Teriyaki Pineapple Chicken Meatballs
These tasty and fun-to-make Teriyaki Chicken Meatballs with Pineapple are perfect for potlucks or meal prepping. The sauce is so good! Makes 50-60 meatballs - Watch the baking time if you make them bigger, or smaller.
Ingredients
Chicken Meatballs:
- 2 lbs ground chicken
- 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
- ½ cup crushed pineapple, drained very well - squeeze with fingers if you need to (reserve the juice)
- 3 Tbsp milk
- 3 Tbsp reduced-sodium soy sauce, or coconut aminos
- ⅓ cup sliced green onions
- 5 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated
- 2 teaspoon orange zest
- 1 teaspoon pepper
Pineapple Teriyaki Sauce:
- 1 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce
- ½ cup water
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup reserved pineapple juice
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated
- 1 teaspoon orange zest
- 2 tablespoon cornstarch
- 3 tablespoon cold water
- 5 cups White or brown rice, for serving
- Green onion, finely chopped
Equipment
- large baking sheet
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Spray a large baking sheet with cooking spray or line with parchment paper or foil.
- Combine all meatball ingredients in a large bowl and mix well with a wooden spoon. Form into meatballs, about the size of a golf ball, and place in the prepared dish. You should get about 50-60 meatballs. TIP: Spray your hands with cooking spray first, then form the balls. The meat will not stick to your hands.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes or until meatballs are fully cooked (internal temperature of 165°F).
- Prepare the sauce: In a large skillet or saucepan, combine soy sauce, brown sugar, water, pineapple juice, garlic, ginger, and orange zest. Whisk together over medium heat just until sugar has dissolved. DO NOT over-reduce or the sauce will become salty!
- Stir together cornstarch and cold water until there are no lumps, then add to the teriyaki sauce. Simmer the sauce until thickened, about 3-4 minutes. Taste sauce halfway through to ensure it doesn't over reduce and become too salty.
- Prepare either white or brown rice.
- Stir together the sauce and the meatballs until they are well coated. Allow to simmer for 5 minutes, then serve over rice.
- Top with fresh chopped green onions and enjoy!
Notes
Sandy's tips & substitutions
- Use ground turkey or even ground beef or pork in this recipe instead of ground chicken.
- Spray your hands with nonstick cooking spray before forming the meatballs, and the meat will not stick to your hands.
- Make sure you really squeeze the pineapple (to remove all juice). Save the juice.
- Prep and bake the meatballs ahead of time. Just pop them into the fridge and add them to the sauce to reheat before serving.
- Don't over-reduce the sauce, or it will become salty.
- You can always take a TBSP of meat and fry it up to make sure the salt level is what you are looking for.
- STORAGE: Store in fridge up to 3-4 days. Great as leftovers!
Nutrition Facts
Calories: 585kcal, Carbohydrates: 96g, Protein: 27g, Fat: 11g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 4g, Trans Fat: 0.1g, Cholesterol: 79mg, Sodium: 1200mg, Potassium: 924mg, Fiber: 4g, Sugar: 14g, Vitamin A: 51IU, Vitamin C: 5mg, Calcium: 85mg, Iron: 3mg