Turns out, you can 'buffalo' pretty much anything. And, if you are making your own buffalo sauce, it is a lot less oily and quite tasty!
You definitely do not need to do both cauliflower AND chicken meatballs, but they are really good together. You can do just the cauliflower or just the chicken; I hope you try both, though. You also don't have to do the chickpea coating on the cauliflower; if you skip it, the cauliflower will still be quite good.
Buffalo Chicken Meatballs with crispy Buffalo Cauliflower
Serves 5 - 7
Ingredients
Roasted cauliflower:
1 cup chickpea flour (might be called gram flour or besan)
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 - 3/4 cup water (depending on how much hydration your flour will need)
2 medium heads cauliflower, cut into large-ish bite-sized pieces
Homemade buffalo sauce:
1 cup Frank’s Red Hot Sauce
3 T olive oil
2 T soy sauce
2 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp Aleppo pepper (or cayenne pepper if you like things a little spicier)
Meatballs
1 T olive oil
1/4 cup minced carrots
1/2 cup minced celery
1 small yellow onion, minced
3 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
1 kg ground chicken
1/2 cup almond flour or flour of choice
Directions
About an hour before you will be baking, make your batter for the cauliflower: in a large bowl, whisk together the chickpea flour, salt and garlic powder. Slowly whisk in the water to make a somewhat thick batter (that coats the back of your spoon well, and doesn't just drip off). Cover and set aside to allow the flour to well-hydrate for at least 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 400℉.
Line 2 large baking sheets with foil. Spray with cooking spray and set aside.
Add the cauliflower pieces to the batter, and toss well to coat. Transfer the coated pieces to one of the prepared baking sheets, spreading out the pieces. Don't worry about the drips of batter; these will bake up to a nice crunchy treat! Slide the pain into the preheated oven for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, flip the cauliflower, and brush heavily with the buffalo sauce. Return the pan to the oven and continue baking for 20 - 25 minutes.
Once the cauliflower is in the oven for the initial roasting session, start on making the buffalo sauce and meatballs. The meatballs can bake on the other rack in the oven; both should be done around the same time.
To make the Buffalo sauce:
Mix all sauce ingredients in a small bowl until well combined. Set aside.
Make meatballs:
In a non-stick skillet on medium-high heat, add the oil, celery, carrots, onion, and garlic cloves. Sauté until onions are translucent and vegetables are cooked through. Remove from the skillet and let cool slightly.
In a large bowl, combine the ground chicken, flour, 3 Tbsp. buffalo sauce, and sautéed veggies, and mix together until well combined.
Using a large cookie scoop, form into 25 - 30 slightly-larger-than-golf-ball-sized meatballs, and place them on to the second prepared baking sheet. Bake for 25 - 35 minutes or until meatballs are cooked through and insides are no longer pink.
Once you have heavily basted the cauliflower, pour the remaining buffalo sauce in a large flat skillet. Heat to a slow simmer, and then turn off and cover. Once the meatballs are finished cooking, remove them from the baking sheet and roll them into the sauce, coating them well. They can stay warm in the sauce until the cauliflower is cooked through and crispy.
Enjoy!