Culinary Guides

These are spicy chicken meatballs shot through with jalapeno and serrano, tossed in classic buffalo sauce and finished with blue cheese. The chopped celery, onion, and peppers cook down first, which keeps the meatballs tender and packs flavor right into the middle. Serve them as an appetizer or pile them into a bowl for dinner.

Ingredients

For the meatballs

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 celery stalk, chopped
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 jalapeno pepper, chopped
• 1 serrano pepper, chopped (optional)
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 teaspoon taco seasoning (Cajun is great here too)
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 1/4 pounds ground chicken
• 1 cup panko
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Crumbled blue cheese and blue cheese dressing, for serving
• Chopped scallions, fresh chopped herbs, and chili flakes, for serving

For the buffalo sauce

• 1 cup hot pepper sauce
• 4 teaspoons butter
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large pan over medium heat and cook the celery, onion, jalapeno, and optional serrano about 5 minutes until softened.
2. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute more, stirring, then transfer to a bowl and let cool slightly.
3. Add the taco seasoning, beaten egg, ground chicken, and panko to the bowl, season with salt and pepper, and mix gently with your hands until just combined. Do not overmix.
4. Form into about 20 one inch meatballs. Heat the oven to 400F (200C) if baking.
5. To cook on the stovetop, add a little more oil to the pan and cook the meatballs in batches, 2 to 3 minutes per side, about 10 minutes total, until cooked through. To bake, arrange on a lightly oiled sheet and bake 20 to 25 minutes.
6. Meanwhile, warm the hot pepper sauce, butter, garlic powder, salt, and pepper in a small pot over medium low heat until the butter melts and the sauce comes together.
7. Toss the cooked meatballs in the buffalo sauce to coat, then top with blue cheese, blue cheese dressing, scallions, herbs, and chili flakes.

Not a blue cheese fan? Feta or gorgonzola work too. Leftovers keep in the fridge for up to 3 days and reheat well in the oven.

Grower's tip: serrano peppers pack more heat than jalapenos and keep pumping out small, thin walled pods late into the season. Pick them green for sharp, bright heat, or leave them to redden for a rounder burn. A couple of plants will keep a sauce like this stocked all summer.

The heat and aromatics are easy to grow. Raise a few jalapeno and serrano plants, keep some onions and scallions going, and tuck in a little celery for the base.