Description
Mozzarella-Stuffed Buffalo Chicken Sliders are a flavorful and fun appetizer or party snack featuring juicy ground chicken meatballs stuffed with gooey mozzarella cheese, coated in spicy Frank’s Red Hot sauce, and baked inside soft dinner rolls. Topped with melted mozzarella, crumbled blue cheese, and fresh green onions, these sliders deliver a delicious buffalo wing-inspired taste in an easy-to-eat slider format.
Ingredients
Scale
For the Meatballs
- 1 lb ground chicken breast
- ¼ cup finely chopped shredded carrot
- ¼ cup finely chopped red onion
- ¼ cup sliced green onion, plus more for garnish
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tsp salt
- 3 oz mozzarella, cut into 15 cubes
- 2 Tbsp Frank’s Red Hot Sauce (for mixing into meatballs)
For Assembly & Topping
- 5 oz shredded mozzarella cheese
- ½ cup Frank’s Red Hot Sauce (for tossing meatballs and drizzling)
- 15 dinner rolls
- ¾ cup crumbled blue cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and line a baking sheet with a Silpat or parchment paper to prevent sticking.
- Prepare the meatball mixture: In a large bowl, combine ground chicken, shredded carrot, chopped red onion, ¼ cup sliced green onion, minced garlic, salt, and 2 tablespoons of Frank’s Red Hot Sauce. Mix thoroughly until evenly combined.
- Form mozzarella-stuffed meatballs: Divide the mixture into 15 equal portions. For each portion, flatten the meat mixture slightly, place one mozzarella cube in the center, then carefully mold the meat around the cheese to fully enclose it, forming a meatball shape. Place the meatballs onto the prepared baking sheet.
- Bake the meatballs: Bake for 12-15 minutes or until the chicken meatballs are fully cooked through and reach an internal temperature of 165°F (74°C).
- Prepare the rolls: While the meatballs bake, use a tablespoon to trace a circle on the top of each dinner roll. Using a sharp knife, cut the tops off the rolls along the outline and hollow out the centers to make room for the meatballs. Keep the hollowed bread for other uses like croutons or breadcrumbs.
- Toss meatballs in sauce: In a medium bowl, combine the remaining ½ cup Frank’s Red Hot Sauce and the cooked meatballs. Toss gently to coat the meatballs evenly with the sauce.
- Assemble the sliders: Nestle each sauced meatball inside a hollowed roll. Drizzle any remaining sauce over the tops of each slider. Sprinkle shredded mozzarella evenly on top of the meatballs and rolls.
- Melt the cheese: Return the assembled sliders to the oven and bake until the shredded mozzarella melts, about 5 minutes.
- Garnish and serve: Remove the sliders from the oven and sprinkle crumbled blue cheese and additional sliced green onions over the top. Serve warm and enjoy your buffalo chicken sliders!
Notes
- For freshest results, grind your own chicken breast by cutting into 1-inch pieces, chilling in the freezer for 15 minutes until firm but not frozen, and processing in a food processor until finely ground.
- Save the hollowed-out bread from the rolls to make homemade croutons, breadcrumbs, or simply enjoy toasted as a snack.
- Adjust amount of hot sauce to your preferred spice level.
- Ensure meatballs are cooked to an internal temperature of 165°F to guarantee food safety.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slider
- Calories: 210 kcal
- Sugar: 2 g
- Sodium: 580 mg
- Fat: 10 g
- Saturated Fat: 5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 15 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 18 g
- Cholesterol: 70 mg
