I recently found a great recipe for Buffalo Chicken Wings without the wing part. I lived in Buffalo, New York while completing an advanced degree and ate more than my fair share of Buffalo Chicken Wings.

This recipe is a great weekend meal (if you add some other sides) or snack option. I have made it a few times since discovering it and my family eats them up without complaint.

I make them essentially as directed but I don’t have smoked paprika (just the regular kind). In this recipe I have used both Panko and regular homemade bread crumbs I had in the freezer. I did not notice a difference in the meatballs, but then the bread crumbs were from homemade bread not Wonder bread. Bread crumbs made from homemade bread I find to be similar in feel to Panko bread crumbs.

I love baking meatballs in the oven. Whenever I fry meatballs one side always seems to be perfectly cooked while the other not so much. After the meatballs are baked I placed them in my smaller slow cooker. You will not need a very large slow cooker for this meal (unless you are doubling or tripling the recipe).

You can buy Buffalo Sauce at almost any grocery store, but I like to make my own. I can control the heat level easier when making my own. It is very easy and you only need 2 ingredients. Yes, you need to use real butter. Do not be afraid of the real butter! You need the oils in the butter and the richness of the cream to help with heat level control.

After you have made the sauce pour it over the meatballs you had already put inside the slow cooker. Cover with a lid, set and forget for a few hours.