Air Fryer Chicken Meatballs (Italian Style)

These Italian style air fryer chicken meatballs are the best! They are so crisp, light and juicy, you'll never go back to pan frying or baking them again! Serve solo as a snack or with marinara sauce and pasta for a complete dinner.

Like the way air fried chicken turns out crispy on the outside and juicy and tender inside? Then check out these hot honey lemon pepper wings as well as this parmesan crusted chicken.

If you haven't tried making chicken meatballs in your air fryer yet, you're seriously missing out! Here are a few reasons why you should try them:

• Ready in 22 minutes. 10 minutes prep and 12 minutes air frying time is all that's needed.
• Air frying the meatballs requires just one tablespoon of oil per pound of ground chicken.
• Air frying makes meatballs with perfectly crisp outer edges and incredibly soft and moist insides with not a hint of sogginess.

While the meatballs are getting done in the air fryer, use your oven to make these sheet pan nachos with ground beef as a side!

Ingredients

Note: exact amounts of ingredients are mentioned in the recipe card further down.

• Breadcrumbs and milk - these make the meatballs soft and moist.
• Spices - black pepper (ground), paprika, red pepper flakes (optional, for a touch of heat)
• Sea salt
• Dried herbs - parsley, oregano
• Minced garlic
• Egg - for binding
• Olive oil - for moistness
• Ground chicken meat

Substitutions and additions

• I used Panko breadcrumbs but you can easily use regular breadcrumbs. If you are out of breadcrumbs, you can also make your own for this recipe. Just tear up a slice of day old white bread into crumbs and use this instead.
• If you like turkey meat, go ahead and substitute this for the ground chicken.
• I did not add any cheese, but go ahead and add some grated parmesan or cheddar to the meatballs if you like. For Greek-style meatballs, add feta.

Instructions

1. Take a medium-sized bowl and add the breadcrumbs. Pour the milk and let sit for 2-3 minutes or until the breadcrumbs absorb the milk and become soft.

2. Add the spices, salt, herbs, garlic, egg and olive oil and mix well.

3. Add the ground chicken and mix it in with the rest of the ingredients, using your hands or a spoon. Do not over-mix.

4. Scoop out about two tablespoons of the chicken mixture and shape into balls. You can also use a small ice cream scoop to do this if you don't want to use your hands. If using an ice cream scoop, you can scoop out the balls directly into the basket of your preheated air fryer also.

5. Preheat your air fryer to 380 Fahrenheit and set the timer to 12 minutes. Brush the basket with oil if you wish. Place the balls in the basket in a single layer. Flip the meatballs halfway through cooking. At the end of the cooking cycle, the meatballs should be browned and cooked through. Serve hot.

The secrets to making moist chicken meatballs

Making chicken meatballs is fairly easy, but sometimes they turn out tough and chewy, and that's a fail. It's actually very easy to make soft and moist meatballs. All you have to do is follow these simple tips and tricks. Your meatballs will be soft and juicy. Guaranteed!

• If possible, use thigh meat. Thigh meat is darker and juicier than breast meat and doesn't dry out as easily thanks to the fat in it. If you buy your meat from a butcher, ask them to grind boneless thigh meat for you. However, if you are buying your meat from a supermarket, and can only find breast meat, don't worry. There are more tips and tricks to make your meatballs soft. Even those made from breast meat! Read on.
• That breadcrumbs and milk mixture you made as the first step? It's what adds a lot of moisture to the meat.
• Don't skip the olive oil. Just a tablespoon of oil goes a long way in making tender meatballs.
• Follow the steps of the recipe in the order they are written while making the meatballs. Soak the breadcrumbs in milk, add the seasonings, and then add the chicken. Mixing the seasonings into the breadcrumbs and milk rather than directly into the ground chicken means there is no over-mixing, which results in more tender and juicy meatballs.
• Do make sure NOT to over-mix the chicken. Try and use your hands to lightly combine it with the other ingredients. Kneading it vigorously will lead to dry and tough meatballs, so avoid it:)
• And finally, don't overcook the meatballs in the air fryer. I tested this recipe in my 6-quart Instant Pot Vortex, and the meatballs came out nicely browned and cooked perfectly at 12 minutes, 380 Fahrenheit. Different air fryers have slightly different cooking times, so do check for doneness. The meatballs should be browned on the outside, and if you cut one open, there should be no trace of pink.

Serving suggestions

• If having as a snack or appetizer, serve the meatballs with a dipping sauce of your choice. Serve them hot and fresh for maximum taste.
• If you want to serve meatballs for dinner, there are so many options! Spaghetti with marinara (pictured) is the obvious choice and always is a winner. You can use jarred marinara sauce, but if you like the idea of making your own, here's a helpful video on how to make an easy marinara at home.
• Creamy mashed potatoes and rice also go well with meatballs.
• As a sub or sandwich with cheese and marinara. Just make sure to use a thick, crusty bread like French bread or baguettes so that it can stand up to the sauce and cheese.

More easy chicken recipes