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Sheet Pan Sticky Gochujang Chicken Meatballs…easy homemade chicken meatballs with ginger and sesame, tossed in an addicting sweet and spicy Korean-inspired sauce. Serve up bowl style over steamed rice with roasted with broccoli, creamy spicy aioli sauce, and vegetables. Then top with plenty of sesame seeds for a fun and healthy dinner any night of the week. And the best part…these meatballs are made quicker than any take-out meal, and they’re so much healthier too.
And here we are again with meatballs. You’ll know my oldest brother is in town when meatballs make yet another appearance here. Along with those Cheesy Gordita Crunch Tacos, meatballs are one of his favorite foods. Put them in a spicy, sticky Korean sauce…oh, ya, even better!
I made these meatballs the other day with him in mind. I have to say, I think I’m just as excited as he is over these Korean-inspired meatballs. Not only are they part of a complete sheet pan dinner. They also take no time to make and are so delicious. Think, saucy, sweet, and spicy, with a touch of tang, and toasty sesame seeds throughout.
I even added a bit of broccoli to round out the meal…and not one, but two sauces.
So you see, the perfect, easy, but fun weeknight dinner.
Let’s go through the details.
For the meat, I used ground chicken, but ground pork or turkey will work just as well. I seasoned them up with plenty of green onions, ginger, and garlic. Then oven-baked them on a sheet pan alongside some broccoli for added color. Plus, I just love the idea of a one-pan dinner. And if you can cook your meat and vegetables at the very same time, then why not? I am all about it.
While the meatballs bake, make the sauce. Now here’s the truth, the sauce is really why you should make this recipe. It’s honestly so addicting. Sweet, tangy, a touch spicy, and once boiled down, super sticky. This is a pretty simple mix of Gochujang (Korean chili paste), soy sauce, and sesame oil. The Gochujang adds all the flavor, so you really don’t need much else. I boiled it down on the stove to make it a little stickier, which is perfect for tossing with the meatballs.
The sauce takes only a few minutes to thicken up on the stove. It’s usually ready by the time the meatballs have finished cooking. Once the sauce has boiled down, I like to make a creamy “special sauce” sauce for drizzling over the meatballs. Just stir a couple of tablespoons of the Gochujang sauce into yogurt or mayo. This sauce is beyond good.
Toss the rest of the sauce with the meatballs and you’re done. Add rice to your bowls, then snuggle in the broccoli and meatballs. Add extra sauce and finish with any and all toppings you’d like. I always do plenty of sesame seeds, chilies, and kimchi.
Nothing fancy here, just simple cooking, but very delicious (pretty healthy food).
A couple of notes.
What is Gochujang? If you’re not familiar with Gochujang it’s Korean chili paste. For those of you who read often, you know it’s my favorite type of chile paste. It’s spicy with a little sweetness, and it’s extremely flavorful. It’s traditional in a lot of Korean-based sauces and is often used in Korean fried chicken or simply as a dipping sauce. Over here, we LOVE Gochujang. I use it for so much more than just Korean food. It’s so good when paired with…well pretty much anything that you’d enjoy with a touch of hot sauce.
You can buy Gochujang in most grocery stores. I know Whole Foods and Trader Joes carry it. I highly recommend this brand Gochujang. It certainly makes for the best, truly Korean food.
I really can’t tell you enough how much I love these Korean-inspired meatballs. I’ll be turning to this one time and time again. Sheet pan dinners are always my go-to, but this is a new favorite.
It’s all about the sticky Korean sauce and that creamy, yet spicy “special sauce”. Together, they truly make everything that much better.
My final words, double the recipe and save the leftovers for quick and easy lunches. Trust me you will be so happy you did!
Looking for other easy weeknight dinners? Here are some favorites.
Better Than Takeout Dan Dan Noodles
Sheet Pan Roasted Lemon Garlic Butter Salmon with Feta and Olives
Lastly, if you make these Sheet Pan Sticky Gochujang Chicken 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!
Sheet Pan Sticky Gochujang Chicken Meatballs
Servings: 4
Calories Per Serving: 439 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground turkey or chicken
- 2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce or tamari
- 1-2 tablespoons Gochujang (Korean chili paste)
- 3 green onions, finely chopped
- 1 inch fresh ginger, grated
- 1 clove garlic, minced or grated
- 1 large head broccoli, cut into florets
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil or extra virgin olive oil
Sauce
- 1/3 cup low sodium soy sauce or tamari
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1-2 tablespoons Gochujang (Korean chili paste)
- 1 inch fresh ginger, grated
- 2 cloves garlic, grated
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- 1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt or avocado oil mayo
- rice, sesame seeds, chiles, and Kimchi, for serving
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 450° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment.2. To make the meatballs. Add the chicken, soy sauce, Gochujang, green onions, ginger, and garlic, to a bowl. Mix until just combined. Coat your hands with a bit of oil, and roll the meat into rounded tablespoon-size balls (will make 15-16 meatballs). Place on the prepared baking sheet. The mix will be wet, but it will firm up in the oven. Add the broccoli to the other side of the baking sheet and toss with 1 tablespoon oil, salt, and pepper. Transfer to the oven and bake for 15 minutes or until the meatballs are crisp and cooked through.3. Meanwhile, make the sticky Gochujang sauce. In a small pot, combine the soy sauce, honey, rice vinegar, Gochujang, ginger, garlic, sesame oil, and 1/4 cup water. Bring the sauce to a boil for 5 minutes, until the sauce thickens and reduces by about 1/4. Remove from the heat.4. Remove the broccoli from the baking sheet. Pour about half the sauce over the meatballs, tossing to combine. Return to the oven for 2-3 minutes, until the sauce coats the meatballs.5. Combine 2-3 tablespoons of the remaining sticky Gochujang sauce from step 3 with the yogurt. 6. Serve the meatballs and sauce over bowls of rice topped with additional green onions, and sesame seeds. Serve the broccoli on the side.
This post was originally published on February 17, 2021
How many does this serve? Want to try it sounds yummy but want to make sure I have enough.
Hey Dee,
This dish will serve 4 people. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
This looks delicious, really looking forward to making it! Do you think the parchment is necessary? I saw in your IG story that you didn’t use it. Also, do you quick-pickle your cucumber slices or just serve them raw? Thanks!
Hey Kate,
I think you can totally skip the parchment and I did not pickle my cucumbers, but you totally could! I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Wow… this was exceptional! The meatballs were so flavourful and moist. The sauce was a WOW from the family (they licked the bowl out). Last but not least, the broccoli (we just used florets not broccolini) were tasty and just a little crisp which was a great contrast. I did add some lime zest and juice to the sauce and had to use red curry paste because I searched everywhere and couldn’t find the correct one). We served it with coconut rice, shredded carrot and cucumber.
It’s officially in rotation because while it tasted fancy, it didn’t take too long to come together. THANKS!!!
Hey Stacey,
I so appreciate you giving the recipe a try, I am thrilled it was enjoyed! xTieghan
I love,meatballs but have never made them with Korean chili pasta or some of the other ingredients so I’m in ,love the flavor, thank you!
Hey Sabrina,
I so appreciate you giving the recipe a try, I am thrilled it was enjoyed! xTieghan
Really flavorful and perfect for our family of four on a snow night in Boulder! Loved the flavor profile and the kids even loved the yogurt sauce and they aren’t big “sauce” fans! Thank you!
Hey Amy,
I so appreciate you giving the recipe a try, I am thrilled it was enjoyed! xTieghan
Also, what Holly S said! My thoughts exactly 🙂
Thanks so much Jenn:)
Will definitely be making these asap! Just a little fyi about the links sometimes…they don’t always go to the product, but the store website instead. ie: when you click on gochujang, it takes you to thrive market, but not the product. Loved the cheesy gordita crunch, btw! Super flavorful 🙂
Hey Jenn,
Thanks so much for pointing this out! I hope you love the recipe:) xTieghan
That feeling when you see a recipe and you have ALL of the ingredients to make it at home! Thank you for becoming my food guru – LOVE your blog, books, recipes and your fireplace most of all!
Hey Holly,
So perfect, I hope you love this recipe!! xTieghan
Did you use broccolini?
Hey Susan,
Yes, I did:) I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Tieghan, this looks and sounds so delicious! I’ve saved the recipe and can’t wait to try it once I can have soy again. I’m Korean-American and my husband is a white American. I’m always looking for ways to introduce Korean food and flavors to him, our little hapa girl, and his family. This looks like one of the most perfect ways! I’ll report again I’m the future once I’ve tried it but so far everything looks so tasty!
Hey Marilu,
Thanks so much for your kind message, I hope your family loves this recipe! xTieghan
These look delicious! I’m going to make them ASAP, I’m wondering if anyone has experienced a mealy texture when adding fresh ginger to their meatballs? NomNom Paleo wrote about it in her wonton meatball post if you are curious. Thank you for all the yummy recipes. Every one I’ve tried has been a success.
Hey Jodi,
Thanks so much! I hope you love the recipe! xTieghan
Hi,
My gut will not allow HOT items. Any substitutions for the Korean Chili Paste? I know it is no fun. Thank you.
Hey Angelica,
How about a sweet chili sauce? That would work well here! I hope you love the recipe, let me know how it turns out! xTieghan
My husband and I do not like the taste of sesame oil. Any substitute suggestions?
Thanks
Hey Sherri,
You could use peanut oil. I hope you love the recipe, let me know how it turns out! xTieghan
Hi there! These sound great but I wanted to clarify how much gochujang is needed. The recipe says to add 2-3 remaining tablespoons of gochujang with the yogurt. Is it 1-2 tablespoons for the first sauce for the meatballs; and then another 2-3 for the yogurt based sauce? Thank you!
Hey Veronica,
Sorry for the confusion, you will want to use 1-2 tablespoons in step 2 for the chicken, 1-2 tablespoons in step 3 for the sauce, and then in step 5 use 2-3 tablespoons of the entire sticky Gochujang sauce that was made in step 3. I hope this makes more sense! xTieghan
I’m not sure what you mean by adding the remaining 2-3 T .of G sauce to the yogurt .Remaining from what ? Or did you just mean to add . This meal sounds delicious . We just bought the G sauce last week , so eager to try .
Hey Robin,
You are going to use the remaining Gochujang sauce from step 3. I hope you love the recipe, let me know how it turns out! xTieghan