Buffalo Chicken Meatballs + Tailgating

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and The Coca-Cola Company. All opinions are mine alone. #TrickYourTreat #CollectiveBias A few weeks ago we stopped by a friend’s house to watch some football games (yes, they had two screens going at once for optimal game-watching!). The thing is, no one wanted to spend time cooking when they could be watching instead, so we kept things very simple. I brought a veggie tray from Sam’s Club, and they prepped some chips and guac and meatballs, and it was perfect! So this past Saturday we kept the menu very similar for another get-together: veggies again, and meatballs again (recipe below!), but with the addition of two key players: Member’s Mark 16″ Take ‘N Bake Pizza and Diet Coke®, aka the classics.

Honestly, I quick-prepped all this food, but I was too busy to actually go. I sent hubby packing with everything, and when he came back he talked about how much fun they had eating and playing games and such. So if you’re looking at my photos and wishing you could eat the screen, don’t worry, me too. I didn’t get to enjoy much of this either :(:(:( But I got just enough to let you know that the meatballs are juicy and came out just right, the pizza was delish with the perfect amount of pepperoni (aka LOTS), and the Diet Coke® was as refreshing as always.

Ever since we moved to Oklahoma I’ve been relying on Sam’s Club for everything. I get my gas there every week, I get groceries there every week, and I often stop there in between my classes just for a hot dog or whatever. It’s so nice being a member, it’s so convenient for everything. So that’s where my food supplies came from this time as well. Did you even know that they offer Take ‘N Bake pizzas back near the meat section? They make them fresh daily, and you can bake them up in just 15 minutes. That’s perfect for a get-together like this. Along with the pizza, I grabbed a big 35-pack of Diet Coke®, our beverage of choice. We can never have enough Diet Coke® in our house because you can’t beat that ratio of yummy:calories, which is 100:0. My hubs keeps his precious vacuum-sealed stainless steel bottle filled with Diet Coke® at all times of the day. It always stays cold, so he enjoys his refreshing Diet Coke® all day long. It’s a lifestyle, it really is.

Are you inspired for you next get-together? Honestly, it can be fun at times to spend some time in the kitchen baking up some fancy treats, but it’s also really nice to keep kitchen time to a minimum and play time to a maximum. With that said, check out the Member’s Mark Take ‘N Bake Pizza on your next Sam’s Club trip, and don’t forget the Diet Coke®. What are your favorite dishes to bring to fall get-togethers? My buffalo chicken meatballs make a great side, check out the recipe below!

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Buffalo Chicken Meatballs

Ingredients

• 1 lb ground chicken
• 1 egg
• 3/4 cup panko bread crumbs
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• pepper to taste
• 2 Tbsp green onions chopped + extra for garnish
• 3/4 cup buffalo sauce
• blue cheese dressing (opt.)

Instructions

1. Take a large pan and coat it with oil. Set aside.

2. Combine the ground chicken, egg, bread crumbs, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper, and green onions in a bowl. Use your hands to mix everything together until uniform. Form the dough into one-inch balls and set them inside your pan.
   

3. Place the pan over med-high heat and brown the meatballs, turning them periodically to get an even brown on each side. 

4. Once browned, add the meatballs to a slow cooker and pour the buffalo sauce over them. Cover and set to low heat. Cook for 2 hours.

5. Before serving, drizzle blue cheese over the meatballs and garnish with chopped green onions. Enjoy!