These Buffalo Chicken Meatball Sliders are a fun, flavor-packed appetizer made with Trader Joe’s Buffalo Style Chicken Meatballs, soft slider buns, melted provolone, and blue cheese dressing. They’re quick to make, crowd-friendly, and perfect for game day, parties, or busy weeknights when you want big flavor with minimal effort.
Why I Like This Recipe
As a registered dietitian, busy mom of two, and someone who’s originally from Buffalo, New York, this easy buffalo chicken slider recipe checks allllll my boxes.
Packed with flavor? Check.
Quick to make? Check.
Family-friendly? Check.
Filling and satisfying? Check.
As a lifelong Bills fan, it’s probably no surprise that I love Buffalo-flavored recipes in all forms like my Buffalo Cauliflower Dip (another game day fan favorite!) and my Buffalo Chicken Flatbread Pizza.
So when I saw that Trader Joe’s launched Buffalo-Style Chicken Meatballs, I knew I had to make a game day appetizer recipe with them. Using premade meatballs means less prep, fewer dishes, and more time enjoying the party (or realistically chasing my kid around the house).
They’re perfect for game day, potlucks, parties, or any group gathering where you want an easy slider recipe that’s familiar, flavorful, and guaranteed to disappear fast. Super Bowl party, anyone??
Ingredients You Need
Notes on Ingredients
Trader Joe’s Buffalo Style Chicken Meatballs: Fully cooked and flavored with Monterey jack cheese. They have a mild heat level, but you can easily turn it up with extra Buffalo sauce. You can make your own Buffalo chicken meatballs too but this is a big time saver.
Frank’s Hot Sauce: My favorite Buffalo sauce (and what all Buffalonians use!)
Provolone cheese: A mild cheese that melts easily, pairs nicely with spicy flavor.
Crumbled blue cheese: Adds a strong pungent flavor that classically pairs with Buffalo-style heat.
Blue cheese Dressing: A tangy dressing that adds a punch of flavor, cools down the heat, and adds creaminess. Buffalonians always prefer blue cheese over Ranch but I won’t judge you (that much) if you use the latter.
Tomato: Adds flavor, color, texture (and nutrition!) to the sliders
Onion: Adds a slight crisp texture and punch of bitter flavor.
Shredded lettuce: Adds texture and dimension to the sliders.
Butter: Gives richness to the Frank’s hot sauce and to when brushed on the rolls before cooking
Garlic: Adds sharp flavor to the butter finish for the rolls
Parsley: Adds fresh herbaceous flavor and a speck of color to the butter finish for the rolls
Hawaiian rolls: Soft, sweet buns balance the spice. Toasting them lightly helps prevent sogginess and gives them a satisfying crunch.
Nutrition Benefits
This recipe is giving game day FUN but from a dietitian’s perspective, it also has lot going for it nutrition-wise.
- Made with lean chicken, providing protein to help keep you satisfied
- Portion-controlled sliders make it easy to tune into and honor fullness cues
- Easy to pair with veggie sides like a slaw, salad, or crudite.
- Gang’s all here with a source of carbs, protein and fat!
How to Make Buffalo Chicken Meatball Sliders
- Prep your meatballs – cook in the Air Fryer until warmed through and toss with Frank’s hot sauce.
- Prepare your buns. Slice horizontally, separating tops from bottoms and brush bottom with blue cheese dressing.
- Assemble sliders! Add meatball halves to each slider, top with lettuce, tomato, onion, blue cheese and provolone. Cover with top sheet of rolls.
- Butter, baby. Melt butter with garlic and parsley and brush over the tops of rolls.
- Bake ’em! Bake until rolls are golden brown and crispy and cheese is melted, about 12-15 minutes.
- Serve it up with another brush of butter, cut into sliders, and serve hot with blue cheese dressing for dipping.
Equipment You’ll Need (affiliate links – if you make a purchase I receive a small commission)
Expert Tips
- If you don’t have an air fryer, you can warm meatballs in the microwave or oven according to package instructions.
- Taking the extra step to cut meatballs in half is worth it, IMO. It makes for an easier-to-grab, less messy slider. If you keep the meatballs whole, you may get a few runaway meatballs rolling off the sliders.
- For a cutting hack, place the meatballs in between the bottom of two plates and run a serrated knife along the middle of the meatballs, cutting them all at once.
- If you don’t like blue cheese, you can substitute with shredded mozzarella and Ranch dressing (but don’t tell your friends from Buffalo).
- The garlic parsley butter is a little extra but I love the color it gives the buns and the flavor oomph. It makes them extra crispy too.
Storage and Preparation
Store leftover sliders in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. To avoid soggy buns, reheat in the oven at 350 degrees F until warmed through and crispy, about 10-15 minutes.
These sliders can be prepped ahead of time – chop your veggies, slice your buns, and cook meatballs to save time. You can also assemble sliders ahead of time and brush with butter before baking.
Recipes that Pair Well
Vegan Green Goddess Dressing Dip
Sheet Pan Vegetarian Nachos with Black Beans
The Best Mexican-Inspired Street Corn Dip
Healthy Sweet Potato Skins (Vegan)
For more Buffalo-style inspiration, check out my other recipes below!
Buffalo Cauliflower Wings (Air Fryer or Oven)
Buffalo Chickpea Veggie Burgers
Buffalo Cauliflower Tacos with Ranch Slaw
Buffalo Cauliflower Pizza
Instant Pot Buffalo Cauliflower Wing Dip
If you like this recipe, please be sure to comment and give it a 5 star rating below. If you make it, share it on Instagram and tag me @karalydonrd and I’ll re-share it with my followers! If you want to save this recipe for later, be sure to pin it on Pinterest!
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Description
These Buffalo Chicken Meatball Sliders are a fun, flavor-packed appetizer made with Trader Joe’s Buffalo Style Chicken Meatballs, soft slider buns, melted provolone, and blue cheese dressing. They’re quick to make, crowd-friendly, and perfect for game day, parties, or busy weeknights when you want big flavor with minimal effort.
- 1/4 cup Frank’s hot sauce
- 6 tablespoons salted butter, divided
- 1 package Trader Joe’s Buffalo-Style Chicken Meatballs, sliced in half
- 1 package Hawaiian sweet rolls (12 rolls)
- 1/4 cup blue cheese dressing (plus more for serving)
- 1 cup shredded lettuce
- 1 small tomato, thinly sliced
- 1/2 white onion, thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese
- 6 slices provolone cheese
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon chopped parsley
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Add Frank’s hot sauce and 2 tablespoons butter to a medium mixing bowl and microwave for 30-60 seconds until butter is melted. Whisk to combine.
- Cook chicken meatballs in Air Fryer at 400 degrees until heated through, about 4-6 minutes.
- Add meatballs to mixing bowl and toss with the Frank’s sauce until coated.
- Using a long serrated knife, cut Hawaiian rolls in half horizontally, separating the tops from the bottom.
- Place bottom of rolls in a 9×13 baking dish and brush with blue cheese dressing.
- Add four meatball halves to each slider. Brush meatballs with leftover Frank’s sauce if desired.
- Top meatballs with shredded lettuce, tomato, onion, crumbled blue cheese, and provolone. Cover with top sheet of rolls.
- In a small saucepan, melt remaining 4 tablespoons butter over medium-low heat. Add garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in parsley and remove from heat.
- Brush the tops of rolls with garlic butter sauce.
- Bake until tops of rolls are golden-brown, crispy and cheese is melted, about 12-15 minutes.
- Brush again with garlic butter and cut into individual sliders before serving.
- Serve warm with blue cheese dressing, for dipping.
Notes
- If you don’t have an air fryer, you can warm meatballs in the microwave or oven according to package instructions.
- Taking the extra step to cut meatballs in half is worth it, IMO. It makes for an easier to grab, less messy slider. If you keep the meatballs whole, you may get a few runaway meatballs rolling off the sliders. For a cutting hack, place the meatballs the bottom of two plate and run a serrated knife along the middle of the meatballs, cutting them all at once.
- If you don’t like blue cheese, you can substitute with shredded mozzarella and Ranch dressing.
- The garlic parsley butter is a little extra but I love the color it gives the buns and the flavor oomph. It makes them extra crispy too.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Appetizer
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
