Whole30 Baked Buffalo Chicken Meatballs

22 May

One pot, 30-minute, Whole30 compliant meal of dreams. These Whole30 baked buffalo chicken meatballs are an easy, family-friendly meal on rotation.

Pin It!

“I’m gonna do a Whole30 this month!” I say enthusiastically as my husband gives me the biggest eye-roll ever.

“Ughhh no!!!!” is the response. Every.Single.Time.

Been there? The entire idea of ‘healthy eating’ sends my man over the edge. He gets as frantic as my toddler does when his little brother is trying to touch all the toy trucks. It wasn’t until this last round that the hubs actually admitted he liked when I was doing Whole30, for the mere fact that meals are much more planned and actually tastier than my no-thinking dinners…aka throwing something on the grill or the same meal every four days.

I wish I could have got it in writing, “I like when my wife makes Whole30 meals”. Because guaranteed the next time I dive into another Whole30, he’ll groan and moan like always, then later pat me on the back. It’s a common theme.

It takes a lot of grace to accept when he compliments me on a meal well done, to not (lovingly) choke him and say, “I TOLD YOU SO!” I kid you not people, some of his most requested, favorite meals are my Whole30 creations like these Sloppy Joe Bowls, Greek Chicken Skillet, A1 Inspired Slow Cooker Beef Roast, Tomato Basil and Eggplant Beef Goulash, and 5 Ingredient Whole30 Hawaiian Chicken Burgers. JUST to name a few…

But I had a hunch THIS recipe, Whole30 baked buffalo chicken meatballs, was going to send me to heavenly-wife-I’ll-never-leave-her status. ‘Cause the man loves buffalo chicken. Almost more than me. I, on the other hand, honestly don’t ever eat buffalo chicken anything.

I KNOW, I’ve been living under a rock. I thought buffalo chicken meant ‘burn my tongue off’ and that kind of thing I just can’t do. Blame it on my Midwest roots – I just don’t eat ‘hot stuff’. So these were explicitly meant for him. Damn, I AM a good wife!

To my surprise, I loved these too. And I didn’t feel like a fire-breathing dragon after eating them. What?! WHAT?! Am I a buffalo chicken fan now?! I think I am – my life forever changed. And….wait for it….my toddler liked them too. DOUBLE WHAT?!

I haven’t even shared the bestest best best part – I whipped these Whole30 baked buffalo chicken meatballs up in less than 30 minutes from prep to plated. Can you hear the angels opera-singing and the clouds parting? It’s THAT miraculous.

Whole30 Baked Buffalo Chicken Meatballs

Simply preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Next, combine all the ingredients into a large bowl and use a medium cookie scoop like this one (you could certainly use a normal spoon, but a cookie scoop is easier and requires no molding), to spoon the ground chicken into balls and place on a greased baking sheet or cast iron skillet (click here for the set I have and love). The mixture will be wet, so they may not be perfectly-molded balls, but as long as they hold together! If the mixture is too wet to mold, add a little more almond flour.

Bake for 20 minutes, then garnish with more green onions and blue cheese if desired. Or if your non-Whole30 husband insists 😉

Buffalo chicken never tasted so good, never cooked so healthy. Getting all the husband’s of the world totally jazzed about Whole30, once and for all!

Time Saver Tip

If using homemade paleo mayo, make this beforehand and refrigerate before serving. Get the recipe for mine here.