Description
These Teriyaki Chicken Meatballs are a flavorful and easy-to-make dish featuring tender ground chicken mixed with a sweet and savory homemade teriyaki sauce. Perfectly pan-fried until golden and then simmered in a glossy sauce, these meatballs make a delightful main course served over rice and garnished with green onions and sesame seeds.
Ingredients
Scale
Meatballs
- 500 g / 1 lb chicken mince (ground chicken) (or pork or turkey)
- 1 egg (preferably small 50g / 1.4 oz)
- 1 cup panko breadcrumbs (or ¾ cup normal breadcrumbs)
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 ½ tsp cooking sake (or substitute with Chinese cooking wine or dry sherry)
- ½ tsp salt
Teriyaki Sauce
- 1 tbsp cornflour / cornstarch
- 1/4 cup / 65ml soy sauce (all purpose / ordinary)
- 1/4 cup / 65ml cooking sake (or substitute with Chinese cooking wine or dry sherry)
- 1/4 cup / 65ml Mirin
- 1 tbsp white sugar (brown sugar also ok)
- ¾ cup / 180 ml water
For Cooking and Garnish
- 1 tbsp oil
- Sliced green onions / scallions (for garnish, optional)
- Sesame seeds (for garnish, optional)
Instructions
- Prepare Meatball Mixture: In a large bowl, combine the chicken mince, egg, panko breadcrumbs, minced garlic, 1 ½ teaspoons cooking sake, and ½ teaspoon salt. Mix with your hands until evenly combined to form the meatball mixture.
- Make Teriyaki Sauce Base: In a separate small bowl, mix the cornflour with 1 tablespoon of the water until smooth and lump-free. Add the soy sauce, ¼ cup cooking sake, mirin, and white sugar to this mixture and stir thoroughly to combine.
- Add Sauce to Meatball Mixture: Pour 2 teaspoons of the teriyaki sauce into the meatball mixture bowl and mix well, incorporating the flavors into the meat mixture.
- Prepare Remaining Sauce: Add the remaining water (about 175 ml) to the teriyaki sauce and mix. Set this sauce aside for later use.
- Shape Meatballs: Using your hands, roll the meat mixture into balls the size of a heaped tablespoon each. If the mixture feels too sticky, see the notes for tips on managing texture.
- Cook Meatballs: Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add all the meatballs and cook them for about 5 minutes, turning regularly to brown all sides evenly. They will be slightly undercooked inside at this stage.
- Add Sauce and Simmer: Reduce the heat to medium-low. Give the prepared teriyaki sauce a quick stir and pour it over the meatballs in the skillet. Bring the sauce to a simmer and cook for an additional 2 to 3 minutes until the sauce thickens into a glossy glaze that coats the meatballs nicely.
- Serve: Serve the teriyaki chicken meatballs hot over steamed rice. Garnish with sliced green onions and sesame seeds if desired for an extra pop of flavor and texture.
Notes
- You can substitute chicken with pork or turkey mince if preferred.
- For Asian pantry staples, cooking sake can be replaced with Chinese cooking wine or dry sherry.
- If the meatball mixture is too sticky to handle, wet your hands slightly or chill the mixture briefly to make shaping easier.
- Using panko breadcrumbs provides a lighter texture, but regular breadcrumbs work fine as well.
- To prevent meatballs from sticking while cooking, make sure the skillet and oil are hot before adding the meatballs.
