Asian chicken meatballs are sure to become a new meatball recipe that the whole family will enjoy! These juicy chicken meatballs are packed with flavor and are served with a sticky sauce with rice and your favorite vegetables.
Jump to:
Why You’ll Love These Asian Chicken Meatballs
- These homemade meatballs are easy to make and work well for meal prep throughout the week.
- The sauce comes together quickly and incorporates delicious Asian flavors into the meal.
- These Asian-inspired chicken meatballs also make for the perfect appetizers!
- To make a complete meal, we love to serve this great recipe with rice and our favorite vegetables.
Ingredient Notes
Meatball ingredients
- Ground chicken - we like to use lean ground chicken breast for this recipe. You can swap this with ground pork or lean ground turkey as well.
- Panko breadcrumbs - a gluten-free version is also available at many grocery stores if needed.
- Egg
- Fresh green onion, diced
- Minced garlic - you can use fresh garlic, pre-minced garlic in the jar, or frozen garlic cubes.
- Salt
Sauce ingredients
- Low-sodium soy sauce - or tamari or coconut aminos for a gluten-free option.
- Rice wine vinegar - also known as rice vinegar.
- Sriracha - we love the flavor that Sriracha brings, but you could use a red chili paste as another option.
- Honey - maple syrup or brown sugar would work too.
- Minced garlic
- Cornstarch or arrowroot starch
- Water
For serving
- Jasmine rice - white rice or brown rice will work great. You could also serve with rice noodles or lo mein noodles.
- Veggies of choice - we love to sauté or roast some fresh vegetables in a little sesame oil or olive oil to serve with the meatballs and rice. Some options include green beans, bell peppers, broccoli, carrots, onions, snow peas, and bok choy.
See the recipe card below for a complete list of ingredients and measurements.
Equipment You’ll Need
- Rice cooker or saucepan
- Cutting board and knives
- Large bowl
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Cookie scoop
- Air fryer, lined baking sheet, or large skillet depending on cooking method
- Small saucepan
- A small bowl
Step by Step Directions
For the full recipe instructions, scroll down to the recipe card at the bottom of the page.
Step 1: If serving the meatballs with rice and veggies, start with cooking the rice according to package directions. Prepare the vegetables you will be using. We like to chop the vegetables and either sauté or roast them.
Step 2: Add the ground chicken, panko breadcrumbs, egg, diced green onion, minced garlic, and salt to a large mixing bowl to create the meatball mixture. Use your hands or a rubber spatula to combine together until the chicken mixture is combined.
Step 3: Form the meatballs using a medium cookie scoop* (holds about 1.5 tbsp). Scoop the meat mixture and place the meatballs on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper.
Step 4: If using an air fryer: set the temperature to 390 degrees Fahrenheit. Place the meatballs in a single layer in the air fryer basket (you may need to cook in two batches depending on the size of the air fryer). Cook for 8-10 minutes, turning the meatballs halfway, or until each meatball reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
If baking: bake the meatballs on the baking sheet at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 12-15 minutes, or until each meatball reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
If cooking on a skillet: place a large skillet on the stove over medium heat. Once it’s hot, add a little bit of oil to the pan. Next, add the meatballs in a single layer, preventing them from touching. You may need to cook them in two batches depending on the size of your skillet. Let the meatballs cook for 4-5 minutes each side, or until they reach 165 degrees and are cooked through completely.
Step 5: While the meatballs are cooking, add the soy sauce, vinegar, Sriracha, honey, and garlic to a sauce pan over medium heat. Once the sauce begins to boil, reduce the heat to low.
Add the cornstarch or arrowroot powder and cold water to a small bowl. Stir until the cornstarch is fully dissolved. Add the cornstarch/water mixture to the saucepan with the sauce and mix constantly until the sauce begins to thicken. Remove the sauce from the heat.
Step 6: Place the meatballs in a large bowl or skillet and pour the sauce over the cooked meatballs. Gently stir until the meatballs are evenly coated.
Step 7: Serve with rice and veggies. There should be some extra sauce to drizzle on top of the rice and veggies as well.
Tips & Variations
- You can top these flavorful meatballs with sesame seeds and red pepper flakes if desired.
- You can also try these meatballs with our favorite peanut sauce.
- Feel free to swap the chicken for turkey, beef, or pork.
- Serve these as a delicious appetizer at your next party!
FAQ
We recommend storing leftover meatballs and their sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator, separate from the rice.
This recipe can be made gluten-free by using gluten-free panko or almond flour (⅓ cup) and tamari or coconut aminos in place of soy sauce.
This recipe is dairy-free. It is not vegan or vegetarian.
If you like this Asian ground chicken meatballs recipe, check out some of our other meatball recipes:
If you make these Asian meatballs, please let us know how they turn out in the comments below and/or rate the recipe! Don’t forget to tag us on Instagram to show us your finished product—it makes our day every time we see you trying the recipes we love!
Sweet and Spicy Asian Chicken Meatballs
Ingredients
For the meatballs
- 1 lb ground chicken
- ½ cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1 egg
- ⅓ cup green onion, diced
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
For the sauce
- ¼ cup low-sodium soy sauce (must be low sodium or it'll be too salty! Coconut aminos for gluten-free option)
- 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
- 1-2 tablespoons Sriracha (depending on spice preference)
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 1-2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch or arrowroot powder
- 2 tablespoons cold water
For serving
- Jasmine rice
- Vegetables of choice (carrots, snow peas, bell pepper, broccoli, green beans, etc. sautéed or roasted)
Instructions
- If serving the meatballs with rice and veggies, start with cooking the rice according to package directions. Prepare the vegetables you will be using. We like to chop the vegetables and either sauté or roast them.
To make the meatballs:
- Add the ground chicken, panko breadcrumbs, egg, diced green onion, minced garlic, and salt to a large mixing bowl to create the meatball mixture. Use your hands or a rubber spatula to combine together until the chicken mixture is combined.
- Form the meatballs using a cookie scoop*. Scoop the meat mixture and place the meatballs on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper.
Cook the meatballs:
- If using an air fryer: set the temperature to 390 degrees Fahrenheit. Place the meatballs in a single layer in the air fryer basket (you may need to cook in two batches depending on the size of the air fryer). Cook for 8-10 minutes, turning the meatballs halfway, or until each meatball reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
- If baking: bake the meatballs on the baking sheet at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 12-15 minutes, or until each meatball reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
- If cooking on a skillet: place a large skillet on the stove over medium heat. Once it’s hot, add a little bit of oil to the pan. Next, add the meatballs in a single layer, preventing them from touching. You may need to cook them in two batches depending on the size of your skillet. Let the meatballs cook for 4-5 minutes each side, or until they reach 165 degrees and are cooked through completely.
To make the sauce:
- While the meatballs are cooking, add the soy sauce, vinegar, Sriracha, honey, and garlic to a sauce pan over medium heat. Once the sauce begins to boil, reduce the heat to low.
- Add the cornstarch or arrowroot powder and cold water to a small bowl. Stir until the cornstarch is fully dissolved. Add the cornstarch/water mixture to the saucepan with the sauce and mix constantly until the sauce begins to thicken. Remove the sauce from the heat.
To assemble:
- Place the meatballs in a large bowl or skillet and pour the sauce over the cooked meatballs. Gently stir until the meatballs are evenly coated.
- Serve with rice and veggies. There should be some extra sauce to drizzle on top of the rice and veggies as well.
Notes
- This recipe can be made gluten-free by using gluten-free panko or almond flour (⅓ cup) and tamari or coconut aminos in place of soy sauce.
- This recipe is dairy-free. It is not vegan or vegetarian.
NUTRITION
The recipe can be found on My Fitness Pal by searching "BWB Asian Chicken Meatballs." The nutrition information is for the meatballs only.
The nutrition content provided for each recipe is an estimate created through the My Fitness Pal database. Please be aware that the nutritional content of each recipe may vary based on the products you use, the precision of your measurements, and the source you use to obtain nutrition data. While we try to provide accurate information, we give no guarantee regarding the accuracy of the nutritional information provided.
*Affiliate links
Leave a Reply