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30 minute Better than takeout Weeknight Sticky Sesame Ginger Chicken Meatballs. Easy homemade Asian inspired chicken meatballs with ginger and sesame, tossed in a sweet, spicy, and extra sticky soy pomegranate sauce. Serve over steamed rice topped 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.
Every fall I tend to get stuck in a bit of a “cozy” food rut. I hate to say “rut” because I’m LOVING all my cozy, warming, hearty, creamy, and pasta filled recipes so much. BUT not every day of the week needs a bowl full of gnocchi or a creamy, cheesy soup…
Well, I mean, I wouldn’t complain about that, but the point is, it’s nice to switch things up. Which is where these meatballs come in. These meatballs are different, they’re saucy, so flavorful, and require almost no time to make. Ok, 30-ish minutes, but they’re QUICK and EASY and the sauce is addicting. I wanted to include this recipe as one of my “better than takeout” recipes. But then I wasn’t sure if Asian meatballs are really a takeout thing?
Either way, these remind me of really good takeout style food. But they’re much quicker (30-35 minutes) and so much healthier than ordering out.
And, I know I’ve said this pretty much every time I share a new meatball recipe, but geez, I really cringe at the word meatball. It’s just not the best sounding word, you know?
Ingredients
- ground turkey or chicken
- green onions, finely chopped
- ginger, grated
- garlic, minced or grated (one clove garlic)
- black pepper
- broccoli
- sesame oil, or extra virgin olive oil
- low sodium soy sauce
- pomegranate juice (equal amounts of apple cider or orange juice are great substitutes)
- hoisin sauce
- honey
- rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar
- crushed red pepper flakes, using more or less to taste
- steamed rice, sesame seeds, and pomegranate arils, for serving
Let me run you through the details of these meatballs
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. If you don’t want to get your hands too messy, you can always use a cookie scoop to portion out the meatballs into 2-inch golf balls. Once they’re ready to bake, I oven-baked them on a sheet pan alongside broccoli and vegetables 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, why not?
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. The secret ingredient is one of my autumn favorites, pomegranate juice. I know it might sound odd, but please, don’t doubt me here. The pomegranate juice adds sweetness, tanginess, and deep dark color too. It’s one of my favorite ingredients to use within Asian inspired recipes. Plus, I always love the added pop of color, especially this time of year when the pomegranates are so pretty.
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.
Then just toss the sauce with the meatballs and you are done. Yes, that’s it. Nothing fancy here, just simple cooking, but very delicious (pretty healthy food).
Serving suggestions??
Steamed rice, plenty of green onions, toasted sesame seeds, and pomegranate arils. Then drizzle with a generous amount of the extra sauce…because saucy meatballs are the only way to go. If you want to level up the heat, you can add an additional teaspoon sriracha to your sauce.
Tip…double the recipe and save the leftovers for quick and easy lunches. Just put the leftover meatballs in an airtight container in your fridge or freezer. The meatballs would also be great atop a chopped spinach or kale salad or served with rice noodles or with cauliflower rice and a side of green beans.
Also? These would be a really fun and delicious appetizer for upcoming holiday parties. Little sticky meatballs served on skewers? Yep, perfect finger food for a party.
And if you’re looking for something fresh and healthy…ish for dinner this week, make these meatballs. Or Invite your best friends over for Asian night and impress them with your homemade sticky meatballs.
Add a good Halloween movie and you’ll have the perfect night in!
If you make these weeknight sticky ginger sesame 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!
Watch the how to video:
Weeknight 30 Minute Sticky Ginger Sesame Chicken Meatballs
Servings: 4
Calories Per Serving: 435 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 or chicken
- 2 green onions, finely chopped, plus more for serving
- 1 inch fresh ginger, grated
- 1 clove garlic, minced or grated
- black pepper
- 1 head broccoli, cut into florets or 1 winter squash, seeded and sliced into 1/4 inch wedges
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil, or extra virgin olive oil
- 1/3 cup low sodium soy sauce
- 1/3 cup pomegranate juice (equal amounts of apple cider or orange juice are great substitutes)
- 3 tablespoons hoisin sauce (make sure to use GF, if needed)
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, using more or less to taste
- steamed rice, sesame seeds, and pomegranate arils, for serving
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment.2. Add the chicken, green onions, ginger, garlic, and a pinch of pepper to a bowl. Mix until just combined. Coat your hands with a bit of oil, and roll the meat into tablespoon-size balls (will make 15-20 meatballs) placing them on one side of the prepared baking sheet. The mix will be wet, but it will firm up in the oven. Add the broccoli or winter squash (see notes) 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, combine the 1 tablespoon oil, the soy sauce, pomegranate juice, hoisin sauce, honey, vinegar, and crushed red pepper flakes in a medium saucepan. Set over medium-high heat and bring the sauce to a boil. Boil 5-8 minutes, until the sauce thickens and reduces by about 1/3. Remove from the heat. 4. 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. Serve the meatballs and sauce over bowls of rice topped with additional green onions, pomegranate arils, and sesame seeds. Serve the broccoli on the side.
Notes
Homemade Hoisin: in a small bowl, combine 1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce, 2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter, 2 tablespoons honey, 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar, 1 tablespoon molasses, 1 teaspoon Chinese 5 spice powder, and a pinch of black pepper.
To Freeze the Meatballs: Bake as directed, then freeze on a parchment lined baking sheet in a single layer for 2 hours. Transfer to a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge or simmer in the sauce over low heat for 20 minutes, until thawed, adding water if needed to thin the sauce.
To Freeze the Meatballs in the Sauce: Spoon the meatballs and sauce into a freezer-safe container. Freeze for up to 3 months. To serve, thaw overnight in the fridge, then warm on the stove until heated through, about 15 minutes, adding water if needed to thin the sauce.
If Using Winter Squash: the squash might need 15 minutes additional cooking time. I recommend roasting the squash for 15 minutes before adding the meatballs, then add the meatballs to the sheet once the squash is tender.
This post was originally published on October 9, 2019
So I made this tonight and loved all the flavors. Only thing I don’t understand is my meatballs didn’t come out as dark as yours…I always follow instructions to the dot but these came out very light. Should I have boiled the sauce longer?
Nevertheless, it was incredibly tasty and had the right amount of heat.
Hey Lola,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try, so sorry about the meatballs! Did you adjust anything in the recipe? Sounds like your sauce may not have been thick enough, next time try adding a little cornstarch to help thicken it up. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
I want to make these but don’t have broccoli or green onions…can I sub red bell peppers for the veg and scallions in the meatballs?
Hey Brooke,
Sure that would work! I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
The flavors were delightful, but my glaze never thickened despite cooking it extra long. And that oven better be screaming hot or you’ll never get a good crisp on your meatballs.
I have a old 1940s Chamber’s stove that takes about 3.5 years to come to temp and I just didn’t give it enough time. I definitely want to make this again, hopefully I can get it to crisp and get sticky instead of being pasty and wet.
Hi Karin! I am really glad these turned out well for you! Please let me know if there is anything I can help with! xTieghan
A couple of weeks ago I made the sticky chicken with Brussels sprouts and then my brother tried this one so I wanted to try it. I just made it so we can reheat it after my yoga class. So my plan is to put the new meatballs in the sauce in that pan and then we can reheat that. I hope it will coat the meatballs nicely
Lessons learned:
The sauce definitely needs to boil for the specified time -I forgot that I told myself I would make it earlier to let it sit and not thicken.
Re the chicken meatballs – love the flavor but think I will add a small amount of panko or flour next time for binding. Unlike the other meatballs I’ve made from you these steamed and fell apart -there was nothing to absorb the liquid from the chicken. I will cook them on their own pan for a little less time.
Hi Carol! I am glad this recipe turned out well for you! Thank you for trying it! xTieghan
Have been looking forward to making this since you posted it. I made it tonight with turkey mince as that’s all I could get hold of and it was so delicious! The ginger and onions inside the meat made them so nice and fragrant. Thank you!
I definitely spent a long time reducing the sauce- will use a bigger pan next time.
Love that! Thank you for trying this recipe! xTieghan
Made these this evening with turkey instead of chicken. They were incredible!
Thank you Dani! xTieghan
first time caller, long time listener 🙂 made these last night and they were delightful! i will be adding this recipe to the greatest hits list and excited to make some of your other recipes i’ve earmarked for the future. uncertain if you or other home cooks do this, but i take an extra step, and instead of buying a package of ground chicken at the grocery store, i take boneless chicken thighs (skin on or skin off), cut them into 1-2 inch pieces, flash freeze and then process them in my food processor for about a minute to make my own ground chicken. i find this extra step creates a more tasty and crispy chicken meatball! other than that, i followed your recipe to a T and it came out great! thank you for all you do, Tieghan!
Ooo I love that you do it yourself! So cool! I am really glad this recipe turned out so well for you, Cathleen! Thank you so much for trying this one! xTieghan
Tried it, with subs and tweaks of what i had on hand. But quite liked learning to make the Hoisin sauce and for the first time. It came out a bit too sweet but looking to balance it out with more rice vinegar and sriracha. I’ll make it again with a tad more ginger and possibly green chilies in the kebab to satisfy my indian taste buds. I also added sesame seeds to the kebab mixture as per a family recipe. We had it with pasta instead, but I’m eager to try it again soon with rice. Either way, spruced up the menu and has given us a new flavour addition to our family meals. Thanks for the post
Thank you for trying this one, Saf! I am really glad it turned out so well for you! xTieghan
Really liked this recipe! I made a few rookie mistakes though – thought this might help someone else:
1.Don’t overcook the chicken meatballs. They may not brown up even if they are fully cooked. I may try beef next time too for a little more flavor.
2. The sauce needs 15-20 minutes to cool/thicken. We couldn’t figure out why it wasn’t thickening so we ate the dish with the more liquid sauce, and by the time we were finished eating the leftover sauce had thickened. Next time I’ll make the sauce earlier to allow more time to cool.
3. Don’t use full sodium soy sauce instead of low sodium as the recipe calls for! It made the dish way too salty, and I’m a big fan of salt.
Thank you for trying this and sharing some suggestions! xTieghan
The flavor was great! Sadly user error I overcooked them so they came out too dry(about 18min in the oven, I was looking for crispy/golden brown but I ended up just drying then out). Would totally try again for how easy and flavorful this was!
Love that! Thank you so much, Madison! xTieghan
I literally saw this post and started drooling. I will be making these for dinner tonight and I can’t wait. Can’t wait to see what you come up with next!
~ XOXO, Amanda // Blonde out of Water
http://www.blondeoutofwater.com
Thank you so much! I hope you love these! xTieghan
Tieghan I always say you are the queen of all things, dips, sauces, glazes, marinades etc., but you outdid yourself with this recipe! It was so easy, quick and so delicious! I will make this again and again!
Thank you so much Sandi! xTieghan
The sauce was really good but the meatballs were incredibly dry. We couldn’t even really eat the meatballs.
Hi! I am so sorry about that. Are there any questions I can help with? xTieghan
Hi – love your recipes. Making the sticky chicken meatballs tomorrow night. Question – my husband does not like honey in his food – even the smallest amounts he seems to taste. What could i use instead, or can I just omit? Thank you! Virginia
Hey Virginia,
I would just omit the honey. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Hi– so excited to try this recipe– is fresh ginger the same as ginger root ? I have never worked with fresh ginger before! Do I peel the ginger root or just grate ? thank you!
Hey Kerin,
Yes it is and yes you will want to peel first. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan