These Asian Chicken Meatballs are one of my favorites to make for both healthy meals and party appetizers. Made with ginger and covered in a sticky honey sesame glaze, these oven-baked ground chicken meatballs are unbelievably tasty. The best part is these are so easy to make, and they’re ready in just 30 minutes!
If you ask me, it’s never a bad time for meatballs–especially ones that are bursting full of flavor! This recipe for Asian-inspired ginger chicken meatballs comes together so quickly and easily, so it’s really become a go-to for me. I’ve found that they work just as well for a well-balanced dinner with rice and veggies, as they do for a crowd-pleasing appetizer.
What’s in Asian Chicken Meatballs?
- Ground Chicken: Forms the base of our meatballs.
- Breadcrumbs: Absorb the juices from the chicken as it cooks, ensuring moist meatballs.
- Green Onions: Add a pop of color and freshness.
- Garlic + Ginger: Add an earthy, zesty flavor. I highly recommend using fresh over powdered.
- Egg: Helps bind the meatballs together.
- Sesame Oil: Adds moisture and a little bit of extra fat to the meatballs, and adds a rich nutty flavor to the glaze.
- Soy Sauce: Adds a salty, umami element to the ginger meatballs and the sauce.
- Rice Vinegar: Adds acidity and brightness to the honey sesame sauce.
- Honey: Adds a touch of sweetness to the sauce.
- Cornstarch: Combines with water to create a slurry that thickens the sauce.
Variations to Try
There are lots of ways you can change up this ginger chicken meatballs recipe. To make them spicier, try adding some sriracha, crushed red pepper flakes, or gochujang to the sauce. Swap the honey for brown sugar and the rice vinegar for mirin to make a teriyaki variation.
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How to Store and Reheat
Store leftover Asian chicken meatballs in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat in a saucepan set over medium-low heat until warmed through.
How to Freeze
Freeze ground chicken meatballs in a single layer on a lined baking sheet until solid, about 1-2 hours. Transfer to an airtight container or Ziplock bag to store for up to 3 months. Let thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
Notes and Tips
- I recommend using your hands to combine ingredients–this is the easiest way to really get in there and make sure everything is mixed evenly.
- If you prefer to cook meatballs on the stovetop instead of the oven, cook them in a skillet over medium heat for about 12 minutes.
- Serve these Asian chicken meatballs with white rice and broccoli, fried rice, or lo mein noodles.
Top Reader Reviews
- “I made these meatballs on a whim tonight and absolutely loved them! I paired them with sautéed riced cauliflower and it was the perfect, healthy dinner!” – Christie
- “For sure making this again. Delicious!” – Noreen
Asian Chicken Meatballs Recipe
Ingredients
For the Meatballs:
- 1 pound ground chicken
- ½ cup breadcrumbs
- 4 green onions finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
- 1 large egg
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
For the Glaze:
- ⅓ cup low-sodium soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 clove garlic grated or minced
- ¼ cup honey
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch + 2 teaspoons water
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F.
- Thoroughly combine all the ingredients for the meatballs in a large bowl.1 pound ground chicken, ½ cup breadcrumbs, 4 green onions, 2 cloves garlic, 1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger, 1 large egg, 2 teaspoons sesame oil, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- Form the mixture into 24-30 meatballs and arrange on a large baking sheet.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the meatballs are slightly browned on the outside and cooked through (165°F internally).
- While the meatballs are baking, whisk together the glaze ingredients in a small saucepan.⅓ cup low-sodium soy sauce, 1 tablespoon rice vinegar, 1 clove garlic, ¼ cup honey, 1 teaspoon sesame oil, 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- Bring the mixture to a boil, whisking until the sauce begins to thicken. Reduce heat to low and continue to whisk occasionally until the meatballs are ready.
- Pour the glaze over the meatballs on the baking sheet and toss to coat.
- Serve meatballs as an appetizer or with rice and a vegetable.
Notes
- Ensure that the ingredients for the meatballs are really well combined. I prefer to mix everything with my hands to ensure everything is mixed thoroughly.
- Line your baking sheet with parchment so that the don’t stick. It also makes clean up a breeze.
- Roll the balls into even shapes and sizes so that they cook evenly. You can use a small cookie scoop to get uniformed sizes.
- If you prefer, you can also cook the meatballs in a skillet on the stovetop. Add a little oil to a medium hot pan and cook for around 12 minutes while turning occasionally.
How to Make Asian Chicken Meatballs Step by Step
Combine Meatball Ingredients: Preheat your oven to 425°F. In a large bowl, combine 1 pound of ground chicken, ½ cup of breadcrumbs, 4 finely chopped green onions, 2 cloves of minced garlic, 1 teaspoon of minced fresh ginger, 1 large egg, 2 teaspoons of sesame oil, 1 tablespoon of soy sauce, and ¼ teaspoon of kosher salt.
Form the Meatballs: Take about 1-2 tablespoons of the ground chicken mixture (I use a cookie scoop), and roll it between your hands to form it into a ball, and place it on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Repeat until the meatball mixture is gone. It should yield 24-30 meatballs.
Bake: Bake the ginger chicken meatballs for 15-20 minutes, or until the they are slightly browned on the outside and fully cooked through (165°F internally).
Make the Glaze: While the meatballs are baking; place a small saucepan on the stovetop over medium-high heat. In the pot, whisk together ⅓ cup of low-sodium soy sauce, 1 tablespoon of rice vinegar, 1 clove of minced garlic, ¼ cup of honey, and 1 teaspoon of sesame oil. Then combine 2 teaspoons of cornstarch and 2 teaspoons of water in a separate bowl, then whisk into the mixture (this helps thicken it).
Thicken the Sauce: Bring the mixture to a boil, whisking until the sauce begins to thicken. Then reduce heat to low, and continue to whisk occasionally until the meatballs are ready.
Glaze the Meatballs: Remove the chicken meatballs from the oven. Pour the honey sesame glaze over the meatballs on the baking sheet, and toss to fully coat.
Serve: Serve glazed Asian chicken meatballs as desired. For dinner, serve them with white rice, broccoli, sesame seeds, and green onions. Or serve them as an appetizer!
Yes! Simply swap out the breadcrumbs for gluten-free breadcrumbs, and swap the soy sauce for tamari or coconut aminos.
The meatballs are done when the outside of them is slightly browned and they are cooked through, it should take between 15 and 20 minutes. You can break one apart to check that they are cooked through. If you have an instant-read thermometer it should register at 165ºF.
You can roll the meatballs and before you bake them you can keep them in the fridge, covered for 2 to 3 days. You can also bake the meatballs ahead of time and keep them in an airtight container in the fridge. Warm them through in the oven before adding the sauce and serving.
Very good recipe, will make again
Thank you
So glad you enjoyed it, Kat!
Am I bale to substitute the breadcrumbs with almond meal?
I’ve not tried this, but it could work!
Very tasty recipe – you can also cheat by not making the sauce and just buying some sweet chilli sauce or something similar. Although, I have made the sauce too and it is lovely.
Thanks so much for sharing, Jacqueline!
I was looking for a chinese chicken ball recipe that did not include deep frying or dipping the chicken in a batter. first I found this recipe and it was very good. Quick to make and tasty. I served it with rice and a salad. Will keep this in my recipe files! Thanks!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Adrienne!
The meatballs were delicious! We messed up the sauce somehow – it became super thick so quickly – maybe we weren’t whisking it enough to begin with? It was still tasty but hard to spread over the meatballs because it was so thick. What did we do wrong ? Maybe added too much cornstarch or honey?
Hi Jill, once you add the cornstarch slurry, the sauce will begin to thicken up really fast, so be ready to take it off the heat!
This recipe was delicious!! We must have made our meatballs slightly larger – made about 20 in total. Subbed ground ginger because I didn’t have any minced. I also added a little hoisin sauce and water to the sauce and then used my judgement in adding a cornstarch slurry. My twins helped me form the meatballs (they just turned 3 so they loved helping) and then devoured the dinner! One of my girls ate SIX meatballs!! Very yummy! I very rarely leave reviews on blogs for recipes I find but no wonder this one has so many good reviews, I just had to leave my own!
These are good. I played around with the recipe a little bit. And I tried cooking them in the air fryer. At 360 between 8 and 15 min they are perfect!
This was so good! I used 1/2 chili honey & 1/2 regular honey in the sauce. It was so yummy! Because I love a lot of sauce, next time i’m going to need to double the sauce. Served over brown rice with steamed broccoli. Definitely a make again recipe. Thanks!
This was so yummy! Easy to make and I did freeze some for a future meal. I made 1/2 recipes of the sauce/glaze to use when I reheated the thawed meatballs. Was just as good the 2nd time around. Thanks for a great tasting recipe!
Forgot to leave the 5 stars with my previous review 🙂