Air fryer sweet chili chicken meatballs
Juicy ginger-garlic chicken meatballs, air fried until golden and tossed in sticky sweet chili sauce, over rice with crunchy cucumber.
- 35 min total
- 20 min hands-on
- Anyone can make this
- Serves 4
- About $2.41 a serving
- 550 calories
- Good the next day
- Dairy-free
Dolly says: Make the full amount. It’s just as good for lunch the next day.
Ingredients
For 4 servings.
- 1½ cups jasmine rice
- 1 lb ground chicken
- ½ cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1 large egg
- 2 cloves garlic, grated
- 1 tsp fresh ginger, grated
- 3 stalks green onions, sliced, divided
- ½ cup sweet chili sauce
- 1 lime, juiced
- 1 cucumber, sliced
- 1 tsp sesame seeds (optional)
From your pantry
- 2 cups water
- ¾ tsp salt, divided
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
Each serving has about 550 calories, 28 g protein, 85 g carbs and 11 g fat, and costs about $2.41 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No jasmine rice? Long-grain white rice or basmati rice works.
- No ground chicken? Ground turkey works.
- No green onions? Chives work.
- No limes? Lemons work.
- No cucumbers? English cucumbers or mini cucumbers work.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
the rice, then bring it in a with the water and ¼ teaspoon of the salt.
Rinse. Rinsing means running cold water over rice or canned beans in a strainer while you swish them around. It washes off loose starch and can liquid, so rice cooks up fluffy and beans taste clean.
How you’ll know: The water running out goes from cloudy to mostly clear; it doesn’t have to be perfect.
Bring to a boil. It means heating a liquid on high until it’s fully boiling before you move on. A lid on the pot gets it there faster, which makes it a good moment to chop something.
How you’ll know: Big bubbles break all over the surface, and they keep coming when you lift the lid.
Saucepan. A saucepan is a pot with tall, straight sides and one long handle. It’s for things that need depth, like rice, sauces or a few boiled eggs.
How you’ll know: The food fills it about halfway, leaving room to bubble without spilling over.
High heat
once, cover, turn the heat to low and cook 15 minutes.
Stir. Stirring means moving food around with a spoon or spatula so it cooks evenly and doesn’t stick. Unless the recipe says constantly, every so often is plenty, and it gives food time to brown.
How you’ll know: When you drag the spoon across the bottom, nothing is sticking or scorching.
Low heatTimer: 15 min
Mix the chicken, panko, egg, garlic, ginger, two-thirds of the green onions, the soy sauce and the remaining ½ teaspoon salt in a bowl with a fork.
Roll the mixture into about 20 balls, a little smaller than a golf ball, and wash your hands.
Dolly’s tip: Ground chicken is soft and sticky. Wet your hands every few meatballs and it rolls easily.Food safety: Wash your hands, the board and the knife with hot soapy water after touching raw meat, and don’t rinse raw chicken in the sink.
the air fryer to 400°F. Cook the meatballs in a single layer, in batches if needed, 10 to 12 minutes, shaking the basket halfway, until and 165°F in the middle.
Preheat. Preheating means turning the oven on before you start, so it’s fully hot when the food goes in. Food that starts in a cold oven cooks unevenly and doesn’t brown the same.
How you’ll know: The oven beeps or its light clicks off, usually 10 to 15 minutes after you turn it on.
Golden brown. Golden brown is the color of good toast, somewhere between yellow and light brown. It means the outside is cooked and crisp but not burnt.
How you’ll know: It looks like toast and smells toasty; dark brown with a bitter smell means it went too far.
Timer: 11 min
Food safety: Ground turkey and ground chicken are done at 165°F, with no pink left anywhere in the pan.
the hot meatballs in a large bowl with the sweet chili sauce and lime juice until glossy.
Toss. Tossing means gently lifting and turning food so everything gets coated, like pasta in sauce or vegetables in oil. It coats every piece evenly without mashing anything.
How you’ll know: Every piece looks glossy or evenly coated, with no dry spots hiding underneath.
Serve over the rice with the cucumber, the last of the green onions and the sesame seeds.
Dolly’s tip: Cooked meatballs freeze well. Reheat them in the air fryer for 5 minutes, then toss in the sauce.
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop puts this dinner on a night that suits your week, lists only what you still need to buy, and walks you through each step while you cook.
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