These cranberry chicken meatballs are actually inspired by a recipe that my mom makes every year around the holidays. She makes a sweet-and-sour brisket, and the sauce is loaded with whole cranberries, and I look forward to it every year. This year, I didn’t quite feel like waiting until the holidays, plus I wanted to make a healthier version of it that could be eaten more regularly. So I swapped the brisket for some lean chicken meatballs, and the result is so tasty. These meatballs are sweet and savory, bursting with cranberry flavor, and a perfect meal for fall in winter. They’re also easy to make ahead and store for meal prep and would even make a fun party appetizer. Hope you love them as much as we do!
Making Cranberry Chicken Meatballs
Making these meatballs are super easy, especially if you have an air fryer. The air fryer is my preferred method of making meatballs because I can just toss them in and make the sauce while they cook, as opposed to making them on the stove top which requires me to actively babysit them. Mix up all of the ingredients for the meatballs, scoop them into balls, spray well with cooking spray and air fry until you reach an internal temperature of 165°F. I always use a meat thermometer to check that my meatballs are fully cooked.
Then to make your sauce, you’ll start by sautéing some shallots in avocado oil until they’re nice and fragrant, and then you’ll add the rest of the components of your sauce, which include whole cranberry sauce, ketchup, chicken bone broth, which is high in protein, and some seasonings and spices. I use a little bit of cornstarch slurry to thicken the sauce up so it really coats the meatballs. Toss your meatballs in the sauce and enjoy!
We enjoyed these with the side of potato pancakes and crispy brussels sprouts, but they would also be great over some couscous, with potato wedges, with a side salad, or just served on a toothpick on game day. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to four days. Enjoy!
More Meatball Recipes
If you like these, you’ll love my other meatballs recipes. Try my Chicken Parmesan Meatballs, which are super quick and easy to throw together and are oh-so-comforting. My Greek Chicken Meatballs are a great healthy option and they’re yummy hot or cold. If you’ve craving Asian flavor, my Sesame Chicken Meatballs are a great option. Check out all of my meatball recipes here!
Cranberry Chicken Meatballs
Equipment
- Air Fryer optional, can use oven, stovetop etc to cook meatballs
- Medium saucepan
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground chicken
- 3 tbsp bread crumbs
- 1 egg
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- Salt and pepper
- 1/4 tsp dried rosemary
- 1/2 can whole cranberry sauce
- 2 tbsp ketchup
- 1 shallot finely diced
- 1 tbsp avocado or olive oil
- 1/4 c chicken bone broth
- 1/2 tsp fresh rosemary chopped
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tsp cornstarch to thicken
Instructions
- For the meatballs- combine everything in a bowl and mix thoroughly until you have a uniform mixture. Scoop into 16 meatballs. You can cook these in the oven, air fryer, stove top etc – just make sure you cook them to an internal temp of 165F. I air fried them at 375F for about 15 min.
- For the sauce, finely chop your shallot, heat oil over medium heat, and cook the shallot until lightly browned and mostly translucent (about 5 min). Add cranberry, ketchup, bone broth, Worcestershire sauce and mix.
- Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Mix cornstarch with 1 tbsp of water until it’s a milky liquid with no clumps, and then add that liquid into the sauce and mix to thicken.
- Add rosemary and season with salt and pepper to taste. Let sauce simmer and thicken for 3-5 min, then add in meatballs, toss to coat in sauce, and serve with your choice of sides. Enjoy!
