With hints of garlic and ginger, these Teriyaki Chicken Meatballs are flavorful and a perfect protein to serve with rice or noodles and broccoli or green beans as an easy family meal.
Teriyaki Chicken Meatballs
We love my classic Baked Chicken Meatballs and my Pesto Meatballs, so it seemed like a great time to try them with a slightly different flavor profile: teriyaki! I love this easy recipe to pair with rice or noodles and broccoli or green beans, and as a way to include a delicious flavor combo in the mix.
This recipe comes together quickly since it starts with ground chicken and has the option to add a veggie right into the batter.
The finished meatballs also store really nicely in the fridge or freezer, so you can use this recipe for meal prep—or just know that the leftovers store nicely.
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Ingredients You Need
Below is a list of the ingredients you need to have on hand to get started with this recipe so you know what to get from the store or gather from the fridge and pantry.
- Ground chicken: Starting with ground chicken makes mixing up these meatballs easy and affordable. Look for it near ground turkey and pork in your store.
- Plain bread crumbs: These add flavor and help ensure the meatballs hold together nicely. (You can also use plain bread crumbs and add a little Italian seasoning.)
- Shredded carrots (optional): I like to add a veggie to meatballs to ensure they are super tender and easy for kids to chew, and it’s also a nice way to stretch the recipe.
- Egg: I use egg to help bind the meatball batter together. (See the Notes at the end of the recipe if you have an egg-free household.)
- Ground ginger, garlic powder, reduced-sodium soy sauce: A combo of these add flavor to the meatballs.
- Teriyaki sauce: Serving the finished meatballs in teriyaki sauce adds flavor and moisture, and is delicious over rice and veggies. You can use a homemade sauce or a bottle from the store.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Below is a look at how to make this recipe so you know what to expect from the process. Scroll down to the end of the post for the full recipe, including the amounts and the timing.
- Add all ingredients to a medium bowl.
- Mix the ingredients together with clean hands.
- Roll into balls.
- Bake or Air Fry until golden brown and cooked through. Toss with teriyaki sauce. Serve warm or set aside to cool and freeze.
How to Store
Let the cooked meatballs cool fully and store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Or freeze in a freezer bag for up to 6 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge, simmer in teriyaki sauce to warm, or warm in 15- to 30-second increments in the microwave.
You can store them with or without the sauce added.
Best Tips for Success
- Use store-bought ground chicken to make this easy.
- Dice for older babies or younger toddlers as needed.
- Gluten-free: Use gluten-free bread crumbs if needed.
- Egg-free: Omit the egg and add 1 tablespoon milk.
- Use jarred teriyaki sauce for serving or try a homemade option. I mix together 1 grated garlic clove (I use a microplane), 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger, 1/4 cup honey or maple syrup, and 1/4 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce.
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I’d love to hear your feedback on this post, so please rate and comment below!
Teriyaki Chicken Meatballs
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground chicken
- ½ cup plain bread crumbs
- ½ cup shredded carrots (optional)
- 1 egg
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon reduced-sodium soy sauce
- ½ cup teriyaki sauce
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and line a rimmed baking sheet with foil. Coat with nonstick spray.
- In a medium bowl, mix the ingredients together except the teriyaki sauce with clean hands. Use a tablespoon measuring spoon to measure out 2-tablespoon-size meatballs. Roll into balls and place on the prepared baking sheet.
- Bake for 22-24 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through.
- (You can also make them smaller as 1-tablespoon balls and bake for 20-22 minutes or Air Fry at 375 degrees F for 12-14 minutes.)
- Toss with the teriyaki sauce and serve warm, or set aside to cool and freeze.
Equipment
Notes
- Let them cool fully and store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Or freeze in a freezer bag for up to 6 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge, simmer in teriyaki sauce to warm, or warm in 15- to 30-second increments in the microwave.
- Use jarred teriyaki sauce for serving or try a homemade option. I mix together 1 grated garlic clove (I use a microplane), 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger, 1/4 cup honey or maple syrup, and ¼ cup reduced-sodium soy sauce.
- Dice for older babies or younger toddlers as needed.
- Gluten-free: Use gluten-free bread crumbs and gluten-free tamari and teriyaki sauce if needed.
- Egg-free: Omit the egg and add 1 tablespoon milk.
These meatballs turned out amazing. I added in the carrots as suggested as well as some califlower rice, They tasted really good and the kids actually liked it.
This is the first recipe I’ve made meatballs from scratch, and it’s so much easier than I expected! These have quickly made it into our frequently rotated meals.
These were SO easy and my daughter LOVED them! AND thank you for the homemade Teriyaki sauce – so delish!
UGH came the comments to see how many people actually mixed the teriyaki sauce with the raw meat! Now I don’t know what I should do 🙁
I tried so hard to make sure that was clear in the step. I’m sorry it wasn’t.
To make them in the air fryer, 400 degrees for how long? Thanks!
About 10 minutes!
Great recipe! The whole family enjoyed it for dinner and lunch!
Looks delicious! Can I use ground turkey instead of ground chicken?
Sure
Would ground turkey work?
Sure
These were quick and great! Lovely meal for everyone.
These were wonderful! I can’t wait to make them again!!
I’m really excited to try this recipe, but some of the information seems to be missing.
1. Do we include the 1/2 cup teriyaki sauce in the meatball mix? The instructions say that we should “mix the ingredients together,” but it’s not clear if that includes the teriyaki sauce or not.
2. On a related note, the recipe instructions do not indicate that we should toss the cooked meatballs with the teriyaki sauce, but the recipe overview indicates that that is the case.
Thank you for clarifying! This looks like a recipe my family and I will really enjoy.
Fixed for you and apologies for those oversights!
Thank you! Bought the ingredients for these today. 🙂