These air fryer chicken meatballs are so quick and so easy. Packed with flavour, these juicy meatballs are great for anytime!
Ingredients
- ½ cup panko breadcrumbs (32g / ~1 ⅙oz)
- ¼ cup milk (60ml)
- 500 g chicken mince (ground chicken) (1.1lb - notes 2)
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- ⅓ cup parmesan cheese finely grated, not packed (20g/1 ½oz)
- 2 teaspoons dried parsley (or ¼ cup chopped fresh)
- ¼ cup coarsely grated red onion (¾ of a small onion / 60g/2oz)
- 1 large egg
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
- Spray oil as required
For best results, always weigh ingredients where a weight is provided
Equipment
- Large mixing bowl
- Baking tray or plate
- Air fryer
Instructions
- See notes for oven-baking instructions.
- Combine the breadcrumbs and milk in a large bowl. Set aside for 5 minutes.
- You can go ahead and pile the remaining ingredients on top, just don’t mix it for at least the 5 minutes.
- Add the remaining ingredients to the bowl and mix well.
- Form into 24 meatballs. I use a 2 tablespoon cookie scoop, with the mixture slightly rounded to divide the mixture. Use damp hands to roll into balls to stop them sticking to your hands. It’s a sticky mixture so use light hands and work quickly. Don’t be tempted to add more breadcrumbs or flour as you’ll dry out the meat.
- Preheat air fryer at 200C/400F for 3 minutes.
- Spray the air fryer basket with oil or brush with oil if you don’t have a spray oil.
- Add up to half the balls to basket with space around them. Spray the tops with oil.
- Air fry at 200C/400F for 10 minutes, turning halfway.The internal temperature for fully cooked meatballs is 74C/165F.
- Transfer the meatballs to a warm plate and cover with foil while you cook the second batch. At the end, return the first batch to the air fryer for 1-2 minutes to make sure they’re hot through.
- Please take a moment to leave a comment & rating. It's appreciated and so helpful.
Notes
- Tablespoons: I use a standard Australian 20ml tablespoon (equal to 4 teaspoons). Check yours before measuring.
- Weight of ground chicken: If your chicken is measured in oz rather than grams, it's really important to get at least 1.1lb. Even 1 ¼, if it's easier, will be better than just getting 1lb as it's such a soft mixture.
- Oven-baked chicken meatballs: Preheat the oven to 200C/400F. Place the meatballs onto a large baking sheet lined with baking paper - at least 1 inch apart. Bake the meatballs for 18-20 minutes, turning at the halfway mark, until cooked through.
- You can cook these all in one batch if you air fryer is large enough or has a second layer tray. Keep in mind, the more meatballs in the air fryer at once, the paler the meatballs will turn out. The less meatballs you cook at one time, the darker the outside.
- If you don't have spray oil, you can just brush the air fryer basket and meatballs with a little vegetable oil or olive oil.
- This recipe is very versatile. Feel free to experiment with different herbs and spices. While I prefer fresh garlic, garlic powder will work (around ¼ teaspoon would be enough).
- Nutrition details are approximate only - scroll below the recipe to find the full nutritional information.
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Nutrition information is approximate only and derived from an online calculator. The brands you use and any changes you make may cause variations.
