Easy and Cheesy Air Fryer Buffalo Chicken Mozzarella Sticks! These air fryer buffalo chicken cheese sticks or bites or even balls are a great make-ahead frozen appetizer recipe. Use homemade gluten free breadcrumbs or even leftover dip.

To give you an idea of how good these homemade buffalo chicken mozzarella sticks are: My new roommate essentially stated ‘healthy food doesn’t taste good’.

2 days later he had one of these sticks when I made them. Instant reaction: “This is amazing!”

Even responded to a sneak-peek I posted on my Instagram story!

So just a warning, these buffalo chicken cheese bites are addictively good! Yes that ‘!’ was needed!

Ingredients for the Air Fryer Buffalo Chicken Mozzarella Sticks

These goat cheese balls are made from scratch with no bread crumbs – you make your own – and an almond flour coating, so they’re perfect for a healthy appetizer!

Shredded Chicken Breast: I used just the chicken breast here, but you can also make buffalo chicken dip sticks with rotisserie chicken
A good Buffalo Wing Sauce; To keep this low sodium I used the one from Mr. Spice
Reduced Fat Cream Cheese, which might also be called Neufchâtel, for a low fat and healthy buffalo chicken appetizer recipe.
Non-fat Greek Yogurt to cut some more of the fat
Mozzarella Sticks
Seasonings: Garlic Powder, Onion Powder, Dried Parsley

For the coating:

Slices of bread to make homemade bread crumbs for a ‘from scratch’ recipe, but you can also use regular bread crumbs. This is also another way to have a gluten free recipe.
Tapioca flour – To replace the typical all-purpose flour and also make this recipe Gluten-free
Egg whites for coating

To make low carb buffalo chicken cheese sticks:

Use a keto friendly sliced bread for the breading – there’s plenty on the market – or use pork rinds instead.

Another alternative is to use crushed keto-friendly chips.

Now let’s make these Buffalo Chicken Mozzarella Sticks in the Air Fryer

These chicken cheese sticks need to be frozen before cooking so they’re perfect if you’re looking for an air fryer frozen appetizer.

Make the Healthy Buffalo Chicken Dip:

Mix together all the ingredients and seasonings in a large bowl – shredded chicken, low fat cream cheese, greek yogurt, buffalo wing sauce, parsley, garlic powder and onion powder.

Now prep the Buffalo Chicken Sticks with the Cheese

Line an 8×8” baking sheet with parchment paper

Cut each mozzarella stick into thirds length-wise. You will have 12 long strips

Spread half the chicken dip mixture in the pan

Line the 12 strips in 2 rows – 6 in each row

Spread the other half of the mixture over the cheese sticks
Freeze!

Place the baking pan in the freezer for about 2 hours until the mix is completely hardened

Since buffalo chicken dip mixture is creamy, you won’t be able to cut it into sticks unless you freeze it.

Make the homemade gluten free bread crumbs:

Toast the sliced bread in the air fryer for about 3 minutes at 400˚F.
Tear the bread into rough chunks, place them in a food processor and process to form crumbs.

Some pieces might be soft and not shred. Cook them again in the air fryer for a minute or 2 and then process them again.

Now bread the buffalo chicken cheese sticks:

Lift the mix out of the pan using parchment paper and cut into the 12 strips

Prepare your workstation with the tapioca flour, egg white and bread crumbs in 3 bowls.

WORK QUICKLY!
Take a chicken cheese stick at a time, coat it in the tapioca flour, dredge it in egg, and then place it in the gluten-free breading. Use your hands to toss the breading over to coat it completely.

Freeze again!

Place the breaded buffalo chicken bites on a large baking sheet or plates and freeze again for about 30 minutes.

This prevents the sticks from melting away in the air fryer when cooking.

Cook Buffalo Chicken Bites in an Air Fryer:

Line the air fryer basket with parchment paper.
This is so that the bread crumbs don’t fall to the bottom, any oozing cheese doesn’t burn on the basket, and you can remove the bites immediately after cooking (so they don’t melt sitting in the hot basket).

Place about 3-4 sticks in the basket; Work in batches here.

Cook the air fryer buffalo chicken mozzarella sticks at a high temperature – 400˚F – for 12 minutes.

The sticks will be just golden brown.

To make Air Fryer Buffalo Chicken Cheese Balls

Not a tried alternative, but this recipe can be turned into chicken cheese balls instead of sticks by first freezing the mixture and then shaping it into balls.

Here’s something you can try:

Freeze the buffalo chicken mixture until it slightly hardens

Chop the string cheese into about 4-6 pieces

Scoop out some of the chicken mixture, coat it around the cheese and roll into balls

Place the balls on a parchment lined sheet and freeze again until completely hardened

Follow the same breading instructions as above

Cook the buffalo chicken cheese balls in the air fryer for about 8-10 minutes at the same 400˚F

Can you Deep Fry or Bake?

I tried making baked buffalo chicken sticks, but they got too soft before turning golden brown.

I would not recommend baking, but if you’re interested, place each strip on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for about 12-13 minutes at 450°F. Be sure to move them to a cooling rack immediately after cooking so they don’t melt on the hot sheet.

Deep fryer or frying in general is not my preferred option (too much oil), but this might be a better option for quick cooking. Heat about 2” high oil in a skillet to 375°F and fry each side for about 3-4 minutes.

How to store air fryer chicken cheese sticks:

This chicken cheese chicks recipe keeps in the fridge for up to 5 days in the fridge in an airtight container.

You can reheat them in the microwave for about 45 seconds, or use the air fryer for about 5-6 minutes.

More quick and easy air fryer appetizers you’ll love: