Name: Air Fried Buttery Parmesan Chicken Meatballs
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 1 lb Ground Chicken; 1 Egg; ½ cup Seasoned Panko Bread Crumbs; ½ tsp Onion Powder; ½ tsp Garlic Powder; 1 tsp Oregano; 1 tbsp Worcestershire Sauce; ⅔ cup Melted Butter; ¼ cup Parmesan Cheese; ½ tsp Garlic Powder; 1 tbsp Fresh Parsley (finely chopped)

My family loves meatballs. It just feels like a childhood staple, am I right? This family favorite Air Fried Buttery Parmesan Chicken Meatballs recipe is full of flavor, easy on the budget, and makes the perfect appetizer! It comes together and cooks quickly with the help of your air fryer.

chicken meatball on a fork in front of a white plate

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This is one of those recipes I highly recommend prepping for the week ahead! It is so budget friendly and is big on flavor. It makes the perfect appetizer, would be the star in meatballs and spaghetti, or perfectly placed on a meatball sub. These even make a good snack!

The meatballs are also perfectly sized for an appetizer plate. With a buttery taste and perfect textured center, you and your kids won’t be able to stop eating them once you make them! They are incredibly budget friendly, are fast to make, and freeze well!

Add these meatballs into your weekly rotation and your family will thank you for it!

Why you’ll love this Air Fried Buttery Parmesan Chicken Meatballs with a Garlic Butter Sauce

Tasty – It is one of the best meatball recipes I’ve made! My whole family loves them!

Cooks fast – Thank the air fryer for that! This recipe cooks up so quickly! If you are watching your oil intake, you only need just a few sprays of cooking oil in your air fryer basket.

Simple Ingredients – Most ingredients are already likely in your pantry, which helps the recipe come together quickly and keeps the cost low enough to consider this a budget recipe.

Freezes well – Skip the butter sauce and cook the meatballs to freeze for the week ahead. They heat up without thawing which makes this a great way to make dinner in a pinch.

Supplies You Need to Make Air Fried Buttery Parmesan Chicken Meatballs

My favorite Air Fryer has double baskets and doesn’t take up a lot of counter space.
Mixing Bowl – I grabbed mine from Target
Measuring cups and measuring spoons to measure out all of your seasonings, parmesan cheese, and bread crumbs

Ingredients

Ground Chicken – Ground chicken has been one of those proteins that I’ve recently fallen in love with. It is a very budget friendly meat and is so versatile to use.

Panko Bread Crumbs – The thing I’ve found with ground chicken is it’s a pretty wet ground meat. Panko does a really good job at helping bind all of the ingredients together.

Parmesan Cheese – It adds so much flavor to the meat!

Egg – You only need one egg for this dish! It helps bind ALL of the ingredients in the meatballs together, making it hold its round shape while cooking in the air fryer!

Worcestershire Sauce – This one might be an odd one but trust me, it makes these so good!

Butter – Creates such a tasty sauce for the meatballs!

Seasonings – Onion powder, garlic powder, oregano, and salt and pepper add even more flavor to these meatballs!

The full recipe, along with the ingredients, can be found below.

How to make Air Fried Buttery Parmesan Chicken Meatballs with a Garlic Butter Sauce

ingredients of each ingredient needed for air fried parmesan chicken meatballs

all of the ingredients for the air fried chicken meatballs in a mixing bowl

First, place raw ground chicken in your mixing bowl along with your parmesan cheese, panko bread crumbs, seasonings, egg, and Worcestershire sauce.

Then, using your hands, mix together well, ensuring the ingredients are evenly distributed. Don’t over mix!

Next, roll your meatballs into about 2″ meatballs. This will yield about 24 evenly sized meatballs once you are complete.

Finally, line the meatballs in your air fryer cooking tray with space between each one to ensure your meatballs are cooking evenly.

ingredients for parmesan butter garlic sauce on a white background

parmesan butter garlic sauce on a white background

While the meatballs are cooking, let’s prepare the sauce!

In a microwave safe bowl, place your butter, and cook inside the microwave for about 15-30 seconds. This will be dependent on each microwave as every microwave cooks different.

Once you’ve melted the butter, add your garlic powder, parsley, and parmesan cheese to the butter and stir well.

Remove the meatballs from air fryer and coat the meatballs in the butter sauce and enjoy!

air fried chicken meatballs on a white plate on a white background

air fried chicken meatballs with one cut open on a white plate on a white background

Tips

If you don’t have fresh parsley on hand, you can sub it for dried parsley or leave it out altogether!
Unseasoned panko or regular bread crumbs will work here in place of the seasoned panko bread crumbs.
You can skip the butter sauce and freeze the meatballs as part of your weekly meal prep.
This recipe is versatile and can be made as an appetizer or as a main course.

FAQs

The key ingredients is ground chicken, panko bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, and seasonings. Some alternatives are offered in our “Tips” section such as replacement options for the cottage cheese and alternatively omitting the crunchy pickles altogether.

Store your meatballs in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. It can be enjoyed immediately but does get better if allowed to sit in the refrigerator for the first few hours after mixing all of the ingredients together.

Yes! You can skip the butter sauce part of the recipe and just make the meatballs. Let them cool before transferring to a freezer safe bag. They are great in spaghetti or meatball subs!

You don’t need to thaw them before using them if you use them in a sauce. Just place your frozen meatballs in a pan, cover with your favorite sauce, turn the heat on medium and cover with a lid, stirring occasionally. Your dinner will be done in no time!

Recipe

parmesan chicken meatball on a fork above a white plate

Air Fried Buttery Parmesan Chicken Meatballs

Super simple and so delicious chicken meatballs makes the perfect meal or appetizer. It is a budget friendly version of parmesan garlic chicken wings! It makes a great dinner or perfect appetizer and cooks in your air fryer!

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 15

Total Time 30

Course Air Fryer, Dinner, meal prep

Cuisine American

Servings 4

Equipment

Air Fryer

Ingredients

Garlic Parmesan Chicken Meatballs

1 lb Ground Chicken
1 Egg
½ cup Seasoned Panko Bread Crumbs
½ tsp Onion Powder
½ tsp Garlic Powder
1 tsp Oregano
1 tbsp Worcestershire Sauce

Butter Garlic Sauce

⅔ cup Melted Butter
¼ cup Parmesan Cheese
½ tsp Garlic Powder
1 tbsp Fresh Parsley finely chopped

Instructions

Add all ingredients into a mixing bowl.
Using your hands, mix well, and form about 20-24 meatballs, making each meatball about the same size. I would estimate it to be about a 2 inch meatball once complete.
Place in your air fryer basket. Be sure to spray your basket with cooking spray. About 12 meatballs per basket fit in my air fryer.
Once your meatballs are evenly distributed in the air fryer, lightly spray the tops of each meatball.
Air fry your meatballs at 400 degrees for 12-15 minutes or once completely cooked in the center. (All air fryers cook a little differently)
While the meatballs are cooking, melt your butter (you can do this in the microwave in a bowl or on the stove in a small pot).
The butter just needs to be melted and not sizzling or boiling.
Once completely melted, add in your parsley, garlic powder, and parmesan.
To a bowl, add your cooked meatballs and butter mixture and gently toss them in the sauce.

Notes

Freezer friendly – cook the meatballs and let them cool all the way before adding them to your freezer bag.
Perfect for meal prepping for the week ahead and is delicious on a sub!
You can completely skip the butter mixture of this recipe.
Makes a great party snack and is a tasty alternative to parmesan garlic chicken wings.

Keyword air fryer, Aldi, Aldi Dinner, budget friendly, chicken, dinner, Kid favorites, Less than 30 minutes, lunch, snacks