Air Fryer Chicken Meatballs are a fast and easy way to get delicious homemade meatballs with less fat. In less than 15 minutes, you'll be enjoying this simple meatball recipe and gearing up for more! These gluten-free chicken meatballs are also keto and low carb!
In our house, one thing is for certain. Meatballs are a must a few times a month. It is a super simple way to create tender and flavorful meatballs in a short amount of time. Once I realized that my air fryer was going to be doing all the "heavy lifting" for this recipe, I bumped it up on my meal planning list and knew it'd be an instant family favorite.
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You can also serve this as a delicious appetizer at a party or as a side dish, too. We tend to add a little bit of marinara sauce and let the flavor be the star. Did I mention that there is minimal meal prep for this easy meatball recipe? Even if you've never used ground chicken before I'm sure once you make some gluten-free chicken meatballs you'll be a fan.
Be sure to check out my Keto Swedish Meatballs and my Italian Sausage Meatballs as well for great flavors and meal ideas! You can never have too many recipes for meatballs.
Ingredients
Ground chicken - You can find this at the store with the rest of the chicken meat. Ground chicken is a great way to cut down on the fat content while still getting a great protein.
Parmesan cheese - Parmesan cheese replaces breadcrumbs when making gluten-free chicken meatballs.
Egg - The egg is the binding agent that holds all the ingredients together.
Dried minced onion - Easy to use and adds a ton of great flavor.
Dried minced garlic - Adding minced garlic really makes the taste pop!
Salt - Any meatball recipe needs some salt to bring out the other flavors. I normally use kosher salt in my recipes but any variety will work.
Pepper - Black pepper is also a standard in any savory recipe. Just a pinch is all you need to boost the flavor without making it peppery.
How To Make Air Fryer Chicken Meatballs
The instructions are simple and easy to do! You're going to love this recipe - I know it!
Step One: Preheat the air fryer to 400 degrees.
Step Two: Mix all the ingredients together and form 12 meatballs with the chicken mixture.
Step Three: Add to the air fryer basket and cook for 10-12 minutes.
Cooking Tip: Make sure that the meatballs are cooked all the way by using a meat thermometer. The internal temperature should show a reading of at least 160 degrees.
Variations
Meat - Change up the type of meat that you use for the meatballs. You can use ground turkey, ground pork, ground beef, or a combination if you'd like.
Italian seasoning - If you want to add Italian seasoning to boost the Italian vibe feel free!
Add Panko breadcrumbs - Give the meatballs a bit of crunch by mixing in some panko breadcrumbs. Once they cook in the air fryer, the breadcrumbs will become more of a binding agent than anything.
Spices - Garlic powder and onion powder are both great seasonings to use as well.
Cheese - If you want to add mozzarella cheese feel free! I love added cubes of mozzarella for a gooey, cheesy center.
Common Questions
How many meatballs can I air fry at one time?
It's important that you have the chicken meatballs in a single layer in the air fryer basket. The air needs to be able to circulate in a way that will cook them all entirely. Overcrowding will result in them taking longer to cook. It also helps to rotate them halfway through the cooking time because the meatballs on the edge cook faster than the ones in the center.
You'll have to cook them in batches to get them all cooked. Make sure that you use a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature so that you know that they're cooked all the way.
Can you freeze meatballs?
You can! You can freeze them raw OR cooked - which is great. To add them to the freezer raw, just mix together all the ingredients in a large mixing bowl and then scoop them into the meatball shape. You can then put them in a container to freeze them until you're ready to cool them.
To freeze meatballs after they're cooked, let them cool down all the way. Then store them in a container or an airtight bag in the freezer for up to 2-3 months of time.
What side dishes pair well with meatballs?
Since this is a low carb meal, why not pair it with some other great low carb side dishes? Anything cauliflower is always a good idea. You can also pair the air fryer chicken meatballs up with some yummy zucchini noodles, too.
Serve these with Eggplant Gratin or Air Fryer Spaghetti Squash and Keto Marinara Sauce for a complete Italian meal.
If you're serving this dish as an appetizer, don't stress about adding anything to it. A little bit of marinara to dip is all that you need. (or you can serve plain as well!) Put some toothpicks in them so that people can pick them up easily and pop them right into their mouths!
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📖 Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground chicken
- ½ cup parmesan cheese
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon dried minced onion
- 1 teaspoon dried minced garlic
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the air fryer to 400. Spray the air fryer basket with non-stick cooking spray.
- Mix together all the ingredients. Form 12 meatballs.
- Place the meatballs into the air fryer basket.
- Air fry for 10-12 minutes until 160 on a meat thermometer. They may release a little cooking liquid but just discard it.
Katherine says
I love all the seasonings in these chicken meatballs. And so easy in the air fryer!
Katie says
I love how easy these are to prepare with the air fryer! Delicious as part of the main dish or as a snack.