Air fryer chicken meatballs are the perfect party food, snack or appetizer. They are really easy to make at home using an air fryer, which is a really quick and easy way to cook that is also healthy. Chicken meatballs are really easy to snack on and are very moreish.
What Goes In Chicken Meatballs?
Chicken meatballs are mostly made up of ground/minced chicken along with some herbs, spices and Parmesan for flavoring. There are also breadcrumbs, egg and olive oil in the mixture to help the meatballs stay together and keep it moist.
The ground chicken I use for my meatballs contains 5% fat. Generally the higher the fat percentage the juicier the meatballs. If you have a lower fat percentage then you may want to add in some extra olive oil to get them juicier (add in some extra fat).
Substitutions
To make turkey meatballs in the air fryer instead, you can swap out the ground chicken for ground turkey. It will work just as well following the rest of the recipe.
To make the chicken meatballs gluten-free then use gluten-free breadcrumbs, or make your own by toasting and then blending gluten-free bread. The breadcrumbs should preferably be panko but normal breadcrumbs will also work.
You can substitute the Parmesan cheese with pecorino or another type hard cheese. Freshly grated is always preferred, if possible. You can substitute the dried oregano for Italian seasoning to mix up the flavor. You can use 2 cloves of fresh minced garlic in place of the garlic powder.
Making Chicken Meatballs
Making chicken meatballs is a really easy thing to do. To start, mix all of the ingredients together in a large bowl until it is well combined. Then you just need to form the mixture into small meatballs.
The easiest way to make even meatballs is to use a tablespoon to portion out the mixture and then use your hands to roll the mixture into a ball. Slightly wetting your hands (with water), before rolling the meatballs, makes the mixture not stick to your hands as much.
This recipe should make roughly 25-30 small meatballs, depending on how exact the portioning is.
Air Frying Chicken Meatballs
Cooking the meatballs is pretty straightforward. All you need is an air fryer. Each air fryer is different, so cooking times may differ slightly.
As a general rule you want to avoid over crowding the air fryer to allow for good air flow, try to keep the chicken meatballs in a single layer. If you have made too many meatballs to properly fit in your air fryer you might need to cook them in multiple batches.
Start by preheating the air fryer to 400°F/200°C. Once preheated, place the meatballs in the air fryer in a single layer.
Cook for 10-15 minutes, until meatballs are fully cooked (internal temperature 165°F/74°C). The exact amount of time to cook chicken meatballs in an air fryer can vary depending on individual air fryers as well as the size of the meatballs. 10-15 minutes should be all the cooking time you need for meatballs are made from 1 tablespoon of mixture.
Serve the meatballs warm, where they will taste great on their own. The meatballs also go great with your favorite dipping sauces, such as sweet chili.
If the meatballs have been made using just 1 tablespoon of mixture, then they should be big enough to pick up and eat with a toothpick if you want. This is a great way to serve them at parties (it allows for easy dipping). Otherwise you may need a fork.
Storing And Reheating Air Fryer Chicken Meatballs
Store cooked meatballs in an airtight container. They will last up to 4 days in the fridge or 6 months in the freezer.
You can reheat the meatballs in the microwave, or to keep them crispy I recommend reheating them in the air fryer. Preheat the air fryer to 350°F/180°C and heat up the chicken meatballs for 5 minutes if reheating from the fridge or 10 minutes if reheating from the freezer.
You can shape and freeze the meatballs in order to cook them later. To cook the chicken meatball from frozen, simply cook them at 400°F/200°C for 15-20 minutes until golden and cooked through. This is just an extra 5-10 minutes cooking time compared to normal instructions.
Once again, every air fryer is different and meatball sizes can vary but these cooking times should work or act as a good guideline.
For more great air fryer recipes, check out:
- Air Fryer Garlic Bread
- Super Crispy Chickpeas In The Air Fryer
- Air Fryer Sweet Chili Chicken Wings
- Air Fryer Teriyaki Chicken Wings
Air Fryer Chicken Meatballs
Equipment
- Air Fryer (affiliate link)
Ingredients
- 1 lb / 500 g ground chicken or ground turkey (Note 1)
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup bread crumbs panko recommended
- 1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan or pecorino
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 1/2 tsp dried oregano or Italian seasoning
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp salt or to taste
- 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper or to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the air fryer to 400°F/200°C
- Combine all ingredients together in a mixing bowl and mix until well combined.
- Portion mixture using a tablespoon and roll into balls (Note 2 & 3)
- Place meatballs in a single layer in the air fryer (Note 4). Cook for 10-15 minutes, until golden and cooked through (Note 5).
Notes
- I used ground chicken with 5% fat. If there is a lower fat percentage you may want to consider adding in some more olive oil to help keep them moist.
- Wet hands help prevent mixture from sticking when forming meatballs.
- Should make roughly 25-30 meatballs.
- Try not to overcrowd air fryer, to avoid this you might need to do more than 1 batch.
- Cooked meatballs should have an internal temperature of at least 165°F/74°C.
