Air Fryer Crispy Chicken Meatballs

I made these on a whim and... they might be one of the best things I’ve ever had.

Looking for a snacky little dinner or an easy savory app? These air fryer chicken meatballs are rolled in a Rice Krispie (I said it!) + sesame coating for major texture, and they come with a quick chili-soy dipping sauce that brings the heat without stealing the show.

I had a pound of ground chicken leftover after last week's recipe, so I came up with these little meatballs and we've now made them 3 times since then. They are a CROWD pleaser. We're talking specifically of the 5-7 age group. Which... I mean... IFYKYK. 

What You’ll Need

For the meatballs:
1 lb ground chicken
½ cup Rice Krispie cereal (for mixing)
2 cups Rice Krispie cereal (for coating)
1 tbsp sesame seeds
4 green onions, finely chopped (use 2 if they’re jumbo)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp ground ginger
1 large egg
2 tsp sesame oil
1 tbsp soy sauce

For the spicy dipping sauce:
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp chili crunch

What You’ll Do

  1. Mix the meatball base: In a large bowl, combine the ground chicken, ½ cup Rice Krispie cereal, green onions, garlic, ginger, egg, sesame oil, and soy sauce. Mix until just combined.

  2. Prepare the coating: In a shallow dish, mix together the remaining 2 cups of Rice Krispie cereal with the sesame seeds. (The shallow dish keeps the sesame seeds from sinking to the bottom.)

  3. Form and coat: Using a tablespoon-sized scoop or spoon, portion out the meatball mixture. Roll each ball gently in the cereal-sesame coating, pressing slightly so it sticks.

  4. Air fry: Line your air fryer basket with lightly greased parchment paper or foil. Arrange the meatballs in a single layer (you may need to do this in batches). Air fry at 400°F for 20 minutes, flipping halfway through, until golden and cooked through.

  5. Make the dipping sauce: Stir together the soy sauce and chili crunch in a small bowl.

  6. Serve hot with the dipping sauce on the side for dunking and garnish with green onions!

See ya next week,

Alli


PS- Quick photo from the Salted Butter community! Shout out to my brother who recreated last week’s recipe and shared the photo below. If you make ANY of the dishes we’ve shared here in past emails I’d love to see it!