Sweet and Sour Chicken Meatballs

Chicken sweet and sour meatballs with jasmine rice on white plate.

Sweet and Sour Chicken Meatballs

Sweet and sour chicken meatballs are the ultimate weeknight dinner. Ready in just 15 minutes, you can make these in the oven or air fryer. Gluten free, paleo friendly and simple ingredients. Tangy sweet and sour sauce poured over baked chicken meatballs.

Course dinner

Cuisine American, Asian

Keyword chicken meatballs with sweet and sour sauce, sweet and sour chicken meatballs, sweet and sour sauce chicken meatballs

Prep Time 2

Cook Time 15

Total Time 17

Servings

Calories 260kcal

Author Samantha Rowland

Ingredients

Chicken Meatballs

1 pound ground chicken
2 tbsp coconut aminos
1 tbsp maple syrup
2 tbsp almond flour
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 tbsp dried chives

Sweet and Sour Sauce

1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
3 tbsp ketchup
2 tbsp coconut aminos
2 tbsp maple syrup
2 tbsp water
1.5 tsp arrowroot powder (tapioca or cornstarch)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400F.
In a large bowl combine the chicken meatball ingredients. I like to combine all the spices and liquid ingredients first then stir in the ground chicken to ensure the flavors are well distributed.
1 pound ground chicken, 2 tbsp coconut aminos, 1 tbsp maple syrup, 2 tbsp almond flour, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1/2 tsp sea salt, 1 tbsp dried chives
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Use a 1 tablespoon scoop (or a spoon) and portion out 12-14 chicken meatballs.
Bake the meatballs at 400F for 15 minutes.
While the meatballs bake, make the sweet and sour sauce. Combine the ingredients for the sweet and sour sauce in a saucepan (except the arrowroot).
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar, 3 tbsp ketchup, 2 tbsp coconut aminos, 2 tbsp maple syrup, 2 tbsp water
Remove 1-2 tablespoons of the liquid from the saucepan (before heating it) and add it to a small bowl with the arrowroot to make a slurry. Stir well to ensure the arrowroot is dissolved and there are no clumps. Add this slurry into the saucepan with the rest of the ingredients.
1.5 tsp arrowroot powder (tapioca or cornstarch)
Cook the sweet and sour sauce over medium heat. Bring to a simmer to thicken.
When the chicken meatballs are done cooking, pour the thickened sweet and sour sauce over the meatballs.

Notes

Top tips

Try not to overwork the chicken mixture, it can make the meatballs tough when baking.
Be sure to always mix arrowroot (or tapioca) with room temperature water to create a slurry before adding it to the sauce. Stirring it until it dissolves helps to ensure the sauce will not have any clumps.
Line your baking sheet with parchment paper for easy clean up.
Make the sweet and sour sauce while the chicken meatballs are cooking to have dinner ready in 15 minutes. You can even make it in advance and reheat over low heat on the stove while the meatballs are cooking.
You can also make these sweet and sour chicken meatballs in the air fryer in about 12 minutes.

How to make air fryer sweet and sour chicken meatballs

Follow the same instructions on how to form the meatballs and how to make the sweet and sour sauce.

Instead of putting the meatballs on a baking sheet, put them in the air fryer basket.
Cook at 390F for 12-13 minutes. (Be sure to check out all my tips on making the juiciest air fryer chicken meatballs.)
Once the chicken meatballs are done cooking, pour the sweet and sour sauce over top and enjoy.

Storing leftovers

Fridge: Store leftover chicken meatballs in the fridge for up to 3 days. If possible, store the sweet and sour sauce separately if you will be reheating in the oven or air fryer.
Freezer: Freeze chicken meatballs for up to 2 months (cooked) or 3 months (raw). Be sure to store the sauce separately for best results. Store in a freezer safe bag or container.

Nutrition