I’m feeling football food in the air with T-2 weeks until the Big Game! I’m not even a huge football fan (shhhh) but it has its own genre of food which I appreciate. Finger food, dips, sloppy food, juicy food, casseroles, cheesy dishes that will serve a crowd. It’s hard to put one’s arms around it but you know football food when you see it. Just like the dishes you’d serve at a holiday, there is a specific type of food you’d serve to watch football whether with your family or a crowd. Food does set a tone and it elevates the ambiance of events, football included.
I love, love, L.O.V.E. ‘Buffalo Chicken’ anything. I can’t articulate exactly what it is that I love about it but I do. Blue cheese has been a favorite salad dressing since I was a tot. It was love-at-first-taste when I had it first at a restaurant on a simple iceberg and tomato salad. It became a lifelong flavor love on the spot. Moist, juicy chicken? What’s not to love about that? Hot wing sauce as a final touch is perfection with the tangy, spicy flavor that makes my mouth water like Pavlov’s dog. Throw in the cool, crunch of celery and I can’t think of anything better.
This love affair was further solidified with my second tot’s pregnancy (don’t worry Guys out there, I’m not going to drag you into graphic details). I’m not sure what it is that hones a pregnant woman’s palate but with my son it was vinegary flavors I craved like a mad woman. Hot Wings were smack dab in the bull’s eye of that craving and though I did not eat them all that often when the mood struck I couldn’t shake it until I had some. I was a bit like a heat-seeking missile. Not any Wings would do; they had to be just so hot, just so tangy or the craving would not abate. I’m sure I had some sort of deficiency but who knows what it would have been; not watching enough football perhaps. My ‘baby’ will be twelve next month and whenever I think of or hear ‘hot wings’ it’s like a trigger word from a hypnosis session; mouth.watering.now.
I do like to mix it up a bit. I made some delicious Mini Taco Meatball {appetizers} around this time last year which have been wildly popular. Also some Grilled Skirt Steak Sliders with Salsa Verde Aioli (let’s face it lots of mini food for a football party is the best). I decided this year it would be fun to make Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken Meatball Mini Sandwiches. The meatballs are a lean ground chicken breast seasoned with fresh garlic, shallot and celery briefly browned in the oven and steeped in hot wing sauce of your choice. The meatballs can be used as appetizers on their own but these tiny sandwiches with tender butter lettuce leaves, mini meatballs drizzled with sauce, sprinkled with blue cheese crumbles and a bit of diced celery leaves can’t be beat. There goes that mouthwatering thing again…..
These mini Buffalo Chicken Meatballs could not be more delicious and they require little attention to prepare them for mini sandwiches. Perfect for Game Day or any finger food occasion.
Ingredients
- 1 stalk Celery, cleaned and broken into 4 pieces (reserve any leaves to dice for garnish)
- 1 medium Shallot, peeled and cut in half
- 1 Egg, lightly beaten
- ¼ teaspoon Kosher Salt
- ¼ teaspoon White Pepper
- ½ cup fine Bread Crumbs* (gluten-free or with gluten)
- 1 pound Ground Chicken
- 12-13 ounce bottle Hot Wing Sauce
- 1 tablespoon Butter or favorite butter replacement
- 4 ounce container Blue Cheese Crumbles
- 10-16 Dinner rolls, see serving size above (I used Udi’s Gluten-Free French Rolls)
- Butter lettuce leaves
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Turn slow cooker on low and add the butter to melt. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and lightly spray with cooking spray.
- Combine the celery and shallot in a food processer and process until finely diced. Add to a large mixing bowl.
- To the mixing bowl add the egg, salt, pepper, bread crumbs, ground chicken and ¼ cup of the hot wing sauce. Mix together thoroughly.
- Form 1-inch meatballs using a small cookie scoop (my method) or a tablespoon. Place the meatballs on the prepared baking sheet and bake until the outside of the meatballs begins to become firm (around 8 minutes).
- Pour the remaining hot wing sauce into the slow cooker and stir to mix in the butter. Transfer the meatballs into the slow cooker and cook on low for 2 hours.
- Open a roll and line the bottom with a piece of butter lettuce. Place 2-3 meatballs on the lettuce (the size of roll will determine the number of meatballs), spoon some of the sauce on the top of the meatballs and sprinkle with blue cheese crumbs and diced celery leaf.
Notes
*Making Homemade Bread Crumbs: making your own bread crumbs is a cinch. They can be stored in a plastic bag in the freezer for future use as well. Toast bread in a toaster or under the broiler (watch so it does not over brown under the broiler). Place in the food processor and process to desired fineness. Note: if making from toast the crumbs can be a bit moist from condensation; place them on a baking sheet in a medium heat oven for a few minutes to dry completely if needed (again watch so they do not burn). I used Udi’s White Bread for crumbs in this recipe as it has a neutral flavor and makes crumbs easily.
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This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Udi’s Gluten Free. The opinions and text are all mine.
