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Glazed Japanese Chicken Meatballs on Skewers

By Kristin Donnelly

4.6

(10)

Image may contain Food and Meatball
Glazed Japanese Chicken Meatballs on SkewersDavid Malosh

These skewered meatballs are a quintessential Japanese bar food, a great drinking snack that can be turned into a larger meal with rice. Flavored with plenty of garlic and ginger and brushed with a sweet-and-savory soy glaze, these meatballs are a great defense of ground chicken, which can be bland if not seasoned well.

Recipe information

  • Yield

    Makes 16 meatballs on 8 skewers

Ingredients

Sauce:

1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup dry sake
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons sherry vinegar, plus more, for seasoning

Meatballs:

1 1/2 pounds ground chicken or turkey, preferably dark meat
1 tablespoon minced shallot
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
1 teaspoon minced garlic (1 small clove)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil

For serving:

Sesame seeds
Thinly sliced scallion greens
Steamed rice (optional)

Preparation

  1. For the sauce:

    Step 1

    In a small saucepan, combine the soy sauce, sake, sugar and vinegar and bring to a boil. Boil over high heat until thickened to a glaze, 2 to 3 minutes. Taste and season with a fresh splash of vinegar, if you like.

  2. For the meatballs:

    Step 2

    Preheat the grill for at least 10 minutes, preparing to grill over moderately high heat, and soak 8 double-pronged bamboo skewers or 16 single skewers in water.

    Step 3

    In a bowl, use your hands to mix together all of the ingredients except for the sesame seeds and scallion greens.

    Step 4

    Form the meat mixture into 16 meatballs. Thread the meatballs onto the skewers, leaving just a little space in between and flatten slightly.

    Step 5

    Oil the grates well and grill the meatball skewers until light grill marks form, 3 to 4 minutes. Flip and grill for 2 minutes longer, until the outside of the meatballs looks cooked.

    Step 6

    Brush the sauce over the meatballs, flip and brush the other side. Flip them and brush them with the sauce constantly for about 1 minute, until glazed and cooked through. If the sauce darkens too quickly, reduce the heat or move the skewers to a cooler part of the grill.

  3. To serve:

    Step 7

    Transfer the skewers to a platter and sprinkle with sesame seeds and sliced scallions. Serve over rice, if desired.

TagsSkewerMeatballJapaneseEast AsianAsianGround ChickenChickenPoultryGingerHerbs & SpicesMainStarterSnackDinnerDairy FreeNut FreeGrillingEpicurious

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