Sticky Sweet and Sour Chicken Meatballs (In 30 Minutes)

Sweet and sour meatballs over rice in a white bowl.

5 from 2 votes

Sticky Sweet and Sour Chicken Meatballs (In 30 Minutes)

Juicy, saucy, sweet and sour chicken meatballs that take less time to make than it would take your takeout to arrive! Form your meatballs, pop them into the air fryer (or oven), then make that iconic, glossy, sweet and sour sauce while they cook. A speedy, easy meal for any day of the week.

Serve over steamed rice (or air fryer fried rice), or they're fab as party bites.

Prep Time10

Cook Time20

Total Time30

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: asian

Keyword: chicken meatballs, sweet and sour chicken, sweet and sour meatballs

Servings: servings

Calories: 420kcal

Author: Kate Phillips

Ingredients

For the rice (optional) -

1 cup of long-grain white rice (like basmati or jasmine)
1 1/2 cups of water

For the meatballs -

1 lb (500g) ground chicken
2 scallions finely chopped
1- inch piece of ginger grated
2 garlic cloves crushed
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons fish sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
1 egg
Black pepper

For the sweet and sour sauce -

1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup pineapple juice (from the can is fine)
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar or white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar
1/3 cup honey
1/4 cup tomato ketchup
2 tablespoons light soy sauce
1 teaspoon fish sauce

For the stir fry -

1 red bell pepper sliced
1 green bell pepper sliced
1/2 cup canned pineapple drained
2 garlic cloves crushed
2 scallions sliced, white and green parts separated
Sesame seeds to garnish
A handful of cilantro leaves to garnish

Instructions

Make the rice (optional, to serve). Add 1 cup of long-grain rice to a pot you (ideally) have a lid for. Pour in 1 1/2 cups of cold water and set over high heat. When you see the top of the water looking foamy and a little bubbly, pop the lid on (or use a plate/wooden board if you don't have a lid), lower the heat right down, and leave it for 12 minutes. After this time, remove the pot from the heat (keep the lid on) and set aside to finish steaming for another 10 minutes.
Mix the meatballs. Add the ground chicken, 2 chopped scallions, grated ginger, crushed garlic, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 2 teaspoons of fish sauce, 1 teaspoon of sesame oil, 1/2 cup of panko breadcrumbs, 1 egg, and a good grind of black pepper to a mixing bowl. Mix well to combine.
Form the meatballs. If you're using the oven, heat it to 425°F (220°C fan) and line an oven tray with parchment paper. With slightly wet hands, scoop a heaped tablespoon of the meatball mixture into your hands and roll it into a ball. Place on the prepared tray, and continue with the rest of the mixture. If you're using your air fryer, you can place the meatballs directly into your air fryer basket.
Cook the meatballs. If you're using your oven, bake the meatballs for 20 minutes, or air fry them at 400°F (200°C) for 10 minutes, giving them a shake halfway through the cooking time, until golden.
Mix the sauce. Add 1 tablespoon of cornstarch to a bowl, then mix with 1/4 cup of water until smooth. Add 1/2 cup of pineapple juice, 1/4 cup of rice wine vinegar, 1/3 cup of honey, 1/4 cup of tomato ketchup, 2 tablespoons of soy sauce, and 1 teaspoon of fish sauce, and mix to combine. Set aside for now.
Make the stir-fry. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large high-sided pan or skillet. Add the chopped bell peppers and scallions and cook, stirring, for about five minutes, until starting to soften. At this point, add the crushed garlic and toss through.
Add the sauce and meatballs. Give the sauce a mix (to make sure the cornstarch hasn't settled at the bottom of the bowl) and pour it into the pan. Stir until it's bubbling, thick and glossy, then add the meatballs and the pineapple. Toss everything through the sauce, then scatter with the sesame seeds, the green parts of the scallions, and cilantro. Serve while hot over the steamed rice if you like.

Notes

INGREDIENT NOTES: You could use ground turkey, pork, beef or a plant-based alternative in place of the chicken if you like. Swap the egg for 1/2 cup ricotta cheese if they're hard to come by. Use ginger and garlic paste instead of fresh if you like - fresh will give you the best flavor but those will work if needed. Gluten-free panko works well as a gluten-free option. If you don't want to use fish sauce (I promise it won't make it taste fishy!), use a little more light soy sauce or you could use a vegetarian fish sauce (which tends to be made with mushrooms).

SERVING SUGGESTIONS: While these are lovely served over steamed rice, they're also FAB as little party bites, or served with air fryer fried rice. If you serve them as party bites, I recommend skipping the bell peppers and pineapple and just cooking the sauce by itself. You can serve the meatballs with the sauce on the side for dipping, or coat them in the sauce first. It's up to you!

PREP AHEAD: You can mix the meatballs, roll them, and pop them in a covered container in the fridge for up to 3 days before cooking them (if you're stacking them, you'll want to pop a piece of parchment paper in between the layers so they don't stick together). You can also make the meatball mixture and pop it into a covered container in the fridge for up to 3 days, then roll the meatballs and cook them when you're ready to serve.

FREEZING INSTRUCTIONS: Freeze the cooked (or uncooked) meatballs and then either cook them straight from frozen in the oven or air fryer, or you can defrost them overnight in the fridge before using them. I recommend arranging them on a parchment paper-lined tray and popping that into the freezer, then once they're frozen, transfer them to ziplock bags. This way, they won't stick together and become one very large meatball in the freezer!

Nutrition