see Notes
One egg
Two garlic cloves minced see Notes
One tablespoon of Frank's Hot Sauce.
Half a tablespoon of dijon mustard
Half a tablespoon of sofrito
Half a teaspoon of paprika
Half a teaspoon of cumin
Half a teaspoon of coriander
Half a teaspoon of oregano
Half a cup of pork rinds crushed
Salt and pepper to taste Keep these two for last, do not add with other seasonings

Preheat the oven to ROAST if the setting is available in your range at 350℉.
Spray or grease a cookie sheet and set it aside.
In a bowl, place the pound of ground chicken.
Add the garlic, hot sauce, cheese, and seasonings. Mix well.
Incorporate the egg into the meat and mix well.
Add pork rinds and mix well. You are looking for tight consistency. If the mixture feels too wet, add more pork rinds.
TASTE TEST: pinch off a small amount of the mixture and cook it in a pan. Once it cools off enough, taste. Look for flavor;
Does it need more salt/pepper or any other seasoning?
Is it holding its shape? Do we need to adjust with pork rinds?
How does it feel to the bite? Is it soft, dry, hard?
Is there enough hot sauce flavor to make it taste like a hot wing?
Adjust recipe if needed.
Using a #50 scoop, scoop portions of the mixture, rubbing off any excess with the palm of your hand. Place the balls onto the cookie sheet. The balls will not expand so they could be close, but do leave space for air circulation between them, about half an inch.
Bake for about 10 minutes or until the internal temperature is 165℉.
Remove from the oven and let cool slightly before serving on a bowl in the center of a crudite platter of carrots, celery, cauliflower, broccoli, and some of your favorite dipping sauces. I served mine with just the hot sauce since I am following a keto diet.

Notes on ingredients

If making for a crowd, double the meat and consider using a pound of ground chicken and a pound of ground turkey. The turkey will bring a depth of flavor to the chicken flavor. Same if instead of turkey, you use ground pork.
Because hot wings are typically served with blue cheese dressing, I am utilizing blue cheese, plus I like its flavor profile. You may substitute the cheese for shredded mozzarella. It works just as well as any other favorite cheese.
You have the option to scramble or beat the egg before adding it to the mixture to make the mixing with the meat a lot easier and smoother. This is a cook preference not a must do step.
For this application, I buy a tube of garlic puree and squirt out about half a tablespoon of the puree.
Original Frank's Hot Sauce or Frank's Wing Sauce would work well for these meatballs.
The pork rinds are the binder. Remember, this is a KETO-friendly recipe, and we do not use breadcrumbs while preparing keto recipes. If you are not following a keto diet, feel free to substitute the pork rinds for panko crumbs.
Use salt and pepper to adjust the flavor. Do not add them at the beginning. The blue cheese, pork rinds, and mustard carry a great amount of flavor and saltiness. After a taste test, adjust the flavor with salt and pepper, to taste.