These Sticky Teriyaki Chicken Meatballs and Rice Bowls are perfect for meal prep! Serve with a mix of fresh and delicious stir fried veggies.
Ingredients and substitutions
Meatballs
- Ground chicken – you can also make these meatballs with ground turkey or pork.
- Breadcrumbs – use panko or crushed unsweetened cornflakes in place of the breadcrumbs.
- Egg – the egg will help bind the meatballs but if you’re allergic, plain yogurt or buttermilk will also do the trick.
- Soy sauce – coconut aminos or tamari are the best substitutes for soy sauce.
- Chili garlic sauce – sriracha would be good as well.
- Minced garlic – I prefer freshly minced garlic but jarred minced garlic will work in a pinch.
- Fresh gingerroot – if you don’t have any fresh gingerroot, use a bit of ground ginger powder instead.
- Green onions – chives, shallots or onion can be used if you don’t have any green onions on hand.
- Salt – to taste.
Teriyaki sauce
- Hoisin sauce – garlic teriyaki sauce will provide a similar flavour. You could also use a store-bought teriyaki sauce instead of making your own.
- Soy sauce – coconut aminos or tamari are the best substitutes for soy sauce.
- Honey – agave or brown sugar would also work.
- Cornstarch – potato starch or arrowroot can be used in place or cornstarch.
Rice
- White rice – use another kind of rice like brown rice or even quinoa.
- Butter – swap out for your favourite butter substitute to make the rice nice and moist.
- Salt – to taste.
Veggies
- Sesame oil – you can use a neutral oil like olive or canola oil, but it will have a milder flavour.
- Snap peas – green beans or bok choy would also be good.
- Carrot matchsticks – or another veggie like bell peppers.
- Red cabbage – green cabbage, coleslaw mix or another kind of veggie can be used instead.
- Salt & pepper – to taste.
Optional garnishes
- Green onion – garnish with chives instead.
- Sesame seeds – use either black or white sesame seeds.
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How to make teriyaki chicken meatballs
- Cook the rice.
- Mix together the meatball ingredients.
- Form the mixture into meatballs.
- Sauté the veggies.
- Toss the meatballs in the teriyaki sauce.
- Serve and enjoy!
What to serve with chicken teriyaki meatballs
I love serving my chicken teriyaki meatballs with a side of rice and some sautéed veggies, but feel free to switch it up when it comes to the side dishes! These meatballs would also be good with steamed broccoli, glazed carrots or even some mashed potatoes (cauliflower mashed potatoes are a great healthy option).
If you want, you can even use these meatballs to make lettuce wraps. Serve them in Boston leaf or romaine lettuce cups with your favourite veggie toppings and enjoy.
Frequently Asked Questions
These teriyaki meatballs are made of ground chicken, breadcrumbs, egg, sauces and seasonings. All you have to do is form the mixture into meatballs, bake them in the oven, then toss them in the homemade teriyaki sauce. Easy-peasy!
These chicken meatballs are definitely a healthier option than your traditional restaurant meatballs. They’re made with ground chicken, which is a leaner protein option, and are baked instead of fried. Plus, since you're making your own homemade teriyaki sauce, you won't have to worry about the preservatives that you typically find in store-bought sauces.
If you find that your chicken meatballs are tough, you may have overhandled the meatball mixture and packed them too tightly. Try to be gentle when rolling the meatballs and wet your hands before rolling so that the meat doesn’t dry out.
This recipe has 550 calories per serving including the meatballs, rice and veggies.
Storing and reheating
These meatballs are great for meal prep! After they’ve completely cooled, transfer them to airtight glass containers for up to 5 days. You can store the meatballs, rice and veggies all in one container for a quick grab-and-go lunch.
When you’re ready to enjoy your meatballs, you can eat them cold or reheat them in the microwave for 1-2 minutes. I suggest sprinkling some water over top of the rice before reheating so it doesn't dry out.
Freezing this recipe
These teriyaki chicken meatballs can be frozen either raw or cooked for up to 3 months. If you plan on freezing them raw, flash-freeze them for an hour on a sheet pan before transferring them to a freezer-safe container or Ziploc bag. This will ensure that the meatballs don’t stick together.
If you’re freezing the meatballs cooked, let them completely cool then freeze them without the teriyaki sauce. Defrost them in the fridge the night before then cook or reheat as normal. Toss them in teriyaki sauce and serve with fresh rice and veggies.
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Meal prep tools for this recipe
- Grab some glass meal prep bowls for your leftovers.
- A rice cooker is invaluable for saving time, and it cooks other grains, too!
- Get a meat thermometer to make sure your meatballs are cooked through.
- Freeze this recipe in glass microwave-safe bowls for up to 3 months.
Sticky Teriyaki Chicken Meatballs and Rice
Ingredients
Meatballs
- 1 lb ground chicken or turkey
- 1/3 cup breadcrumbs
- 1 egg
- 1 tbsp soy sauce or tamari
- 1 tsp chili garlic sauce or sriracha
- 2 cloves minced garlic
- 1 tsp minced gingerroot
- 2 green onions sliced
- 1/2 tsp salt
Teriyaki sauce
- 1/4 cup hoisin sauce
- 2 tbsp soy sauce or tamari
- 2 tbsp honey
- 2 tsp cornstarch
Rice
- 1 cup white rice
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 1 tsp butter
- 1 pinch salt
Veggies
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 1 cup snap peas
- 1 cup carrot matchsticks
- 1 cup red cabbage thinly sliced
- salt & pepper to taste
Optional garnishes
- 3 green onions sliced
- Sesame seeds for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 F. Add all ingredients under the rice heading to a rice cooker or pot on the stove, cooking until the liquid has absorbed.
- Mix ingredients under the meatballs heading together in a large bowl, then form into meatballs with wet hands, placing on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake for 18 minutes until fully cooked.
- Meanwhile, heat sesame oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add snap peas, carrots and cabbage, seasoning with salt and sauteeing for 4-5 minutes until tender, then remove from heat.
- While cooking the veggies, add the teriyaki sauce ingredients to a large bowl, mixing well to combine. Microwave, covered, for 1 minute until the sauce thickens. Remove meatballs from oven and toss in sauce, then serve alongside rice and veggies. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
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Comments & Reviews
Kate says
All good except the 2 tbsp of corn starch. Is it suppose to be 2 tsp? I microwaved it for a min and it turned into a solid rock. Remade the sauce without microwaving and it tasted chalky. Not sure what I was doing wrong.
Taylor Stinson says
So sorry Kate, yes this was a typo! It should be 2 tsp. I’m very sorry about this, it’s been fixed now!
Kate says
I see! Thank you, I will try again.
Barb says
This was great. Will make again, but both my husband and I felt that there was too much cornstarch in the sauce and we could really taste it. Next time we would heavily reduce the cornstarch. Flavors were there, so next time it will be perfect!