No more waiting over an hour for your meatloaf to get done with this air fryer mini chicken meatloaf recipe. Add this to your air fryer recipes collection as an easy dinner for four in under 30 minutes! Plus, it’s lighter in calories with the incorporation of ground chicken. It’s a win-win dinner!
You know I love cooking in my air fryer! From air fryer mushroom & steak bites to air fryer sticky Asian beef, my air fryer has taken the stress out of dinnertime. Traditional meatloaf is one of our favorite cold weather meals, and I decided to create not only an air fryer version, but also a lighter version in calories using ground chicken.
Traditional meatloaf cooked in a loaf pan tends to take over an hour to cook. And when it’s ground beef, there’s also usually a ton of grease you have to drain off. This air fryer mini chicken meatloaf recipe will still feed a family of four but the cooking time is a fraction of a traditional loaf pan meatloaf, plus there’s no greasy mess which means EASY CLEANUP!
Ingredients needed
To make your mini chicken meatloaf, you’ll need the following ingredients:
- 1.25 pounds of ground chicken
- 5.5 fl. oz. tomato juice (no added salt)
- 1 cup rolled oats
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 1/4 tsp. pepper
- 1 tsp. minced garlic
- 1/4 cup diced white onion
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup ketchup
How to make air fryer mini chicken meatloaf
- Add all ingredients, except for the ketchup, in a large bowl. Using your hands, mix the ingredients until fully combined.
- If the mixture seems like it won’t hold together, you can add in more oats.
- Form the chicken mixture into four mini meatloaves. Spray your air fryer with cooking spray and add the mini meatloaves to the basket.
- Cook in the air fryer at 400 degrees F. for 25 minutes or until the internal temperature is 165 degrees F.
- When done, using a spatula, remove from the air fryer basket and place onto a serving platter. Top each mini meatloaf with ketchup and serve.
Recipe FAQs
Do you preheat an air fryer?
Some air fryer models do have a preheating feature. However, my recipes do not call for any preheating as it’s not needed for my air fryer recipes.
Can I use ground turkey or beef?
Yes, you can use ground turkey or ground beef. Both ground beef and turkey
Do air fryers cook faster?
It depends on the recipe. Some recipes require the same cook time while others are faster. For example, this air fryer mini meatloaf recipe only requires 25 minutes cook time, whereas a meatloaf in a loaf pan requires much longer.
Do I have to put oil in an air fryer?
No oil is needed for an air fryer. You can spritz the food with oil to help give it a boost in crispiness, but it is not required. Some recipes will require you to spray the basket with oil simple to prevent the food from sticking.
Recommended kitchen tools for this recipe
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Make it a meal with these additional recipes!
- Easy Air Fryer Roasted Potatoes – quickly cook these in the air fryer before you meatloaf or use the oven roasting directions
- Mashed Parmesan Potatoes – a rich and creamy mashed potato recipe
- Honey Caramelized Brussel Sprouts – a sticky sweet vegetable side
- Sautéed Green Beans & Mushrooms – a delicious vegetable side dish
Air Fryer Mini Chicken Meatloaf
Air Fryer Mini Chicken Meatloaf
No more waiting over an hour for your meatloaf to get done with this air fryer mini chicken meatloaf recipe. Dinner for four in under 30 minutes!
Ingredients
- 1.25 pounds of ground chicken
- 5.5 fl. oz. tomato juice (no added salt)
- 1 cup rolled oats
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 1/4 tsp. pepper
- 1 tsp. minced garlic
- 1/4 cup diced white onion
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup ketchup
Instructions
- Add all ingredients, except for the ketchup, in a large bowl. Using your hands, mix the ingredients until fully combined.
- If the mixture seems like it won't hold together, you can add in more oats.
- Form the chicken mixture into four mini meatloaves. Spray your air fryer with cooking spray and add the mini meatloaves to the basket.
- Cook in the air fryer at 400 degrees F. for 25 minutes or until the internal temperature is 165 degrees F.
- When done, using a spatula, remove from the air fryer basket and place onto a serving platter. Top each mini meatloaf with ketchup and serve.
Notes
- You can use ground turkey or ground beef. Both ground beef and turkey are thicker in consistency than ground beef so I would suggest increasing the tomato juice 1 Tbsp. at a time, and decreasing the rolled oats to 3/4 cup.
- I recommend using tomato juice with no added salt and low-sugar ketchup.
- Nutritional Disclaimer
Jennifer is the recipe developer and food photographer behind Wanderlust and Wellness since 2016. She creates easy, approachable gluten-free recipes for the everyday home cook; because cooking gluten-free doesn’t mean food has to be complicated or tasteless.
I used this as a base recipe for what I had on hand. I used 1 egg, 1 lb ground chicken, a cup of bread crumbs, a chipotle pepper seasoning blend, and a few TBSPs BBQ sauce. My version was bland, but divided up into 4 mini loafs, cooked very quickly! I think it may have been 12 minutes at 390F in my preheated Ninja air fryer, followed by another minute at 350. Definitely check on it early! I’m happy I’ve found a quick way to make meatloaf. We enjoyed how crispy the loaves came out. Thank you!
We love quick and easy dinners, too! Glad you enjoyed these.