Asian Barbecue Chicken Meatballs

Asian Barbecue Chicken Meatballs are jumbo-sized and a fun and tasty way to change up your grilling routine and your meatball routine!  

These Asian Barbecue Chicken Meatballs were super-fun to work on and may have created a grilling monster.  Not only did I try a fun grilling accessory from NordicWare, but this girl finally used hubby’s big-boy grill all by herself.

If you recall from a previous post, I was neutral about using our outdoor grill.  The outdoor grill is my hubby’s domain and he does an awesome job of it so why go there?  (Which, when you’ve been married for 20+ years, leaving your guy his “space” is never a bad thing.)  Until this posting, when I needed to grill something for my column, I used a grill pan or the grill insert for our gas cooktop which has always worked well.

I could have done these meatballs in the oven with this cool meatball griller.  However, I use plenty of other cooking equipment including commercial equipment on a daily basis, so why not the big-boy outdoor grill?

After a less-than-successful grill-lighting tutorial from my husband, my confidence about this new experience was slightly shaken.  Our grill is a well-loved 12-year-old gas grill so lighting it can be tricky.  When the time came to light the grill for this meatball grilling endeavor, I lit it like a champ.  Woohoo….girl grill power!

Tips for making perfect meatballs:

• When mixing up anything with ground meat like meatballs or meatloaf, get all the ingredients except the ground meat mixed together first then add the ground meat.  This ensures the ingredients are more evenly distributed throughout the meat.  Also, just use your hands.  You can mix more thoroughly with your hands than you can with a spoon.  (Wear disposable gloves so nothing gets under your fingernails.)
• A large 1 1/2-inch cookie scoop works well to form meatballs, 
• Take a handful of the meatball combination on the palm of your left hand, portion it with the cookie scoop with your right hand onto a baking sheet.
• After portioning the meat mixture, roll into neat balls with your hands.  Here I just eye-balled the meatballs into 12 even portions.  I’m digging jumbo meatballs as they’re less work!
• I probably didn’t need to, however, I brushed the meatball griller with vegetable oil before placing the meatballs inside.  They released very easily.

This sauce is easy to pull together while the meatballs cook.  I like to keep a good inventory of Asian staples and pantry items such as soy sauce, hoisin sauce, unseasoned rice vinegar, oyster sauce, chili garlic sauce and fresh ginger.

Keeping items such as these on hand allows you to pull together an Asian-inspired meal like this in no time!

Let’s eat!

For more great meatball recipes, be sure to try my:

Meatballs in Spicy Curry

Meatballs in Spicy Curry rock with flavor and can be made with any protein!  Try beef, lamb, chicken or turkey meatballs smothered in this amazing spicy Indian-inspired sauce!

Get the Recipe

Spiced Meatballs in Tomato Sauce

Spiced Meatballs in Tomato Sauce are a delicious twist on meatballs in a classic tomato sauce.  They make a flavorful addition to your holiday table!

Get the Recipe

Chicken Meatballs Marsala with Baked Parmesan Polenta

Chicken Meatballs Marsala with Baked Parmesan Polenta is a fun twist on classic Chicken Marsala. It’s comforting, delicious and is sure to bring a taste of Italy to your table!

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Turkish Turkey Meatball Lettuce Wraps with Tzatziki

Turkish Turkey Meatball Lettuce Wraps with Tzatziki are healthful, light, easy, fun and so flavorful!  It's the perfect summer dinner full of fresh ingredients!

Get the Recipe

Helpful Tools and Equipment to make Asian Barbecue Chicken Meatballs  (Affiliate Links):

Yield: 4

Asian Barbecue Chicken Meatballs

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Asian Barbecue Chicken Meatballs are jumbo-sized and a fun and tasty way to change up your grilling routine and your meatball routine!

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Ingredients

• MEATBALLS
• 1 bunch scallions, white and light green part only, finely chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon minced ginger
• 1/4 cup applesauce
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons chili garlic sauce
• 2 teaspoons oyster sauce
• 1 large egg
• 3/4 cup panko
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 1/2 pounds ground chicken (preferably a combination of white and dark meat)
• canola oil for grill pan
• SAUCE
• 3/4 cup ketchup
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 3 tablespoons hoisin sauce
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 2 teaspoons chili garlic sauce (or to taste)
• 2 teaspoons minced ginger
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 2 scallions, white and light green part only, thinly sliced, for garnish

Instructions

1. MEATBALLS: Preheat an outdoor grill to medium-high heat (approximately 375 degrees) or preheat oven to 375 degrees.
   
2. Combine first 11 ingredients in a bowl. Add the ground chicken and mix well. Brush the meatball griller with canola oil. Form into 12 jumbo-sized meatballs and place in the wells of the griller.
   
3. Place meatball griller on the grill or in the oven. Cook for 15-18 minutes or until a meat thermometer inserted in the center registers 165 degrees.
   
4. SAUCE: While the meatballs are cooking, combine sauce ingredients in a saucepan. Bring to a simmer and cook 10-12 minutes or until heated through.
   
5. Serve sauce over meatballs. Garnish with sliced scallions.
   

Nutrition Information

Yield

4

Serving Size

4
Amount Per Serving Calories 723Total Fat 32gSaturated Fat 9gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 21gCholesterol 248mgSodium 3329mgCarbohydrates 60gFiber 4gSugar 34gProtein 52g

The nutritional information above is computer-generated and only an estimate. Please do your own research with the products you're using if you have a serious health issue or are following a specific diet.