Teriyaki Chicken Meatballs are delicious, tender, baked chicken meatballs in a flavorful, easy homemade teriyaki sauce. The chicken meatballs are baked to keep them juicy. Serve with rice or noodles and a side vegetable and you'll have a takeout style dinner ready in 30 minutes. One of our favorite 30-minute meals, perfect for busy weeknights!
Meatballs are such a versatile and easy dinner recipe. You can make them from any ground meat, and flavor them in endless ways!
Meatball recipes are some of my readers' favorite dinner recipes, but are also perfect for meal prep, as they are easy to portion and can keep in the fridge for several days, and can be easily frozen.
Chicken Teriyaki Meatballs Ingredients
For the Delicious Chicken Meatballs:
- Ground Chicken – Or you can use ground turkey.
- Onion – A little sweet onion adds a nice brightness. Panko Breadcrumbs – Usually located in the baking aisle by the other breadcrumbs.
- Eggs – Binding agent to hold the meatballs together (and adds richness).
- Green Onions – For a garnish and a bit of bright flavor.
- Garlic – Use fresh garlic or "jarlic", if that's what you have (or garlic powder).
- Salt, Black Pepper – To season the meat.
For the Simple Teriyaki Sauce:
Tip: You can use a bottle of store-bought teriyaki sauce in place of homemade.
- Water – The base of the sauce.
- Soy Sauce – Low sodium soy sauce. You can also use coconut aminos or Tamari.
- Brown Sugar – Just a little to sweeten the teriyaki sauce.
- Rice Wine Vinegar – The acid balances out the flavors.
- Sesame Oil – Adds the classic Asian flavor we love.
- Fresh Ginger – Grated using a micro-plane. I keep my ginger in the freezer so it lasts longer and grates easily.
- Garlic – use fresh garlic or "jarlic", if that's what you have (or garlic powder).
- Cornstarch – To thicken the teriyaki sauce.
How to Make Teriyaki Chicken Meatballs
1) Preheat oven to 400º F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
Make the Meatball Mixture:
2) In a large bowl, combine the meatball ingredients: ground chicken, onion, panko, egg, green onions, garlic, salt, and pepper. Stir until well combined.
3) Using a small ice cream scoop or a Tablespoon, scoop and roll the meat mixture into 1 1/2-inch small meatballs and place them on the prepared baking sheet.
4) Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until browned and cooked through. Don't overcook them as they will dry out. A digital meat thermometer is a good way to test them. You want them no more than 165°F.
5) While the meatballs are baking, make the sauce. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together water, soy sauce, brown sugar, rice vinegar, sesame oil, ginger, garlic, and cornstarch.
6) Pour the sauce into a saucepan. Heat over medium heat and bring to a boil. Reduce to low and simmer for about 2 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens.
7) Turn off the heat and pour the sauce over the cooked meatballs.
8) Stir until cooked meatballs are coated in the teriyaki sauce.
9) Garnish with sesame seeds and sliced green onions.
Make Ahead Dinner
- You can make these juicy chicken meatballs in ahead of time so you have them ready to cook when you need them.
- Simply form the meatballs and place them into a parchment paper lined airtight container. Cover the container and refrigerate for up to 2 days.
- When you are ready to cook the chicken meatballs, take them out of the fridge, then heat up the oven and bake as directed.
- Make the sauce while the meatballs are cooking.
Serving Suggestions
- Serve these delicious chicken meatballs with white rice, spaghetti squash, or noodles. Make extra sauce to extend the servings.
My favorite vegetables to serve with these homemade meatballs:
Spaghetti Squash, Green Beans, Bok Choy, Cauliflower Rice, a simple salad, or Asparagus.
More Delicious Recipes
Cranberry Meatballs Appetizer
Crispy Fried Chicken Recipe
Slow Cooker Chicken Sausage Gumbo
Broccoli Grape Salad Recipe
How to Store & Freeze
Leftover Meatballs Storage
Place cooled chicken meatballs in an airtight container and store up to 4 days in refrigerator.
How to Freeze
Allow the chicken teriyaki meatballs to cool down, then place in an airtight container or freezer bag and freeze for up to 2 months.
How to Reheat
Thaw the meatballs, then reheat in the microwave until heated through. Or reheat in a skillet. Add a bit of water to thin out the teriyaki sauce, if needed.
If you make these delicious and easy Chicken Teriyaki Meatballs, please let me know by leaving a comment with a star rating below. I appreciate you!
Teriyaki Chicken Meatballs
Equipment
- Baking Sheet Pan
- Large Bowl
- Small Saucepan
Ingredients
Chicken Meatballs
- 1 ½ lb Ground Chicken
- 1 small Sweet Onion minced
- 1 Tablespoon Minced Garlic
- 2 Eggs
- 1 cup Panko Breadcrumbs 2 oz
- 1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
- 1 teaspoon Black Pepper
- 1 Tablespoon Rice Wine Vinegar optional
Teriyaki Sauce
- 1 cup Water more if needed
- ½ cup Soy Sauce low sodium
- 2 Tablespoons Brown Sugar
- ½ teaspoon Grated Ginger (or minced)
- ½ teaspoon Minced Garlic
- ¾ Tablespoon Cornstarch
Garnish
- Toasted Sesame Seeds
- Sliced Green Onion
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 395°F. Grease a baking sheet (or line with parchment paper).
- In a large bowl, add the ground chicken, onion, garlic, eggs, breadcrumbs, salt, pepper and vinegar, if using. Mix well to combine.
- Use about 1 ½ Tablespoons of the chicken mixture to form each meatball. You will get approx. 20 meatballs.
- Place meatballs on the greased baking sheet and bake for 15 - 22 minutes. Don't overcook them as they will dry out. A digital meat thermometer is a good way to test them. You want them no more than 165°F.
Teriyaki Sauce
- In a small saucepan, combine all the sauce ingredients. Cook on medium-low heat until it simmers. Pour over the cooked meatballs.
- Remove to a serving dish, garnish with green onion and sesame seeds.
- Serve with rice.
Sue says
Delicious!! I was generous with the sauce and served over rice. Fabulous! Did use air fryer for meatballs though. Worked well. Will be making again! Thanks for posting!
Jill says
Easy and yummy! I used ground turkey because that is what I usually have.