Name: Teriyaki Chicken Meatballs
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 45 min
Ingredients: 1/2 cup soy sauce; 1/3 cup mirin; 1/4 cup brown sugar; 1 clove garlic (grated on a microplane); 1- inch of fresh ginger (grated on a microplane); 3/4 cup cold water; 1 tablespoon cornstarch; 1 pound ground chicken; 1 large egg; 1 cup panko breadcrumbs; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 1 tablespoon sesame oil

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The most versatile sauce ever to come out of your kitchen, you will want to put it on everything! These Teriyaki Chicken Meatballs are tender little bites smothered in a sweet and salty sauce that you will love.

Bowl of teriyaki chicken meatballs over rice with broccoli on the side.

The first time you make homemade teriyaki sauce, you will be so proud of yourself! It’s so easy to make from scratch, I bet you have all of the ingredients on hand. You just need soy sauce, brown sugar, rice wine, ginger, garlic, and cornstarch. (Pro tip: keep peeled ginger in the freezer so you’re always ready!)

If you’re the type that likes to meal prep, you can make the teriyaki sauce earlier in the week and store it until you need it. We’ll be adding some to the actual chicken meatball mixture, and then also baking the meatballs in a layer of it, too!

That said: absolutely NO ONE will be mad at you if you buy the teriyaki sauce pre-made, and then just follow my recipe along from there. I want you to have an easy time in the kitchen.

Ingredients

Little bowls with ground meat, brown sauces, panko bread crumbs, and an egg.

For the homemade teriyaki sauce:

Soy Sauce. One-half cup of your favorite soy sauce. I love the Sempio naturally-brewed brand. If you’re using a generic grocery store brand, you might want to use the low sodium variety, because I find that they’re overly salty.
Mirin. Mirin is a very low alcohol rice wine that has a subtle sweetness meant for cooking. If you don’t have it, use the same amount of regular (dry) white wine and one teaspoon of sugar. We need 1/3 cup total of mirin for this recipe.
Brown Sugar. Homemade teriyaki sauce always has a sweet element to it, and brown sugar is the best thing to use. One-quarter cup, please.
Garlic. Use a microplane to grate one big clove of garlic directly into the sauce.
Ginger. Similarly, use the microplane to grate 1-inch of fresh ginger into the sauce. I like to peel my ginger with the back of a spoon when I get it home from the grocery store. Then, I store it in the freezer until I need it. It grates very easily from frozen.
Cornstarch. The thing that makes homemade teriyaki thick and shiny is cornstarch! You may not skip or substitute this ingredient for anything else. Use one tablespoon of cornstarch or your teriyaki will be a soupy mess without it.

For the Teriyaki Chicken Meatballs:

Ground Chicken. One pound of lean ground chicken. You can also use turkey for this recipe.
Egg. One large egg. You also need 1/2 teaspoon of salt.
Breadcrumbs. One full of Panko breadcrumbs. These breadcrumbs are slightly larger and crispier than regular bread crumbs. They soak up more liquid and give things a lovely crunch when you fry them (like with my Chicken Parmesan).

How to Make Teriyaki Chicken Meatballs

Brown liquid in white cooking pot with grated garlic and sugar on top.

Brown syrup-like liquid in small white pot with whisk.

First, make the teriyaki sauce: combine all of the ingredients and whisk very well to dissolve the cornstarch.

Then, bring this mixture to a boil and whisk frequently. It will thicken after a few minutes. When it’s glossy and thick, remove from heat and set aside to cool for 30 minutes.

Clear bowl with ground meat, brown sauce, an egg and breadcrumbs.

Twenty raw chicken meatballs on a bed of teriyaki sauce in a baking dish.

Next, preheat to 400-degrees F. Combine the meatball mixture (ground chicken, egg, panko, and salt). Add 1/2 cup of the cooled teriyaki sauce, and mix to combine.

Pour the remaining teriyaki sauce in the bottom of a baking dish. Use a small scoop to make about 20 meatballs, and place in the prepared baking dish. Bake for 20-25 minutes (use a thermometer to ensure they’re 165-degrees F).

Cooked teriyaki chicken meatballs in white baking dish.

What to Serve with Teriyaki Chicken Meatballs

I like to scoop up each meatball with some sauce from the bottom of the pan, and serve these over hot rice. If you need something green, steamed broccoli or snow peas are great on the side.

Make Ahead/Storage Tips

If you meal prep, you can make the teriyaki sauce up to 5 days in advance and store it in the fridge. You can also make the meatball mixture and hold it in the fridge for up to 2 days before rolling and baking the meatballs. You can freeze already formed (but not baked) meatballs individually for up to 3 months. Do not add the teriyaki sauce until ready to bake. Defrost the meatballs in the fridge for 24 hours, and then proceed with baking in the teriyaki sauce. Already cooked teriyaki chicken meatballs can keep in the fridge for up to 3 days and frozen for up to 3 months in freezer-safe food containers.