Air Fryer Firecracker Chicken Meatballs

Name: Air Fryer Firecracker Chicken Meatballs
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 35 min
Yield: 24 serving
Ingredients: 2 large eggs; 2 tablespoons olive oil; 3 cloves garlic; 1 tablespoon fresh chives; 1 teaspoon onion powder; 1 teaspoon salt; 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper; ½ teaspoon smoked paprika; 2 pounds ground chicken*; 1 cup Panko bread crumbs; ½ cup Parmesan Cheese; fresh parsley; ¾ cup light brown sugar; ½ cup hot sauce; 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar; 1 tablespoon soy sauce; ½ teaspoon garlic powder; ½ teaspoon salt; 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

User Reviews

4.7

21 reviews

Excellent

Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
15 mins
Total Time
35 mins
Servings
24
Calories
137 kcal
Course
Lunch
Cuisine
International

Air Fryer Firecracker Chicken Meatballs

Jade Rice

Report

Air Fryer Firecracker Chicken Meatballs - Lightly crisped on the outside, juicy and tender on the inside, these homemade meatballs are air fried and then coated in a sweet-with-tangy-heat firecracker sauce with the perfect amount of heat! Serve these as an appetizer or as the main course. They're perfect for parties and events, too! Oven baking instructions provided as well as for how to make them using frozen meatballs.

Share:

I Made This!

Be the first!

Print

6 people printed this

Save this

Be the first!

Ingredients

Servings

Meatballs

2 large eggs lightly beaten
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 cloves garlic finely minced
1 tablespoon fresh chives finely minced (optional but recommended for flavor)
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
½ teaspoon smoked paprika regular paprika may be substituted
2 pounds ground chicken* See Notes for substitutions
1 cup Panko bread crumbs
½ cup Parmesan Cheese shredded
fresh parsley optional for garnishing

Firecracker Sauce:

¾ cup light brown sugar packed
½ cup hot sauce sriracha or another hot sauce may be substituted
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon soy sauce I use lite or reduced sodium
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes or as desired

Add to Shopping List

Instructions

Meatballs - To a large bowl, add the eggs, olive oil, garlic, optional chives, onion powder, salt, pepper, and stir to combine.
Add the ground chicken, panko bread crumbs, Parmesan, and stir to combine. Tips - Do not overmix or your meatballs will be tougher and drier. A light mixing with clean hands or a wooden spoon is all you need.
I recommend using a large cookie scoop and making 3-tablespoon sized meatballs, rolling them lightly in your palms to smooth them. Tip - Don't overly compact or squish them.
Preheat an XL air fryer or similar to 400F, spray the basket with olive oil cooking spray or another favorite cooking oil, add the meatballs to the basket, and lightly spray them with oil as well. Tips - They need some oil in order to actually "fry". When adding them to the air fryer, they can be close and touching but don't pack or cram them in. They will reduce in size as they cook.
Air fry the meatballs for 10 minutes. Tip - Make the firecracker sauce while you're waiting.** (See Notes for oven baking instructions)
Turn the meatballs over, spray them again lightly with cooking spray, and fry for an additional 5 to 7 minutes.
Firecracker Sauce - To a small saucepan, add the brown sugar, hot sauce, vinegar, soy sauce, garlic powder, salt, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly until the sugar dissolves.
Cook until the sauce thickens and gets sticky, less than 5 minutes. The sauce will thicken as it cools so don't over thicken it.
After the sauce has cooled, stir in the red pepper flakes. Use less or more than I call for, depending on how spicy you want your sauce.
Meatballs - After the second round in the air fryer for 5 to 7 minutes, remove the meatballs one-by-one and dip them in the firecracker sauce making sure they are well coated. Place them back in the air fryer after dipping.
Fry the sauced up meatballs for 2 minutes.
Remove the meatballs, optionally garnish them with fresh parsley, and serve with any remaining firecracker sauce if desired. Extra meatballs with keep airtight in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 4 months. Extra sauce will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. Store the meatballs and sauce separately.

Notes

*You can swap ground turkey for ground chicken in these air fryer firecracker meatballs. And you can mix and match the protein such as one pound ground turkey and one pound ground chicken. You can also try ground pork or ground beef.
Also, if you can get a dark meat your meatballs will stay more moist. However, ground dark meats aren’t so easy to find so a white meat like ground chicken or turkey (or pork) is fine.
**For oven baking, I suggest using a 400F oven and baking for about 17 to 20 minutes on a sprayed baking sheet, flipping them once midway through. Make the sauce while they bake and add the sauce after baking. If desired, return to the oven for 2 minutes after saucing them.

Nutrition Information

Show Details

Serving 1 Calories 137kcal (7%) Carbohydrates 10g (3%) Protein 11g (22%) Fat 6g (9%) Saturated Fat 2g (10%) Polyunsaturated Fat 4g Cholesterol 57mg (19%) Sodium 267mg (11%) Sugar 6g (12%)