Plump juicy chicken meatballs smothered in a terrific homemade Teriyaki sauce, based on my mother’s authentic Teriyaki Chicken recipe. Would you serve these Teriyaki Chicken Meatballs as a meal or pass them around at a party?
Teriyaki Chicken Meatballs
These Teriyaki Meatballs are a total crowd pleaser. The sauce for this recipe is based on my mother’s real-deal Teriyaki Chicken recipe (you will be surprised how easy it is – less than 15 minutes start to finish, NO marinating!).
All I did was add cornflour / cornstarch as thickener and water to thin it out to make it more saucy.
My mother is a bit of a food snob when it comes to western twists on Japanese classics. Once she watched a celebrity chef butchering a classic Japanese tempura recipe and she was so indignant that she wrote into the cooking show to inform them how wrong it was. BA HA HA!
So while she was somewhat doubtful as she went about making these Teriyaki Chicken Meatballs for the recipe video, she grudgingly agreed they were very tasty. *Eye roll* Mothers!
Chicken Meatballs
I love chicken meatballs as a leaner alternative to beef meatballs. But because chicken is leaner, you need to ensure the meatballs are cooked well so they do not become dry and tough.
The trick to really juicy chicken meatballs is to cook the chicken meatballs until they are just cooked inside. This recipe makes it easy because these meatballs are cooked until golden on the outside but still raw on the inside, then simmered in the Teriyaki Sauce to finish cooking through. By simmering in the sauce, this helps keeping the chicken meatballs nice and juicy!
Serve these plump juicy chicken meatballs over rice or noodles – anything to make the most of all that delicious Teriyaki Sauce!
I’ve also served these as a starter – piled them onto a platter with toothpicks, then passed them around.
If serving this as a meal, try this with a fresh leafy salad on the side tossed with Asian Sesame Dressing. – Nagi xx
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Teriyaki Chicken Meatballs
WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT
Teriyaki Chicken Meatballs recipe video! Starring my mother – appropriate because the Teriyaki Sauce is her recipe, and it’s a proper homemade Japanese one, not a westernised one (albeit I’ve had to adjust it to make loads more sauce for this recipe without it being too salty!).
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Teriyaki Chicken Meatballs
Ingredients
Teriyaki Sauce:
- 1 tbsp cornflour / cornstarch
- 1/4 cup / 65ml soy sauce , all purpose / ordinary (Note 1)
- 1/4 cup / 65ml cooking sake , or sub with Chinese cooking wine or dry sherry (Note 2)
- 1/4 cup / 65ml Mirin (Note 2)
- 1 tbsp white sugar (brown also ok)
- ¾ cup / 180 ml water
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 sub with Chinese cooking wine or dry sherry (Note 2)
- ½ tsp salt
Cooking:
- 1 tbsp oil
- Sliced green onions / scallions , for garnish (optional)
- Sesame seeds , for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Place Meatball ingredients in a bowl.
- Place cornflour in a bowl with 1 tbsp of the water, then mix until lump free. Then add the soy sauce, sake, mirin and sugar, mix.
- Add 2 tsp of Teriyaki Sauce into the Meatball bowl.
- Add remaining water into the Sauce and mix. Set aside.
- Mix Meatball mixture with your hands. Measure out 1 heaped tablespoon and roll into balls. See Note 3 for tips if mixture is too sticky.
- Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add all the meatballs and cook, rolling to brown all over, for 5 minutes. They will still be a bit raw inside.
- Turn heat down. Give the Sauce a quick mix then add it into the pan. Bring to a simmer then cook for 2 - 3 minutes or until it thickens into a glossy sauce that coats the meatballs.
- Serve over rice, garnished with green onions and sesame seeds if desired.
Recipe Notes:
a) refrigerate for 30 minutes to firm up;
b) spray / rub hands lightly with oil (works better than water) before rolling balls; and
c) in emergencies only, add more breadcrumbs! 4. BAKING: My default method of cooking chicken meatballs is on the stove because I like the caramelisation (beef and lamb have more fat so they get a nicer browning when baked). To bake, for best results, spray a rack with oil, roll the balls and place on the rack and refrigerate for 30 minutes. (These 2 tips help keep them round when baked) Bake in the top 1/3 of the oven at 180C/350F for 18 - 20 minutes (assuming you make them 1 rounded packed tablespoon per recipe) - any longer than they will start to dry out. Reduce the water in the Sauce by 1/4 cup and simmer in a saucepan for 5 minutes or so until it thickens. Once the meatballs are baked, toss them in the sauce or just pour it over when serving. 5. Nutrition per serving, assuming 4 servings.
Nutrition Information:
LIFE OF DOZER
When I’m away, Dozer stays with a Golden Retriever Boarder who treats him as one of her own. He has the run of her house, lies under the table during meal time (clever boy), sleeps in front of the fireplace and knows he’s at the very bottom of the pecking order. 😂 (That’s him on the left)
Just made this tonight to go along with the Tokyo Olympics being on. What a taste. It is amazing and loved by both myself and my wife. Definitely making this again. Though it seemed like the sauce took a little longer to thicken than I thought it would. Perhaps increase of cornflour by half a teaspoon?
Ment to add 5 stars.
This is my nieces and nephews favourite meal, anytime they get to pick dinner they choose this every time! Thanks Nagi 🙂
Oh that’s lovely Stacey!! N x
Made this today and my kids loved it! It reminded them of yakitori they had in Singapore (Tori-Q). They declared this recipe is a keeper, totally agree!
I’ve always found cooking so intimidating, you know a pinch here and there, salt to taste, etc. I discovered your website and your measurements are just nice to my taste. Your instructions are precise and your notes are so helpful! I can’t thank you enough!
Wahoo, that’s awesome to hear Lisa! N x
Chicken meatballs in Teriyaki sauce. How many meatballs per 1 pound if ground/minced chicken. I’m planning to serve as a starter – piled onto a platter with toothpicks,
Made this today with pork mince and added some cubes of firm tofu to pad it out as we had an extra kid at lunch! Delicious dish, plenty of sauce to go over noodles and steamed veg.
Absolutely amazing! The chicken meatballs were perfect – browned outside and moist inside. Sauce was lovely & I have a VERY fussy son. I didn’t taste the sauce before adding it to the meatballs because that is a sauce that needs to be cooked!
I’m so sorry to put in this rating, but I don’t get it. I had to throw the sauce out. We didn’t like it. Fortunately I tasted it before putting the meatballs in. The meatballs are great, however.
Can you explain why? I wanna try it, but I’m afraid now because you dont like the sauce.
I agree. Diane said she tasted the sauce before putting the meatballs in to it. The recipe directs you to cook the meatballs for 3 or so minutes & then add the sauce. The sauce needs to be heated (cooked) before tasting. I tried this recipe tonight & it’s an absolute winner!
Oh. I thought the taste of the sauce wasn’t good when she cooked it! Thank you for the quick response. I understand it better now.
Greetings from Amsterdam, the Netherlands!
Just tried these with an equal mix of pork & chicken.
I also added 10 x Shiso leaf for a slightly different taste, but Nagi I love your recipes. Always easy to follow and super tasty. You’re a star.
Chicken Teriyaki Meatballs were a massive hit!! So easy and super tasty & moist! Love your recipes, thanks for making my cooking life so much easier, not to mention how tasty and easy your recipes are! From me (and my family lol) gotta tell you “you’re amazing”
Hi Nagi,
I loveee lovee loveee you and your recipes lol, the teriyaki sauce was to die forr.
Btw do you have recipes for ngo hiang? I think I read it somewhere but now cannot find it.
Thanksss a lottttt. loveee
In the video you added Sake to the meatball ingredients but in the instructions you say to put 2 teaspoons of the Teriyaki sauce in, but not the Sake. Can you please confirm. Sorry to be a pain Nagi.
Thanks
Hi Bec – thanks for picking that up (will fix it now) – N x
This was delicious by the way. Thanks again for a delicious meal Nagi.
Absolutely delicious – I used some pork/veal mince I had in the fridge, so quick and easy to prepare and cook, the whole family loved it.
Fantastic. So easy to make and taste great. Nice to find a delicious (and easy) teriyaki sauce recipe.
Sorry I forgot to post the five stars definitely a five-star recipe I highly recommend this recipe very easy to make
Hi Nagi! I made this for dinner last night. Wow. I love it, but didn’t have Mirin nor Sake. I will stick those things up next time I get to the store. I replaced both those ingredients with Sherry. I had boneless, skinless chicken thighs. So I got the food processor and put the thighs in. It worked beautifully. This definitely is a recipe I will make again and again I made rice bowls with mine with broccoli the chicken and white rice long grain. That teriyaki sauce turned out fine for me even though I didn’t have to ingredients I just replaced it with Sherry and it worked just fine for us I’ve never had a field recipe with you and Gibb dozer a hug and a kiss for me thank you Nagi. Bonnie from Markleeville, CA.
Loved these meatballs!
This is now my easy go-to teriyaki recipe. Can’t belong eve how easy it is!
This was a big hit with my family, and super easy!!! I might make doh or next tine and freeze half.
Oh Nagi, what a sensational easy dinner. I haven’t ever cooked with chicken mince until now. The teriyaki sauce is delicious and made me feel so clever having made it! I could have it on plain rice forever. It is wonderful.
I’m so glad you gave it a go!! N x
Made these for a toddler who doesn’t like meat. Some small tweaks to the meatballs: I made my own chicken mince by mincing chicken in my thermomix and added finely shredded carrot and zucchini (excess water squeezed out) and left out the sake from the meatballs only. HUGE HIT.
I will batch make the meatballs and freeze for an easy Friday night dinner.
Amazing Teriyaki sauce and I love that I can alter the sugar as I often find Teriyaki too sweet for my taste.
PS Love all the other recipes of yours that I have made. They are very reliable, Thank YOU!
Hi Nagi, can I use Mirin seasoning (Obento brand) sold at Woolies and Coles? I can’t seem to find anything called Mirin itself. Thanks!
Hi Mia – yes that’s fine!