Baked Teriyaki Chicken Meatballs

from 15 votes

Get dinner on the table in 25 minutes or less with a family-friendly recipe for extra-moist Baked Teriyaki Chicken Meatballs tossed in a homemade teriyaki sauce.

Baked Teriyaki Chicken Meatballs over white rice in large bowl

What’s not to love about a good ol’ culinary classic like chicken teriyaki? Swap in baked chicken meatballs for seared chicken breast and you’ve got a 30-minute meal suitable for all ages.

Various sized bowls containing ground meat, pineapple, breadcrumbs, garlic, soy sauce, brown sugar and a slurry

You may be wondering how chicken meatballs can possibly be moist or have any flavor. Allow me to introduce you to my secret weapon: crushed pineapple.

The fruit itself stars in the meatball mixture, while the drained juices are stirred into the homemade teriyaki sauce. A total takeout fakeout.

Mini muffin tin with meatballs

My other secret weapon for extra-juicy meatballs? A mini muffin pan! All of the juices released as the meatballs cook get soaked back into them.

No mini muffin pan? No problem! Simply coat a baking dish with cooking spray, arrange the meatballs in rows and fire up the oven.

Teriyaki sauce over meatballs in clear mixing bowl

Best of all, these meatballs are baked at a high temp so they’re ready for tossing in minutes, and that means dinner is on your table in 25 minutes or less. Serve over rice or noodles and dinner is done!

In search of more takeout-fakeout dishes? Find inspiration for a takeout-fakeout feast with my go-to recipes, including Easy Beef and Broccoli, Sesame Chicken Egg Rolls, Sticky Pineapple Chicken and more.

Extra-moist baked teriyaki chicken meatballs over rice in a bowl

Craving more? Subscribe to Just a Taste to get new recipes, meal plans and a newsletter delivered straight to your inbox! And stay in touch on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram for all of the latest updates.

Appetizer

Baked Teriyaki Chicken Meatballs

Get dinner on the table in 25 minutes or less with this recipe for extra-moist Baked Teriyaki Chicken Meatballs tossed in a homemade teriyaki sauce.
Author: Kelly Senyei
4.74 from 15 votes
Baked Teriyaki Chicken Meatballs over white rice in large bowl
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Servings 24 meatballs

Ingredients 

For the meatballs:

  • 1/4 cup milk
  • 1/4 cup Panko breadcrumbs
  • 1 1/2 lbs ground chicken
  • 1 Tablespoon minced garlic
  • 2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger
  • 2 Tablespoons minced scallions
  • 2 Tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
  • 1/4 cup crushed pineapple (juices drained)
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

For the sauce:

  • 1/3 cup low sodium soy sauce
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1/4 cup pineapple juice
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 2 teaspoons minced garlic
  • 1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
  • 1 Tablespoon water

Instructions 

Make the meatballs:

  • Preheat the oven to 500ºF. Spray a mini-muffin pan or baking dish with cooking spray.
  • In a small bowl, stir together the milk and Panko breadcrumbs and let sit for 5 minutes.
  • In a large bowl, combine the ground chicken, garlic, ginger, scallions, soy sauce, crushed pineapple, pepper and soaked breadcrumbs. Use your hands to thoroughly combine the meat mixture and then shape it into balls using 2 to 3 tablespoons of meat per meatball.
  • Place the shaped meatballs into the prepared pan and bake for 12 to 15 minutes until the meatballs are fully cooked. While the meatballs are baking, prepare the sauce.

Make the sauce:

  • In a medium saucepan set over medium heat, whisk together the soy sauce, water, pineapple juice, brown sugar, garlic and ginger. Cook, whisking constantly, until the sugar has dissolved fully.
  • In a small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch with the water to make a slurry. Whisk the slurry into the sauce and simmer until it has thickened to the consistency of syrup, about 5 minutes.
  • Remove the meatballs from the oven and transfer them into a large bowl. Pour the sauce on top and toss to coat. Serve immediately.

Kelly’s Notes:

  • After draining the crushed pineapple, use the resulting juice in the sauce recipe.
  • The meatball mixture will be very wet while you are shaping it into balls, however the added liquid from the milk and crushed pineapple helps guarantee the meatballs will be very moist.
  • ★ Did you make this recipe? Don't forget to give it a star rating below!

Nutrition

Calories: 60kcal, Carbohydrates: 4g, Protein: 5g, Fat: 2g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 25mg, Sodium: 186mg, Potassium: 176mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 3g, Vitamin A: 11IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 11mg, Iron: 1mg

Shoutout

Did you try this recipe?

Share it with the world! Mention @justataste or tag #justatasterecipes!

Recipe by Kelly Senyei of Just a Taste. Please do not republish this recipe without my permission. If you'd like to feature this recipe on your site, please rewrite the method of preparation and link to this post as the original source.


Feeling social?

Share this recipe!

Categories

Related Recipes

Check out more crave-worthy favorites

Kelly Senyei holding a copy of The Secret Ingredient Cookbook

love the recipes on just a taste?

Check out my cookbook!

Order your copy of The Secret Ingredient Cookbook featuring 125 brand-new family-friendly recipes with surprisingly tasty twists!

Join the Conversation

Rate and Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Comments

  1. 5 stars
    Delicious , my family were all very impressed with this meal despite being picky eaters.

      1. Hi Christina – It’s hard to say what could have caused your meatballs to be soft. Did you follow the proportions as listed?

  2. 5 stars
    I was going to have these for dinner over rice. I never tried the recipe before. I like to follow recipes exactly and tweek the next time if I need to. We had company unexpectedly show up so I put them in a bowl with the sauce on the side. Everyone loved them. They were all gone in a short amount of time. My husband still talks about them. The recipe needs no tweeking:) They are delicious!

  3. 5 stars
    These are the best. I make them often and with sticky rice and never tire of them. Also make a great appetizer to take to company!

    1. 5 stars
      These meatballs were amazing! Using a mini muffin tin was an excellent idea causing a nice crusty exterior and juicy flavourful interior. So yummy served over cauliflower rice with mushrooms. Will definitely make these meatballs often.
      Thanks, Kathryn

  4. Hi! I was just wondering if these could be done in an air fryer. If so, what temp and for how long?

    1. Hi Cheri! I’ve never used an air fryer to bake these meatballs so I can’t weigh in on the time or temp. Let me know if you give it a shot!

    2. I just made the meatballs and cooked them in my air fryer. They came out perfect. I cooked them at 350 for about 15 minutes.

  5. 5 stars
    My family loves this recipe. It’s part of my regular dinner rotation. We had them for dinner tonight. YUM!!

    1. Hi Margot – It’s hard to say what could have caused your meatballs to be soft. Did you follow the proportions as listed?

  6. 5 stars
    These were great. The only change I made was to 1.25X the sauce recipe to have a little extra to put over the rice. My picky daughter also loved them. Leftovers reheated well the next day for lunch.

  7. 5 stars
    Tasted d-lish. Even my picky daughter went back for seconds (LOL). My sauce didn’t get thick though. Should I have brought it to a boil or maybe add more cornstarch? Either way, it really didn’t matter, everyone loved them.

    1. Made these for dinner tonight, served over a brown rice and quinoa mixture. It was delicious! The meatballs were a great texture!

  8. 5 stars
    Thank you for such a great recipe. I have been struggling to find a lunch my children would eat at school and finally found something they actually will eat. Thanks!

  9. OMG this is a absolutely delicious recipe. I doubled the sauce just because we love extra but no need really. I served with jasmine rice. Next time I’ll do a side dish of broccoli, snow peas and julienned carrots to add color. Watch the time on these and don’t overcook. I cooked mine too long and they were still out of this world delicious! Thank you Kelly

See More Comments