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Takeout-style Weeknight Sticky Honey Garlic Meatballs – inspired by classic Mongolian beef. Easy homemade chicken and ginger meatballs, tossed in a sweet, spicy, and extra sticky honey garlic soy sauce. Then served over rice and topped with plenty of sesame seeds for a deliciously fun dinner. Make the meatballs even better with a creamy garlic dipping sauce. Quicker than any take-out meal…and made a little more wholesome too.
Thursday night takeout-style food at home! What if we made this a weekly series? It could be fun, especially since we all know how much my family loves Chinese, Thai, and Korean-inspired dinners. Plus, I have so much fun with a “takeout” inspired meal. It’s always a nice change from our usual pasta and pizza nights.
Creighton has been asking me to make Mongolian beef for some time now. Really anything beef (or lamb). He’s kind of a guys-guy, he wants at least a little beef in every meal.
Since I have a Mongolian beef recipe in the new cookbook, I wondered if there was a fun spin I could take on the quick and easy recipe. Meatballs are something I usually make with a more Italian-style sauce. But a sweet and spicy Mongolian-inspired meatball sounded fun. And like the perfect simple twist on the very popular restaurant entree, Mongolian beef.
Mongolian beef is a very simple dish consisting of thinly sliced steak, stir-fried with garlic, and ginger, then tossed in a sweet soy-based sauce. It’s not usually too spicy, just a touch, but a little sweet and tangy.
The sauce is the key. It’s usually topped with green onions (scallions) and paired with vegetables, then served over rice.
For the meatballs, instead of using steak, I made ginger chicken meatballs.
Here are the details
For the meat, I used ground chicken, but ground pork or ground beef will work just as well. I seasoned them up with plenty of green onions, ginger, and a splash of soy (well, I like to use tamari, which is gluten-free soy sauce). Then I rolled them through cornstarch (or arrowroot powder) to give them a little breading before pan-searing in a skillet.
Similar to how I make this orange chicken, but with meatballs.
While the meatballs cook, mix up the sauce, which is simply soy sauce mixed with honey and water. I then made a quick cornstarch slurry to use to thicken the sauce.
Once the meatballs are seared, pull them out of the skillet, then toss in lots of broccoli. I love to use broccoli here, but bell peppers, asparagus, or even brussels sprouts would all be delicious.
Pan-fry the broccoli for a few minutes, then add the garlic, ginger, and a pinch of chili flakes. Pour over the sauce and add the meatballs back.
Simmer the sauce a few minutes, then pour in the cornstarch slurry and let the sauce cook until it coats the meatballs.
Grab your bowls full of rice and spoon the meatballs and sauce over top. Next, add lots of fresh green onions and sesame seeds.
So quick and easy, but the flavor is perfect. I made mine a little less sweet than the traditional sauce and added double the ginger. Totally delicious.
Here’s a tip, double the recipe and save the leftovers for quick and easy lunches. The meatballs would also be great atop a chopped salad or served over rice noodles.
They’re great as party appetizers too, so the serving options are endless! Of course, around here we love them over rice with lots of vegetables. It’s our kind of “comfort” food.
Looking for other weeknight dinners? Here are my favorites:
Ginger Sesame Chicken and Crispy Brussels Sprouts
Crockpot Crispy Chicken Tinga Tacos with Avocado Jalapeño Crema
Lastly, if you make these Weeknight Sticky Honey Garlic Meatballs, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Weeknight Sticky Honey Garlic Meatballs
Servings: 4
Calories Per Serving: 536 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Watch the How-To Reel
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground turkey, chicken, or beef
- 1 tablespoon tamari or soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger
- 2 green onions, chopped
- black pepper
- 1/4 cup avocado or sesame oil
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1/2 cup tamari or soy sauce
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1 large head broccoli, cut into florets (about a cup and a half of florets)
- 4 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 tablespoon chopped ginger
- chili flakes
- 1-2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
Instructions
- 1. To make the meatballs. Combine the meat, 1 tablespoon tamari/soy sauce, 1 tablespoon ginger, green onions, and a pinch of pepper in a bowl. Mix until just combined. Coat your hands with oil, and roll the meat into tablespoon-size balls. The mix will be wet. 2. Place 2 tablespoons cornstarch in a shallow bowl. Dredge the meatballs in cornstarch to coat. Take the remaining 1 tablespoon cornstarch and mix with 2 tablespoons water, set aside.3. To make the sauce. In a glass jar, whisk together 1/2 cup tamari/soy sauce, 1/4 cup honey, and 1/3 cup water. 4. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the meatballs, cook until seared all around, about 8 minutes. Remove the meatballs from the skillet.5. To the skillet, add the broccoli and cook until lightly charring, 5 minutes. Add the garlic, ginger, and chili flakes, cook 1-2 minutes. Pour in the tamari/honey sauce. Bring to a boil, boil 3-4 minutes, then add the chicken. Toss with the sauce and cook until the sauce starts to thicken. Pour in the cornstarch slurry and cook another 2-3 minutes, until the sauce coats the meatballs.6. Serve the meatballs and sauce over steamed rice with sesame seeds, green onions, and dipping sauce (recipe in notes).
Notes
Sweet/Creamy Dipping Sauce: combine 1/2 cup mayo, 1 tablespoon ketchup, 1 teaspoon seasoned salt, 1 teaspoon tamari/soy sauce, and 1 clove garlic in a bowl. Thin with 1-2 tablespoons water.
This post was originally published on March 17, 2022
I made these tonight using ground turkey and they were SO good! I will definitely be making them again!
Hi Virginia,
Wonderful!! Thanks a bunch for trying this recipe out, I love to hear that it was enjoyed!! ?xTieghan
Delish recipe!! Loved it. Made my day…you only need less oil though, don’t worry. so so creamy delish….puts takeout to shame!!!!!!!!!!!
Hi Gabi,
Happy Wednesday!! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for giving it a go! xx
Hoping to try this soon! Ginger is listed twice, is it used in two different places? Thx
Hi Claire,
You bet, it’s used in step 1 and step 5. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
When do you use the grated vs the chopped?
Hi Morgan,
You are going to use the grated ginger in step 1 and the chopped ginger in step 5. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
A huge hit with the whole family! I used a mixture of green beans, snow peas, and red cabbage (cleaning out the veg drawer) instead of the broccoli, and added 1 tablespoon of gochujang to the mayo for a little kick. Everyone loved it, will be eating the leftovers tomorrow for lunch (yum)!
Hi Miriam,
Happy Wednesday!! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for giving it a go! xx
Delicious! I didn’t have cornstarch so subbed flour so my sauce didn’t thicken as well, but so good! I served over cauliflower rice. Relatively easy meal to prepare on a weeknight.
Hey Beatrice,
Happy Wednesday!! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for giving it a go! xx
Made this last night & they were great. My husband proclaimed it a keeper & took all the leftovers to work with him!
Hey Victoria,
Happy Wednesday!! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for giving it a go! xx
Was so looking forward to making these! It was a typical busy weeknight so I’m glad you named it Weeknight Meatballs so I wouldn’t be afraid of attempting them. My young family loved them! Flavor was outstanding and the sauce was the perfect amount.
Hey Sarah,
Happy Wednesday!! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for giving it a go! xx
This was so delicious!! I made the dipping sauce with sirachia instead of ketchup and it was delicious, but I also thought it would have been fine without. It was beautiful and so good!!
Hey Sherry,
Thanks so much for making this recipe and sharing your feedback, I love to hear that it was enjoyed!! xTieghan
Very tasty meatballs, love the ginger in them! I will make this again and may try serving over wide Asian Pan fried noodles.
Hey Sallietta,
Thanks so much for making this recipe and sharing your feedback, I love to hear that it was enjoyed!! xTieghan
Really good! Thank you!!
Hi there,
Happy Wednesday!! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for giving it a go! xx
Made this tonight and it was delicious!! My boyfriend loved it. Another HBH hit!
Hey Emma,
Thanks so much for making this recipe and sharing your feedback, I love to hear that it was enjoyed!! xTieghan
Made these tonight, and served them over spaghetti! the family loved it. Bravo!!
Hey Katia,
Thanks so much for making this recipe and sharing your feedback, I love to hear that it was enjoyed!! xTieghan
Made these tonight, and served them over spaghetti! Some of my meatballs fell apart, but it didn’t matter- the family loved it. Bravo!!
Hey Katia,
Thanks so much for making this recipe and sharing your feedback, I love to hear that it was enjoyed!! xTieghan
Loved this so much! All of the flavors were great. This is probably the first recipe I’ve followed in a long time that actually went just like it was supposed too. Thanks for making great and easy recipes!
Hey Amelia,
Thanks so much for making this recipe and sharing your feedback, I love to hear that it was enjoyed!! xTieghan
I love your recipes, but this one felt a bit heavy on the soy sauce. Too salty for my palate.
Hey Carolyn,
Thanks for giving the recipe a try, so sorry to hear it was not enjoyed! xTieghan
I agree – way too salty. The dipping sauce was also underwhelming.
Sorry to hear the recipe was not enjoyed Beth. Please let me know if I can help in anyway!
Yowza, this was good! I didn’t have any ground chicken, so I cubed chicken breasts and sprinkled them with cornstarch and the other recommended spices + soy. The recipe came out great with broccoli and cauliflower, served over rice. Since a few people mentioned they found the sauce a bit salty I added a splash of lime juice and rice vinegar. Thanks for another great recipe idea! Every last bite was consumed! 🙂
Hey Aline,
Thanks so much for making this recipe and sharing your feedback, I love to hear that it was enjoyed!! xTieghan