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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
Such a quick and easy dinner! As always, Tieghan’s sauces are amazing. Will definitely be making this again!
Hey Courtney,
Thanks a bunch for making this recipe, I am so glad it was enjoyed! xTieghan
Hi I was wondering how you would prepare the sauce if you were meal prepping this? Should I save the sauce and just keep the meatballs plain until eating?
Hey Kay,
I think you could keep the sauce and meatballs separate or just follow the recipe as is and keep in containers. I hope this helps! xTieghan
OMG-This sauce!!!!! I’m vegetarian, so I pressed some extra firm tofu then roasted it in the sauce. This is a winner!
Hey Dale,
Thanks so much for making this recipe, it makes me so happy that it was enjoyed. Happy Friday! xTieghan
Delicious!
Thanks Jessica! xTieghan
These were delicious and I took your advice and made a double batch to have later for lunch! Only issue for me was that I might have mixed the ingredients too much as the mixture wanted to stick to me instead of rolling into a ball (and I oiled my hands)… ??♀️
Hey Becky,
Thanks a bunch for making this recipe, I am delighted it was enjoyed!! xTieghan
I used ground chicken and 4 tablespoons of gochujang in total because we love spicy food, and it was delicious! I wasn’t sure what to do with the yogurt-gochujang mixture at first but finally put it on top of the meatballs in the bowl, to which I also added the broccoli. No need to serve it separately, IMO.
Hey Helen,
I am so thrilled this recipe was a hit, thanks a lot for giving it a try!! xTieghan
My husband loved this! He is always so skeptical about ground chicken *eye-roll*. The sauce was delicious & spicy. However, it did not get sticky. Modifications: I let thr sauce rapid boil for an extra 2 minutes & broiled the meatballs for 3 minutes during step 4. I will be making this again! 🙂
Hey Rachel,
Thanks a bunch for giving the recipe a try, I am so glad it was enjoyed! xTieghan
We made this for dinner – simple and very flavor. It hit the spot and fulfilled our Asian food craving. I served it with Asian-style pickled cucumbers, radish, cilantro, jalapeño and scallion. I had cauliflower rice with mine and the hubs had white rice. We will be adding this to our regular dinner rotation.
Hey Kristin,
Thanks a bunch for giving the recipe a try, I am so glad it was enjoyed! xTieghan
I can’t wait to try this but I do have a couple of questions. How spicy is this ? Also is there a kimchi you recommend ? Thank you for all the wonderful recipes .
Hey Marla,
This recipe has a nice kick to it. I usually purchase my kimchi from Whole Foods. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
I made this tonight! Once again another AMAZING recipe! Thanks so much for sharing all your deliciousness! On a side note, my 10 year has been baking through the sweets in your cookbooks! She has made us the brioche French toast & yesterday the cinnamon rolls…I can’t even!! They are bakery quality ?
Hey Sarah,
Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am so glad it was enjoyed! Have great week:) xTieghan
Made it tonight for dinner. Great recipe! Loved the flavors, heart level just right. My sauce never thickened. It tasted great, just not . . . sticky.
Hey Tony,
Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am so glad it was enjoyed! Have great week:) xTieghan
Another 5 star recipe!! So good.
Hey Andrea,
Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am so glad it was enjoyed! Have great week:) xTieghan
Cooking is an art. This dish is bomb! I started preparing this yesterday, made the sauce this morning, and had this divine dish for lunch.
It will definitely be on repeat. AAHMAZING! Thank you!
Can the sticky sauce be frozen?
Hey Patricia,
Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am so glad it was enjoyed! Sure, I definitely think you could freeze the sauce. Have great week:) xTieghan
Hi Tieghan,
Another successful and delicious recipe almost as always!! It was easy to assemble and the meatballs were just so delicious I even ate them leftover cold. I love anything spicy so that was also a hit with me for sure great touch!! I did have a problem with the sauce thickening when I first made it. For some reason it was a little bit runny so might it not stick as well. Then I added some cornstarch and wen to far in the other direction. lol I will have to find the happy medium next time. What would you do if your sauce was a little to thin?? I don’t like the flavor of sesame oil so my go to oil is almost always Olive Oil also like Avocado oil as well. I am always excited to try and share your recipes. Thank you for all the great ideas February has been a great month of recipes well done! 🙂
Hey Mike,
Thanks a lot for giving the recipe a try, I am delighted that the recipe was enjoyed! If your sauce is too thin, try adding some cornstarch. Happy Sunday! xTieghan
Made these as a vegetarian option by using 600grams of firm tofu in place of the chicken. Since the tofu is a bit wet even after pressing the liquid out, I added 1/3 cup ground almond meal, 4 tablespoons of standard flour, and breadcrumbs equivalent to approximately 3 slices of bread. Then, followed your ingredients as is for the meatballs with the full 2 tablespoons of the gochujang paste. The tofu meant they needed baking for a bit longer and at a slightly lower temp (200 C) – baked them for 15 mins, flipped them and repeated another 15 minutes in the oven. For the sauce, I added an extra 2 tablespoons of honey as I preferred it a little sweeter, but that’s just my taste buds. This recipe was fantastic, super flavourful and easy to convert to vegetarian.
Hey Abby,
Thanks a lot for giving the recipe a try, I am delighted that the recipe was enjoyed! Happy Sunday! xTieghan