One of the recipes I could always count on the kids at my school devouring was my easy crockpot chicken teriyaki. Last week when I made some Chicken Parmesan Meatballs, I only made a half batch which was still 20 meatballs, so I used the other half of the ground chicken and make these sweet and tender little bite-sized teriyaki meatballs.
Again, like the chicken parmesan meatballs, this recipe is great for first time meatball makers. These Teriyaki Chicken Meatballs are very forgiving, and all you have to do is combine the ingredients in a big bowl, scoop and form into meatballs then bake and toss in this sweet semi-homemade teriyaki sauce.
What is fantastic about these teriyaki chicken meatballs is that they can make an awesome appetizer or an easy dinner when served over a bed of rice. They also make a fantastic freezer meal, bake up a double batch and freeze in a single layer and then transfer to a freezer bag. When you’re ready to have them for dinner, toss the meatballs in the crockpot with some teriyaki sauce, and set it on low for 8 hours. When you get home, the meatballs will be juicy and tender covered in a sweet and sticky sauce.
Teriyaki Chicken Meatballs Recipe
Ingredients:
For The Meatballs:
1 lb ground chicken
3/4 cup panko breadcrumbs
2 green onions, diced
1 tbsp fresh garlic, minced
1/2 tbsp fresh garlic, minced
2 tsp soy sauce
2 eggs
1 tsp white pepper
1/2 tbsp chile pepper paste, optional (it comes in a tube with the fresh herbs at your grocery store)
For The Teriyaki Sauce:
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup chicken stock
2 tbsp rice vinegar
2 green onions, diced
1 tsp fresh ginger, grated
2 tsp fresh garlic, minced
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 tsp sesame oil, optional
3 tbsp sesame seeds
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Place a cooling rack on a baking sheet and spray with Pam or brush with oil.
First thing first, get your sauce started. The longer the teriyaki sauce cooks, the sweeter it gets!
In a pot or a large shallow sauce pan , combine soy sauce, chicken stock, rice vinegar, 2 tbsp sesame seeds, brown sugar, sesame oil (if using), garlic, and ginger over medium-low. Stir to combine, and simmer.
Making the meatballs is simple. In a large bowl, add all ingredients to make meatballs with your hands, and mix until well combined. It will look sticky, but make sure that there are no lumps of anything or your meatballs will taste funny. (This is only a half recipe in the pictures below.)
Scoop and roll into meatballs. Use a regular kitchen spoon, and scoop even size amounts of meatball mix and form into meatballs. Place on prepared baking sheet. I like cooking my meatballs without sauce, because it’s easier to freeze this way if there are leftovers, or if I am making a double batch.
Bake for 20-25 minutes or until meatballs reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees. Remove from oven and set aside to cool for a minute – until you can touch them.
At this point you can go ahead and freeze the meatballs in a single layer (once they have cooled of course), or serve them with the teriyaki sauce as an appetizer or over a bed of rice as an easy dinner.
To serve, transfer meatballs to teriyaki sauce and add remaining sesame seeds and green onions. Toss to combine, and cook for 2-3 minutes stirring constantly, to make sure that the sauce has coated your meatballs. Transfer to a plate with extra teriyaki sauce and enjoy.
Cook it in the crockpot:
To make these meatballs in the crockpot, add all ingredients for teriyaki sauce to a crockpot, and turn on low. Follow steps above and when meatballs are done baking, add them to the crockpot with teriyaki sauce and stir to combine. Leave on low, for at least 2 hours before serving, but they can sit in the crockpot for up to 8 hours on low, and they will be the juiciest, most tender and sweet meatballs you have ever had!
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