“Whoever gives heed to instruction prospers, and blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord. . .” Proverbs 16:20
Tender meatballs with a sweet and sticky sauce that is reminiscent of the fan favorite Sesame Chicken you find in your neighborhood Asian take-out.
Once in a while, my husband and I have a craving for Asian food. We have the best Asian take out restaurant in our neighborhood that is so good that we have friends that will drive miles to order their food. Quite nice to have one so close by but sometimes it takes forever for them to deliver it to us. (Most likely because of all the business they get at dinner.) By the time it gets to our house, we are awfully hangry…. 🙁
Sesame Chicken Meatballs are quite easy and come together in about 20 minutes. Because I fix quite a bit of Asian inspired dishes, I had all the ingredients at hand. All the ingredients are easily found in your grocery store and because you use a tablespoon here and a teaspoon there, you have enough to make the meal a few times.
Why Chicken?
I use ground chicken for the Sesame Chicken Meatballs because I believe it is more flavorful than ground chicken breast which can be awfully dry. And because there is a higher fat content, I didn’t have to use an egg to bind the meatball together. It is really quite a simple meatball but absolutely delicious.
Sesame Chicken is one of my favorite meals I order. It comes with white or fried rice, (I like white rice with this dish. If I get lo mein, I will get the fried rice) and steamed broccoli. The wonton soup and egg roll are the finishing touches of my favorite asian meal… with a couple of lunches with the leftovers. So I thought, I could make this dish and maybe it would be a little bit more healthier but still tasty and that’s how I came up with Sesame Chicken Meatballs.
I believe Sesame Chicken Meatballs is going to be your new ‘winner, winner, chicken dinner’ for your family. A quick, healthy and tasty meal- that is definitely a winner in this house.
Mama Fawn’ Tips
- You can use ground chicken breast but you will need to add a little more oil to the pan because it tends to stick.
- Have all your ingredients measured out and ready to go before you start preparing the meal.
- Start your rice before preparing the meatballs so that everything will be ready at the same time.
- I use a cookie scoop to make the meatballs. This way you have very little contact with the ground chicken, making them a more tender meatball. Also, this makes all your meatballs uniform. Don’t have a cookie scoop? Using your hands is just fine.
- If you are using your hands to make the meatballs, a little tip to make sure the meat doesn’t stick to your hands: coat your hands with a little bit of vegetable oil.
- It’s very important that you turn the heat down to medium-low once you turn the meatballs the last time. You don’t want to burn the meatballs or the sesame sauce.
- I use jasmine rice with this dish because I like the nutty flavor it brings but feel free to use any type of rice.
Sesame Chicken Meatballs
Course: DinnerCuisine: AsianDifficulty: Easy3-4
servings10
minutes15
minutesIngredients
1 lb ground chicken
½ tsp salt
½ tsp garlic powder
1 tsp paprika
2 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 cup raw broccoli florets
2 cloves garlic, minced
¼ cup honey
¼ cup soy sauce
3 tablespoon ketchup
½ cup brown sugar
2 tablespoon rice vinegar
2 tsp sesame oil
1 tablespoon sweet chili sauce
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 tsp sesame seeds
3 cups cooked rice
Directions
- Add chicken, garlic powder, salt and paprika to a bowl. Mix until combined (do not overwork). With a 1 tablespoon cookie scoop, make the meatballs. Heat the 2 tablespoons of oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Add the meatballs and cook until all sides are brown and the meatballs are cooked through, about 8-10 minutes. Turn down the heat to medium-low heat.
- Add 1-2 inches of water to a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Add the broccoli and cover. Steam the broccoli for 4 minutes and then take off heat until the meatballs are ready. Keep covered.
- Meanwhile, in a bowl, combine the minced garlic, honey, soy sauce, brown sugar, rice vinegar, sesame oil, cornstarch, and sweet chili sauce. Once the meatballs are cooked through and the heat is down to medium low, add the sauce and the sesame seeds. Cook for about 5 minutes until the sauce is thickened and the meatballs are coated.
- Serve with the rice and broccoli. Enjoy!
- Yields 3-4 servings
