These Chicken Teriyaki Pineapple Meatballs are protein packed and flavor filled! The meatballs are juicy and made with ground chicken, then tossed in a sticky pineapple teriyaki sauce. These are incredible and so easy to make in less than 45 minutes!
If you're looking for some different dinner rotations, these ground chicken meatballs should be on the list!
They're flavor packed and actually healthy too. Simple ingredients come together for the meatballs and I love the addition of sweet onions and pineapple chunks for that island vibe.
Pair these baked meatballs with this Coconut Jasmine Rice for the best combo.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe:
- Quick. This recipe comes together in just 40 minutes.
- Flavor Packed. These Chicken Meatballs are big on taste from the juicy, tender meatballs to the sticky Asian teriyaki sauce.
- Healthy. Ground Chicken is lower in fat versus ground beef and has high protein.
- Meal Prep Friendly. Prepare these ahead in the day for an easy dinner or make them on Sunday for the week ahead.
For more quick and easy dinner ideas, try this Pesto Gnocchi, Blackened Salmon in the Air Fryer, and Crispy Chicken Tacos.
Ingredients:
Ground Chicken: The base for the meatballs and high in protein, plus very budget friendly. Try this Ground Chicken Stir Fry too.
Egg: A binder for the meatballs and help hold them together well in the oven.
Panko Breadcrumbs: An asian style breadcrumb that is crucial for holding together the meatballs. There is a lot of moisture in the ground chicken and panko helps provide structure.
Pineapple & Sweet Onions: Cut into chunks to add sweetness and extra flavors into the meatballs.
Pineapple Teriyaki Sauce: Pineapple juice, soy sauce, hoisin, honey, sriracha, rice vinegar & ginger combine for a salty and umami packed sticky sauce that coats the meatballs so well.
*Full recipe ingredients and quantities can be found in the recipe card below.
Substitutions and Variations:
Ground turkey can be used to replace the ground chicken.
For more spice, double or triple the sriracha sauce.
The actual pineapple and sweet onions can be left out of this recipe if you just want the meatballs and sauce.
How to Make Chicken Teriyaki Pineapple Meatballs:
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Into a large bowl, combine ground chicken, egg, ground ginger, granulated garlic, salt, pepper, panko, garlic, and 1 teaspoon fresh ginger. Gently mix together with your hands or a spoon.
Step 2: Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and roll the ground chicken mixture into medium sized meatballs. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees.
Step 3: While the meatballs are baking, heat a large skillet over medium heat on the stovetop. Pour in sesame oil and allow it to heat up. Add in onion with a pinch of salt, and allow it to soften and brown on the edges for about 4-5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add in the pineapple chunks and cook for 2 more minutes. Remove the onion and pineapple to a plate.
Step 4: Once the meatballs reach 165 degrees internally remove them from the oven and set aside.
Step 5: Into the large skillet, pour in pineapple juice, soy sauce, rice vinegar, hoisin, honey, sriracha and remaining teaspoon of fresh ginger. Stir to combine and heat over medium heat until the sauce starts to bubble. Stir frequently while allowing the sauce to thicken even more for a few minutes. Once the sauce is very thick and sticky, turn off the heat.
Step 6: Toss the meatballs, onions and pineapple into the teriyaki pineapple sauce. Top with sesame seeds and green onion. Serve and enjoy!
Expert Tips:
- Make sure the grated ginger combines into the entire meatball mix and doesn't stay together in just one spot, like it loves to do.
- Handle the meatball mix as little as possible and wash your hands half way through rolling, if needed, to create less stickiness.
- Roll the meatballs into a medium size to create 15 to 16 meatballs. If they're smaller they will cook faster and if they're bigger, they will take a bit longer.
- It's important to allow the sauce to really bubble up and thicken, but don't let it burn.
Looking for more ground chicken recipes? Try these Ground Chicken Lettuce Wraps, Ground Chicken Meatball Soup and Chicken Kofta.
Recipe FAQs:
Time in the pan over medium heat and allowing the sauce to bubble will thicken it. If it's not as thick as you would like and doesn't seem to be making great progress without burning, whisk together 1 teaspoon of cornstarch with 1 tablespoon of water and add the slurry into the sauce. Then stir to thicken.
Yes! I did this for a few hours until dinner. Make sure to place the crockpot on warm instead of low or high, or they will dry out. I don't recommend warming in the crockpot past 2 hours.
I love these teriyaki chicken meatballs with white rice, coconut jasmine rice or blackstone fried rice. This Spicy Cucumber Salad, Spring Roll Salad, Cucumber Salad with Carrots, and Kale Crunch Salad would be great on the side too.
Store the leftovers in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
For the best taste, reheat on the stovetop in a skillet over medium low heat covered for a few minutes until hot, stirring half way through. These can also be microwaved to warm up or baked at 350 degrees until hot. I recommend the first option to avoid drying out the meat. Chicken dries out quickly.
More Asian Inspired Recipes You Will Love:
If you tried this Chicken Teriyaki Pineapple Meatballs Recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it goes in the 📝 comments below. I love hearing from you!
PrintRecipe
Chicken Teriyaki Pineapple Meatballs
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 16 meatballs 1x
Description
These Chicken Teriyaki Pineapple Meatballs are protein packed and flavor filled! The meatballs are juicy and made with ground chicken, then tossed in a sticky pineapple teriyaki sauce. These are incredible and so easy to make in less than 45 minutes!
Ingredients
Chicken Meatballs:
- 1 lb ground chicken
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 teaspoon fresh ginger, peel and grated fine
- 1 egg
- 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon sesame oil
- 2 cups fresh pineapple chunks
- 1 small yellow onion, cut into chunks
Teriyaki Pineapple Sauce:
- ⅓ cup pineapple juice
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
- ⅓ cup honey
- ½ teaspoon sriracha
- 1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
Optional Ingredients:
- 1 tablespoon green onion, finely sliced on a bias
- 1 teaspoon sesame seeds
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Into a large bowl, combine ground chicken, egg, ground ginger, granulated garlic, salt, pepper, panko, garlic, and 1 teaspoon fresh ginger. Gently mix together with your hands or a spoon.
- Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and roll the ground chicken mixture into medium sized meatballs. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees.
- While the meatballs are baking, heat a large skillet over medium heat on the stovetop. Pour in sesame oil and allow it to heat up. Add in onion with a pinch of salt, and allow it to soften and brown on the edges for about 4-5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add in the pineapple chunks and cook for 2 more minutes. Remove the onion and pineapple to a plate.
- Once the meatballs reach 165 degrees internally remove them from the oven and set aside.
- Into the large skillet, pour in pineapple juice, soy sauce, rice vinegar, hoisin, honey, sriracha and remaining teaspoon of fresh ginger. Stir to combine and heat over medium heat until the sauce starts to bubble. Stir frequently while allowing the sauce to thicken even more for a few minutes. Once the sauce is very thick and sticky, turn off the heat.
- Toss the meatballs, onions and pineapple into the teriyaki pineapple sauce. Top with sesame seeds and green onion. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- Make sure the grated ginger combines into the entire meatball mix and doesn't stay together in just one spot, like it loves to do.
- Handle the meatball mix as little as possible and wash your hands half way through rolling, if needed, to create less stickiness.
- Roll the meatballs into a medium size to create 15 to 16 meatballs. If they're smaller they will cook faster and if they're bigger, they will take a bit longer.
- It's important to allow the sauce to really bubble up and thicken, but don't let it burn.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: dinner
- Method: baked
- Cuisine: asian
Holly
These are so tasty over rice! Love the pineapple too!
Tara Smithson
Thanks so much. I'm so glad you enjoyed them.