There's little that's faster than Minute Rice, and when paired with buffalo sauce, ground chicken, and lots of other tasty things, meatballs can be on your plate in 30 minutes!
You may remember Minute Rice, or you might be wondering what it is. Maybe it's even in your pantry RIGHT NOW, as we speak. In short, it's going to make prepping these meatballs go much faster!
In short Minute Rice is rice that's ready in an instant. It kind of doesn't get faster than that, does it? It cuts way down on the cooking time for these otherwise delicious and savory meatballs. And you know how we feel about meatballs around here! And a good high-protein meal prep. These Buffalo Chicken Meatballs are SO tasty. If you use Minute Rice, which is available in these cool, pre-portioned, ready-to-serve cups, it is a lifesaver. The rice is used in these meatballs for binding.
Minute Rice Buffalo Chicken Meatballs Ingredients
- 2 lbs ground chicken
- ⅓ cup Buffalo sauce
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 green onion, chopped
- ¼ cup yellow onion, chopped
- 2 eggs
- ¼ cup ranch dressing
- ¼ tsp pepper
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 4 cups white Minute Rice
Substitutions and Alterations
- The recipe calls for white rice, but feel free to use brown if you'd like, instead. It tends to have a bit more fiber. It's best with plain rice instead of jasmine or Thai rice.
- Of course, these buffalo chicken meatballs are a great way to use up any leftover rice you might have in the fridge or even the freezer. You'll need four cups altogether, though.
- Ground turkey would also work if you can't find ground chicken. We get it; sometimes the grocery store comes up short!
- Turn this into a gluten-free experience by using gluten-free breadcrumbs. Check the label of your Buffalo sauce to make sure it contains no gluten-related surprises if you need to avoid it altogether.
Tips for Buffalo Chicken Meatballs
If the thought of using store-bought ranch dressing has you raising an eyebrow—let's face it, sometimes salad dressings are a minefield of less-than-healthy ingredients—we hear you. You can make your own. We've got a killer recipe for Homemade Ranch Dressing. It's really easy!
Double or triple this recipe and freeze whatever you don't immediately plan on eating. Future you will be stoked to discover these meatballs in the freezer.
How to Store Minute Rice Buffalo Chicken Meatballs
If you're planning to go meal-prep on these meatballs, they'll keep in sealed containers in the fridge for 4 to 5 days.
If you like, you can wait until serving to drizzle with the ranch dressing and sprinkle the green onions, but it's not necessary.
How to Serve Buffalo Chicken Meatballs
- We kind of like these with elbow macaroni or other noodles, tossed in some butter. Or just right as they are, on their own.
- Pile them up into a sub roll and serve with a green salad.
- Make them small, stick tiny toothpicks in them, and serve them as appetizers.
READ MORE: Can't get enough buffalo chicken? Try these recipes!
- Whole30 Baked Buffalo Chicken Casserole
- Low-Carb Buffalo Chicken Mini Bell Peppers
- Buffalo Chicken Stuffed Sweet Potato Skins
Ingredients
- 2 lb ground chicken
- ⅓ cup Buffalo sauce
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 green onion chopped
- ¼ cup yellow onion chopped
- 2 eggs
- ¼ cup ranch dressing
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 4 cups Minute White Rice
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the ground chicken, Buffalo sauce, garlic, yellow onion, eggs, breadcrumbs, ranch dressing and the salt + pepper.
- Mix together thoroughly; don't be afraid to use your hands.
- Line a large, rimmed baking sheet with foil. Form the meat into about 20 meatballs, and line them up on the baking sheet.
- Place in the oven and cook for 20 minutes or until the chicken has cooked all the way through.
- Remove from the oven to rest and coo for 5-10 minutes.
- While the meatballs are cooling, get your Minute Rice Cups and remove the film from the top of each.
- Cook each cup separately in the microwave for 1 minute and pour into four meal prep containers.
- Portion out your meatballs on top of the rice in each container. Then, garnish with the green onions and drizzle with ranch dressing.
- This recipe makes four meals.
