These Asian Style Chicken Meatballs are baked and tossed in a sweet and spicy Asian inspired sauce. You can serve these as an appetizer or with rice and veggies to make it a meal!
If you’re looking for more easy, asian inspired meals try my Vietnamese Meatballs and my Teriyaki Meatballs!
Want to save this recipe?
Enter your email below & we'll send it straight to your inbox! You will also receive other new recipes in your inbox weekly!
Asian Style Chicken Meatballs
Who doesn’t love meatballs? They are easy to make, versatile and can be made in advance and frozen for quick weeknight meals. These Asian Style Chicken Meatballs are smothered in a sweet and spicy Asian inspired sauce. The sauce is made up of of soy sauce, honey, Sriracha, rice wine vinegar and sesame oil.
Serve as an appetizer or as a meal with some sticky white rice or fried rice. One of my favorite ways to serve these meatballs are as lettuce wraps with some julienne veggies!
If you’re not a fan of ground chicken you can always use ground pork, beef or turkey instead.
What’s in these Asian Meatballs?
For the Meatballs:
- Ground Chicken: Ground chicken is low in fat and takes on the asian flavors of this recipe well. Feel free to substitute ground turkey, ground beef or ground pork in place of the chicken.
- Panko Breadcrumbs: The breadcrumbs help the meatballs stick together and for added moisture. The juice from the meat will soak into the panko as it is being cooked and trap the juice inside the meatball.
- Garlic & Onion: Flavor the meatballs. You can use either minced fresh garlic or add granulated garlic!
- Egg: Is added as a binder to help the meatball stick together.
- Seasonings: Salt & Pepper, Crushed Red Pepper Flakes & Parsley help to season the meatball throughout.
For the Asian Sauce:
- Soy Sauce: For umami and flavor. I recommend using low sodium soy sauce.
- Honey: Honey will balance the umami and spicy flavors in the sauce.
- Sesame Oil: I love the taste of sesame oil in this sauce. It has a nutty and toasty flavor.
- Sriracha: Sriracha is great for spice. Add to taste in case you are sensitive to spice.
- Rice Wine Vinegar: Acid in the rice wine vinegar will balance out the taste of the sauce.
How to Make Asian Style Chicken Meatballs
For the Meatballs:
- Mix ingredients: In a large bowl add ground chicken, breadcrumbs, garlic, onion, egg, salt, pepper, crushed red pepper and parsley. Using your hands mix to combine.
- Portion out 14 meatballs: (Working with slightly wet hands helps the dough from sticking.) You can make smaller meatballs if these are going to be for appetizers.
- Bake: Place meatballs on the prepared baking sheet and cook for 15-20 minutes or until caramelized on the outside and cooked through. Make sure to flip half way through cooking.
- Take out of the oven: Toss the cooked meatballs in the sweet and spicy Asian sauce. Note: If you are freezing the meatballs do not toss with sauce until ready to serve.
- Garnish & Serve: Top with extra parsley and sesame seeds. Serve immediately.
For the Sauce:
- Saute the garlic: Heat the oil in a saucepan, add garlic and cook for one minute.
- Add the remaining ingredients: Add the soy sauce, honey, red pepper flakes, sesame seeds, sesame oil, sriracha and rice wine vinegar. Cook for about 2-3 minutes while simmering.
- Serve: Take off heat and toss the meatballs into the sauce.
Can you freeze these meatballs?
Yep! Place the cooked meatballs in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 to 4 months. Once you are ready to eat them, thaw in the fridge and reheat in a low oven or in the microwave. Then, toss with freshly made sauce.
Tips for the Best Chicken Meatballs
- Don’t over handle your meatball mixture. This includes when you mix it and when you are rolling the meat into balls. Be gentle and try not to over work it or else the meatballs could become tough.
- Baking your meatballs will result in an evenly cooked meatball. If you like them crunchier on the outside, you can broil them right at the end for a minute or so. Plus, baking them is less messy and so much healthier than frying them!
What to serve with Asian Chicken Meatballs
- 30 minutes
- 30 minutes
- 30 minutes
- 20 minutes
- 13 minutes
- 30 minutes
More Asian Inspired Recipes to Try
- Sticky Tender Asian Chicken Thighs
- Asian Turkey Meatballs
- Teriyaki Glazed Salmon
- Grilled Asian Chicken
- Super Sticky Asian Chicken Bites
- Asian Style Sloppy Joes
Asian Style Chicken Meatballs
Ingredients
Asian Style Meatballs
- 1 lb ground chicken
- 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tbsp onion, small dice
- 1 large egg
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
- 1 tbsp olive oil
Sweet and Spicy Asian Sauce
- 1 tsp oil
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tsp honey
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 2 tsp sriracha
- 1 tsp rice wine vinegar
For serving
- sesame seeds
- crushed red pepper flakes or extra sriracha
- green onions, sliced
Instructions
Asian Style Chicken Meatballs
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper greased with oil or a nonstick slipmat.
- In a large bowl add all of the meatball ingredients starting at the chicken and ending at the parsley. Mix to combine. Make sure not to over mix.
- Portion out 14 meatballs. (Working with slightly wet hands helps the dough from sticking.)
- Place meatballs on the prepared baking sheet and cook for 15-20 minutes or until caramelized on the outside and cooked through. Make sure to flip half way through cooking.
- Take out of the oven and toss the cooked meatballs in the sweet and spicy Asian sauce.Garnish with extra parsley and sesame seeds. Serve immediately.
Sweet and Spicy Asian Sauce
- Heat oil in a small saucepan over medium high heat. Add garlic and cook for one minute.
- Add soy sauce, honey, red pepper flakes, sesame seeds, sesame oil, sriracha and rice wine vinegar.Cook for 2-3 minutes until simmering. Take off the heat until ready to toss with meatballs.
Notes
Nutrition Information
Did you make this?
I’d love to hear your feedback! Leave a review and make sure to share your pictures on social media! Don’t forget to follow @thechefsavvy.
Paula @ Paula’s Plate
These look delicious! I am always searching for variations on meatballs. I have some ground turkey in the freezer, this is definitely going on the weekend menu 🙂 Thanks for the great idea!
Kelley
Thank you Paula!! I hope you enjoy.
Ashley @ My Midwest Table
I love the sweet + spicy combo in these meatballs. They look so good! And any recipe that’s ready in less than 30 minutes is my kind of recipe!
Kelley
Thank you Ashley! Yes 30 minute meals are the absolute best!
Joanne
Love the sauce that you used to flavor these! Sounds like a winner to me!
Kelley
Thanks Joanne!
Thalia
Never tried an asian style meatball before! These look SO delicious and jam packed full of flavour. I have a feeling they would make great appetizers too!
Kelley
Thanks Thalia! You have to give them a try they are amazing!
Gayle
These meatballs look gorgeous! I love the Asian flavor combined with the chicken. This would make a fabulous appetizer or dinner!
Kelley
Thank you so much Gayle! I appreciate it!
Alessandra
I’m loving your photography of these – looks mouthwateringly delicious! It’s great to have an alternative to plain old sauteed chicken, and this looks like a fabulous and really easy one!
Kelley
Thank you so much Alessandra! These meatballs are super easy!
annie
I LOVE my meatballs, but I’ve never made Asian styled chicken meatballs…until now. I love the combination of flavors in this recipe. Nice!
David Crichton
Hi Kelley,
These meatballs look so quick and tasty. The sauce matches so well too. An delightful midweek supper.
Dave.
Kelley
Thanks so much David!
Bita
Hi Kelley! 🙂
These look and sound to die for. Can’t wait to make them! I love the honey, soy sauce, garlic, sesame pairing. And with fun little chicken meatballs… I’m stoked.
And btw, your photos are really gorgeous. They make me want to reach into my screen and grab the food, pop it right into my mouth!
Happy Thursday!
Bita
Kelley
Thank you so much Bita your so kind!
Jacki Peketz
These are perfect for a grab and go lunch. I mean seriously, I do NOT prepare ahead of time for school and work and I leave early in the morning so I made like four batches of these and froze about half and I’ll just pop some in a small container and eat them in between classes. So perfect. I’m always looking for stuff like this and the flavor is phenomenal on these. Kudos girl!
Kelley
I am so glad you liked them Jacki!!