These Air Fryer Bang Bang Chicken Meatballs are so good! The sauce really tops them off, and they’re a great alternative to beef or pork. Make sure you keep this recipe in your favorites because everyone will love these!
There are tons of reasons why I love meatballs.
First of all, they are delicious!
Second, they are always a huge hit when I serve them for family or friends. Take them to a potluck or keep them to yourself; either way, they are amazing.
Third, they make the best main dish when serving up a big batch of mashed potatoes.
🍽️ Why This Recipe Works
- The Air Fryer does all the work!
- They are juicy and full of flavor.
- Super easy to make.
- Great for parties and events.
- It takes less than 20 minutes to prepare them.
- The Greek yogurt sauce is so good you could eat it with a spoon!
🧅 Ingredients
You most likely have several of the ingredients in your pantry already! I love recipes like that. Let’s take a peek at the main ingredients.
Chicken | You’ll need to use organic ground chicken. If you don’t want to use chicken, ground beef, or pork are great options as well.
Crackers | We use Ritz crackers because they have a subtle butter flavor and are a little bit salty. They are the perfect addition to the recipe.
Sauce | The sauce is made with a combination of creamy Greek yogurt, sweet chili sauce, and chopped parsley. It’s so delicious and easy to make.
👩🍳 Instructions
Step One: Combine the ground chicken with the garlic salt, pepper, and parsley in a bowl.
Step Two: Add in the chopped onions, garlic, egg, and crushed crackers. Stir well until ingredients are well blended. Mix in the teriyaki sauce.
Step Three: Form the chicken mixture into meatballs that are around 1 ½ inches in diameter. You can use a cookie scoop to make it easier.
Step Four: Add the meatballs to the greased air fryer basket—Cook at 400 degrees for 12 minutes. Halfway through, turn the meatballs and spray them with a little bit of olive oil.
If the meatballs aren’t cooked all the way through, cook them for an additional four minutes. Check and repeat if needed until they are cooked all the way through.
Step Five: Prepare the sauce by combining the Greek yogurt and sweet chili sauce in a bowl. Once blended, add the cooked meatballs to the sauce. Sprinkle with parsley and enjoy!
Don’t forget the parsley! If you are out or don’t have any on hand, there are over a dozen ways to substitute to achieve that gorgeous color and mild flavor.
📌 Expert Tips
- The temperature of the meatballs needs to be 165 degrees. It’s important not to overcook or undercook them. An instant-read thermometer is best.
- Don’t put the meatballs close together when cooking them. Otherwise, they won’t cook properly.
- When greasing the air fryer, it’s best to use a spray bottle with olive oil and not non-stick spray. The spray tends to gum up the basket after long term use.
- You can swap the Ritz crackers for Club crackers or bread crumbs if you want. All are good and will add flavor.
- Don’t over-mix the chicken mixture when preparing the meatballs. If you overwork it, you will find the meatballs tend to become dense and harder.
- Meal prep these and make them early by prepping them all through the sauce and put in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Pull out and cook in Air Fryer and add sauce. Meal prep/freeze these by making the meatballs (without the sauce) and place on a sheet pan to freeze for about 6 hours. Remove from the freezer and then place in a freezer safe ziplock bag and seal. When ready to use, remove from the freezer the night before you are going to make them and place in refrigerator. When it is dinner time, cook as directed and make/add sauce.
⏲️ Recipe FAQs
Yep, of course! You will need to work in batches or use a second air fryer because they won’t all fit in the basket at once.
There are several things that can cause the meatballs to be dry. First, if you over-mix the meat mixture before you start, it compacts the ingredients and causes them to dry out as it cooks. Another thing would be that they are overcooked. Instead, check the temperature periodically so this doesn’t happen. There is also a chance that your air fryer heats a little higher than it reads. You might need to turn the temperature down some the next time you make them.
Keep the leftover meatballs in the fridge for up to four days. They should be in an airtight, sealed container.
You can also freeze the meatballs by placing them on a baking sheet and letting them freeze for 1-2 hours. Then put them in a freezer bag. This will prevent them from sticking to each other.
You can warm them in the microwave or in your air fryer. For the air fryer, turn the temperature up to 375 degrees and heat them for five minutes or so. Once they are hot, remove them.
Related Recipes
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Air Fryer Bang Bang Chicken Meatballs
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 pound Organic Chicken ground
- 1 Sweet Onion finely chopped
- 1 tsp Garlic minced
- 2 tbsp Parsley finely chopped
- 1 Egg
- ½ cup Ritz Crackers crushed
- ⅓ cup Teriyaki Sauce
- 1 tsp Pepper
- 1 tbsp Coarse Ground Garlic Salt with Parsley
- Spray Olive Oil
Bang Bang Sauce
- ¼ cup Greek Yogurt
- ½ cup Sweet Chili Sauce
- Parsley finely chopped for garnish
Instructions
- Add the ground chicken to a large bowl. Sprinkle with the coarse ground garlic salt, seasoned pepper. and finely chopped parsley. Stir together and add the chopped onion, minced garlic, egg, and crushed Ritz crackers.
- Stir well to combine all of the ingredients together. Add the Teriyaki Sauce and mix well.
- Form this mixture into meatballs about 1 ½ inches in diameter. Place the formed meatballs in the Air Fryer basket, and spray lightly with the Spray Olive Oil.
- Set the Temperature to 400 degrees and the time to 12 minutes. About half way through cooking, turn the meatballs, and lightly spray with the Spray Olive oil.
- Finish cooking, and check the meatballs to ensure they're done – they should be golden brown with no pink on the inside; just cut one open to make sure they are cooked through. If they are not completely cooked, give them another few minutes in the air fryer and check them again.
Make the Bang Bang Sauce
- In a large bowl, add the Greek Yogurt and the Sweet Chili Sauce. Stir together until well blended, and then toss with the cooked Meatballs to coat thoroughly, Sprinkle with finely chopped Parsley. If you prefer to serve the sauce on the side, then mix in a small bowl, and place on the serving table.
Notes
Nutrition
Hi!
Ginny Collins is a passionate foodie and recipe creator of Savor and Savvy and Kitchenlaughter. Indoors she focuses on easy, quick recipes for busy families and kitchen basics. Outdoors, she focuses on backyard grilling and smoking to bring family and friends together. She is a lifelong learner who is always taking cooking classes on her travels overseas and stateside. Her work has been featured on MSN, Parade, Fox News, Yahoo, Cosmopolitan, Elle, and many local news outlets. She lives in Florida where you will find her outside on the water in her kayak, riding her bike on trails, and planning her next overseas adventure.
My new favorite recipe!