Sweet and Sour Chicken Meatballs

Cook these chicken meatballs in the air fryer and cover them in my Asian style sweet and sour sauce for the best meal!

I have been on a sweet and sour kick lately! From my air fryer sweet and sour chicken to my sweet and sour chicken thighs, I cannot get enough. But, what I haven't done yet is sweet and sour chicken meatballs. I love making meatballs because they are little bite-sized bursts of flavor.

For my lunch meal prep lately, I have been making frozen meatballs and covering them in a store bought sweet and sour sauce. Why? Convenience. However, my sweet and sour sauce is one of my favorite things ever. So, I had to start making my own for meal prep.

They are very east to make. Just cook these chicken meatballs in the air fryer and cover them in my Asian style sweet and sour sauce. Then, you have the best meal prep! Serve it with some rice and/or some broccoli.

Quick Tips from Allie Carte

• I like to use ground chicken for mine, but you can use ground pork or ground beef instead.
• If you need to add some veggies into your meat, grate some zucchini into the chicken mixture.
• I like to make these in the air fryer; however, you can make these in the oven as well.
• Use this air fryer meatball recipe to make other flavors of meatballs. If you do not want a sweet and sour style meatball.

What You Need for Sweet and Sour Chicken Meatballs

First off, you will need an air fryer, you can use a basket type air fryer; but, I really like a rack type air fryer as well. However, you can also make them in the oven. I will go over both directions. 

Here are the ingredients for the chicken meatballs:

• Ground chicken
• Breadcrumbs
• Liquid egg whites
• Seasonings

However, we can go over some suggestions and substitutions.

Ground Chicken Breast

I am truly a chicken person. Chicken is my favorite meat and I will not change my mind. I prefer fat-free ground chicken breast; however, you can use any ground chicken.

In addition, you can substitute the chicken for ground beef, ground turkey or another type of ground meat.

Breadcrumbs

I prefer to use a plain, finely ground breadcrumb. However, different ones will work fine.

Liquid Egg Whites

Use the egg whites to help bind the meatballs together. I prefer liquid egg whites as they are a no mess solution to a whole egg. In addition, they are very liquid whereas a whole egg can get clumpy. However, you can substitute a whole egg, just whisk it first. 

If you are allergic to eggs, or do not have any, you can skip the egg.

Seasonings

I kind of keep it simple, yet, a little asian style for the chicken meatballs. I like to use ginger and basil. Along with some garlic, onion, salt and pepper. I keep it more simple as the sweet and sour sauce is very flavorful. However, you can also add some red pepper if you like things spicy.

For the sweet and sour chicken sauce

• Brown sugar replacement
• Apple cider vinegar
• Soy sauce
• Ketchup 

Brown sugar replacement is a staple in my household, it is great on so many dishes. I use the Swerve brand; however, Splenda has a brown sugar blend, and, alternatively, you can use regular brown sugar.

For this recipe, grab your apple cider vinegar; however, if you have white vinegar, you may substitute that. This recipe calls for low sodium soy sauce, but if you have regular soy sauce, just adjust the amount of additional salt added to the sauce. Finally, the sauce calls for sugar free ketchup, which is why we add some brown sugar back in. If you have and want to use regular ketchup, be mindful about how much brown sugar you put in. 

for the slurry

What is a slurry? It is a liquid-y mixture that makes the sauce thick! It just combines corn starch with some water. Add that into the sauce, after it is made, until you reach your desired thickness. 

How to Make Sweet and Sour Chicken Meatballs

First, we will go over the air fryer version.

Air Fryer Version

Preheat the air fryer to 400 degrees, greasing the rack with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, add all the ingredients for the meatballs, mixing together with your hands.

Divide into 16 equal sized pieces, about ⅛ cup each. Place those on the greased air fryer rack, trying not to let them touch.

Air fry for 10-12 minutes, spraying with cooking spray and flipping halfway through. Make sure the chicken is fully cooked before taking the meatballs out of the air fryer.

Oven Version

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees, greasing a baking tray with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, add all the ingredients for the meatballs, mixing together with your hands.

Divide into 16 equal sized pieces, about ⅛ cup each. Place those on the greased air fryer rack, trying not to let them touch.

Bake for 12-15 minutes, spraying with cooking spray and flipping halfway through. Make sure the chicken is fully cooked before taking the meatballs out of the oven.

how to make the sweet and sour chicken sauce

While the meatballs are cooking, make the sauce. Add all sauce ingredients (brown sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, ketchup, garlic powder, salt) to a small pan over medium/low heat. Stir together and bring to a slight boil. Allow it to simmer for 5-10 minutes.

Combine the slurry ingredients together in a small bowl. If needed, slowly stir the slurry into the sauce until your desired thickness is reached.

When the meatballs are done, add them to the saucepan with the sauce and toss to coat.

There will be enough sauce to have some rice, you can either make my instant pot rice or my stovetop rice.

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Sweet and Sour Chicken Meatballs

Cook these chicken meatballs in the air fryer and cover them in my Asian style sweet and sour sauce for the best meal!

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