Teriyaki Chicken Meatballs (Video) 照り焼き豆腐ハンバーグ

My recipe for soft and juicy Teriyaki Chicken Meatballs will soon be your family‘s favorite! Tofu is the secret ingredient that makes these meatballs so fluffy. The best part? It takes only 40 minutes to prepare.

These Teriyaki Chicken Meatballs are amazingly soft and fluffy, and my kids love them! What’s the secret ingredient to making them so fluffy? It’s tofu!

In Japan, we call this dish tofu hambagu (豆腐ハンバーグ) — “hambagu” as in Japanese Hamburger Steak. Most tofu hambagu are made with tofu and ground meat (usually chicken, sometimes a combination of beef & pork). To avoid misleading the vegetarian readers, I decided to simply call it chicken teriyaki meatballs (with tofu).

If you have little ones at home, you’ll need this recipe in your back-pocket!

Why Use Tofu in the Meatballs?

Typical meatballs can be dense, but adding tofu immediately changes their texture to fluffy and soft! These teriyaki meatballs are especially great for all ages, including toddlers and elders! If you increase the amount of tofu, the meatballs get even fluffier and lower in calories.

Ingredients for Teriyaki Meatballs

For the meatballs:

• Medium-firm tofu (momen dofu) 
• Sweet bell peppers — I used sweet bell peppers to add some color to these meatballs. You can add your choice of vegetables, such as sweet onion or shredded carrots.
• Green onion/scallion
• Ginger (grated, with juice) — Instead of garlic, we typically use ginger as the aromatic as it helps mask the meat odor.
• Ground chicken — Feel free to use a combination of ground meats, such as ground chicken and pork, ground beef and pork, or ground turkey.
• Egg
• Diamond Crystal kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper
• Neutral oil — For pan-frying

Homemade teriyaki sauce: soy sauce, mirin, sugar, rice vinegar, potato starch (or cornstarch)

How to Make Teriyaki Meatballs

Note: My chicken meatball recipe uses pan-frying, which is usually how it is done in Japanese homes. Why pan-frying? It requires only one pan and doesn’t heat up the house. However, readers have asked if they can bake the meatballs in the oven, so I’ve included the steps in the next section.

Pan-Frying Version:

1. Make the sauce by whisking all the ingredients in a small bowl.
2. Drain the tofu and prep the veggies.
3. Make the meatball mixture. In a large bowl, combine ground chicken, minced bell peppers, chopped green onion. Break the tofu into small pieces and add to the bowl. Add egg and mix it all together. Add the grated ginger, salt, and black pepper and combine well.
4. Form meatballs by using two tablespoons or a cookie scoop.
5. Pan-fry the meatballs in batches in a large skillet or frying pan.
6. Pour the sauce over the meatballs. Simmer to reduce and thicken the sauce while flipping the meatballs to coat both sides with the sauce.

For Oven-Baked Version:

• Follow the steps in the Recipe Card to make the meatballs.
• Preheat the oven to 400°F (204°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
• Spread the meatballs out on the prepared baking sheet and then bake them in the oven for 20 to 25 minutes, or until cooked through.
• To ensure the meatballs are fully cooked, use a thermometer to check if they have reached an internal temperature of at least 165°F (74°C).
• While the meatballs are almost done baking in the oven, make the sauce in a saucepan.
• Once the meatballs are ready, transfer them to the saucepan to toss and coat evenly.

Recipe Tips and Notes

• My proportion of meat and tofu allows you to form the meatballs easily, so try not to change it too much. If you increase the ratio of tofu, it might become slightly difficult to maintain the round shape.
• The meat acts as a binding agent here. As you knead the meat, it gets stickier and helps bind the tofu and other ingredients very well, which is why you don’t need panko breadcrumbs for this chicken teriyaki meatball recipe.
• Adding vegetables adds color and texture, but avoid adding too much to maintain the fluffiness of the texture.
• Homemade teriyaki sauce is made the authentic Japanese way and requires only basic pantry ingredients. We adjust the ratios depending on the dishes we prepare.

What to Serve with the Meatballs

I usually serve the meatballs as the main dish, along with steamed rice or mixed rice, miso soup, vegetable side, and 1-2 more side dishes. You can also serve them over rice as a rice bowl, or over noodles—in this case, you might want make more sauce.

• Rice: Steamed Rice, Japanese Corn Rice, Sweet Potato Rice, Green Pea Rice
• Vegetables: Blanched Broccoli with Sesame Oil, Green Bean with Sesame Dressing, Kani Salad, Spinach with Sesame Sauce
• Side dishes: 3-Ingredient Tamagoyaki, Everyday Japanese Pickles, Pickled Cucumber

How to Store

Keep the leftovers in an airtight container with the sauce. Store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or in the freezer for a month.

More Delicious Meatball Recipes

• Chicken Meatballs with Sweet and Sour Sauce
• Chicken Meatball Bento
• Tsukune (Chicken Meatball Skewers)

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Teriyaki Chicken Meatballs

4.72 from 88 votes

My recipe for soft and juicy Teriyaki Chicken Meatballs will soon be your family‘s favorite! Tofu is the secret ingredient that makes these meatballs so fluffy. The best part? It takes only 40 minutes to prepare.

Print Pin

Video

Prep Time: 20 minutes mins

Cook Time: 20 minutes mins

Total Time: 40 minutes mins

Servings: 20 meatballs

Ingredients

 

US CustomaryMetric

 

1x2x3x

For the Teriyaki Sauce

• ▢ 1 Tbsp soy sauce
• ▢ 1 Tbsp sugar
• ▢ 1 Tbsp mirin
• ▢ 2 tsp rice vinegar (unseasoned)
• ▢ ½ tsp potato starch or cornstarch

For the Meatballs

• ▢ 5 oz medium-firm tofu (momen dofu) (about ⅓ of a 14-oz block)
• ▢ 3 oz sweet bell peppers (1½ peppers; I used 3 colors)
• ▢ 1 green onion/scallion
• ▢ 1 tsp ginger (grated, with juice; from a 1-inch, 2.5-cm knob)
• ▢ 14 oz ground chicken
• ▢ 1 large egg (50 g each w/o shell)
• ▢ ½ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt
• ▢ ⅛ tsp freshly ground black pepper
• ▢ 1 Tbsp neutral oil

Japanese Ingredient Substitution: If you want substitutes for Japanese condiments and ingredients, click here.

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

 

• Gather all the ingredients.
  
• In a small bowl, whisk together the ingredients for the sauce: 1 Tbsp soy sauce, 1 Tbsp sugar, 1 Tbsp mirin, 2 tsp rice vinegar (unseasoned), and ½ tsp potato starch or cornstarch. Set aside.
  

To Make the Meatballs

• Wrap 5 oz medium-firm tofu (momen dofu) with a paper towel and let it drain for 15 minutes.
  
• Meanwhile, remove the seeds from 3 oz sweet bell peppers under running water and dry completely.
  
• Mince the sweet bell peppers and chop 1 green onion/scallion finely. Grate the ginger and measure 1 tsp ginger (grated, with juice).
  
• In a large bowl, combine 14 oz ground chicken, the minced sweet bell peppers, and the chopped green onion. Break the drained tofu into small pieces and add to the bowl.
  
• Add 1 large egg (50 g each w/o shell) and mix it all together.
  
• Add the grated ginger, ½ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt, and ⅛ tsp freshly ground black pepper and combine well.
  
• Using two tablespoons or a cookie scoop, form small meatballs. I usually scoop the meatballs straight into the frying pan (see the next step).
  

To Cook the Meatballs

• Heat a nonstick frying pan over medium heat. Add 1 Tbsp neutral oil. When hot, add the meatballs, keeping some space between each. Cook in batches, if necessary.
  
• When the bottom is nicely browned, flip them over. Cover with the lid to cook until the inside is no longer pink, about 3 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium low if they are browning too fast. Transfer to a plate and cook the remaining batch(es).
  
• When the meat in the last batch is cooked through, add the other cooked meatballs and their juices back into the pan.
  
• Pour the sauce over the meatballs. Simmer to reduce and thicken the sauce while flipping the meatballs to coat both sides with the sauce.
  

To Store

• Keep the leftovers in an airtight container with the sauce, let cool completely, and keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 days and in the freezer for a month.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 meatball · Calories: 42 kcal · Carbohydrates: 1 g · Protein: 5 g · Fat: 2 g · Saturated Fat: 1 g · Polyunsaturated Fat: 1 g · Monounsaturated Fat: 1 g · Trans Fat: 1 g · Cholesterol: 26 mg · Sodium: 40 mg · Potassium: 119 mg · Fiber: 1 g · Sugar: 1 g · Vitamin A: 153 IU · Vitamin C: 6 mg · Calcium: 12 mg · Iron: 1 mg

Author: Namiko Hirasawa Chen

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Japanese

Keyword: chicken, tofu

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