Buffalo Chicken Bacon Mozzarella Bombs (Printable Version)

Buffalo-spiced chicken envelopes gooey mozzarella and smoky bacon in crunchy panko for bold, spicy appetizer bites.

# What You Need:

→ Fillings

01 - 8 oz mozzarella cheese, cut into cubes
02 - 3.5 oz cooked bacon, crumbled

→ Chicken Mix

03 - 1 lb ground chicken
04 - 4 fl oz buffalo sauce, divided
05 - 1 teaspoon garlic powder
06 - 1 teaspoon onion powder
07 - 1 teaspoon paprika
08 - Salt to taste
09 - Black pepper to taste

→ Coating

10 - 3.5 oz all-purpose flour
11 - 2 large eggs, beaten
12 - 3.5 oz panko breadcrumbs

→ For Frying

13 - Vegetable oil or canola oil for frying

# Steps:

01 - Cut mozzarella cheese into bite-sized cubes. Wrap each cube with crumbled bacon and set aside.
02 - In a mixing bowl, combine ground chicken with 2 fl oz buffalo sauce, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, salt, and black pepper. Mix until evenly blended.
03 - Take a heaping tablespoon of chicken mixture and flatten in your palm. Place a bacon-wrapped mozzarella cube in the center, then encase completely with chicken, forming a sealed ball. Repeat with remaining ingredients.
04 - Dredge each chicken bomb in flour, dip into beaten eggs, then coat thoroughly with panko breadcrumbs.
05 - Heat oil in a deep pan to 350°F and fry bombs in batches for 5-6 minutes, turning as needed, until golden brown and cooked through. Alternatively, place bombs on a greased baking sheet and bake in a preheated 400°F oven for 18-20 minutes until crisp and cooked through.
06 - While hot, drizzle or toss bombs with remaining 2 fl oz buffalo sauce. Garnish with extra bacon crumbles if desired. Serve immediately with ranch or blue cheese dip.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • Every bite gives you three textures at once: crispy panko shell, tender spiced chicken, and molten cheese that stretches like a commercial.
  • They disappear faster than you can fry them, which means you look like a genius host with zero leftovers to store.
02 -
  • Seal every seam tightly or the cheese will blow out during cooking, and you'll end up with a pan full of lava and sad hollow chicken shells.
  • Let the oil come back up to temperature between batches, or the coating will turn greasy instead of crisp.
03 -
  • Press the panko on with your palms instead of just rolling, it sticks better and fries up thicker.
  • Taste your buffalo sauce before mixing it in, some brands are way hotter than others, and you can always cut it with melted butter if it's too aggressive.
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