Teriyaki Chicken Meatballs
One of our favorite take-out meals gets a meatball makeover!
We’ve got a weeknight dinner that is a crowd-pleaser at dinner or at a party. Our recipe for teriyaki chicken meatballs has quickly become a highly-requested family favorite, and you’ll soon understand why. Of course, we love a good teriyaki chicken and rice dinner, and we’ve got a favorite take-out spot that has saved us from cooking on those super busy weeknights. This recipe for teriyaki chicken meatballs is just a fun twist on that exact same meal from our favorite take-out spot. And we even love them as a party appetizer! So, so good!
Everyone appreciates the importance of a moist, flavorful meatball, and we absolutely want to continue that when making these teriyaki chicken meatballs. To the meat, you’ll want to add the right ingredients to hold the meatballs together while also keeping them light and juicy. Panko breadcrumbs and milk act as the binder to the meatball and, of course, we need to add those familiar teriyaki flavors, like soy sauce, garlic, and ginger. The real secret ingredient in our chicken teriyaki meatballs is crushed pineapple. Those sweet and citrusy little bits of pineapple are the perfect complement in terms of flavor and texture. We get the nice juicy acidity that really makes our meatball mixture something special.
You can’t have teriyaki chicken without a teriyaki sauce! We whip up a beautiful sweet and savory sauce with the same flavors we’ve put into the meatballs plus a little brown sugar. The sauce strikes the right balance of texture and sweetness, coating each meatball with beautiful color and flavor. And now we’re ready to eat! We like to garnish our meatballs with some sesame seeds to give it that little bit of freshness. These meatballs are an amazing appetizer or party snack and they’re perfect for dinner, served with a helping of rice. Our teriyaki meatballs are super simple and super delicious. We hope you enjoy them as much as we do!
Teriyaki Chicken Meatballs
Ingredients
- Meatballs:
- 1 ½ pounds ground chicken
- ¼ cup milk
- ¼ cup Panko breadcrumbs
- ¼ cup crushed pineapple (juices drained and saved)
- 2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
- 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoons ginger, minced
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
- 2 tablespoons sesame seeds, garnish
- Sauce:
- ⅔ cup low sodium soy sauce
- ½ cup water
- ⅓ cup pineapple juice
- ¼ cup light brown sugar
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon ginger, minced
- 1 ½ teaspoons cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon water
Preparation
- Preheat oven to 500ºF. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and coat with cooking spray. Set aside.
- Place ground chicken into a large bowl and press a hole into the center of the meat. Add garlic, ginger, soy sauce, crushed pineapple, red pepper flakes, pepper, milk, and Panko breadcrumbs to the center.
- Use clean hands to mix all ingredients until well combined. Scoop a heaping tablespoon of meat and roll into a ball. Place onto prepared baking sheet. Evenly space each meatball to ensure even cooking.
- Bake meatballs for 12-15 minutes or until fully cooked.
- Prepare teriyaki sauce. Whisk together soy sauce, ¼ cup water, pineapple juice, garlic, ginger, and brown sugar in a saucepan over medium heat.
- Once the brown sugar has dissolved, combine 1 ½ teaspoons cornstarch with 1 teaspoon of water and stir until well mixed. Pour slurry into sauce and stir. Simmer the sauce until thickened, about 5 minutes.
- Remove meatballs from the oven and transfer to a serving bowl. Pour sauce over top and toss until meatballs are evenly coated. Garnish with sesame seeds prior to serving. Enjoy!
Recipe adapted from Just a Taste.