Description
These mini sweet and spicy sesame chicken meatballs are a flavorful blend of ground chicken, scallions, and a hint of ginger, baked to perfection with a sweet and savory glaze.
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 1 pound packages of ground chicken or turkey
- 6-8 scallions, diced very finely. Reserve some for serving.
- 1 small piece of fresh ginger, peeled and grated. (optional) I use a microplane for this.
- 1-2 small Thai chili peppers, minced very finely. You can also use a jalapeno pepper or a bit of ground red chili powder. Thai peppers are very hot, but I love them!
- 1/2 teaspoon of ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon of smoked paprika
- 3 1/2 tablespoons of sesame seeds, divided. Reserve about 1 1/2 tablespoons for rolling the meatballs and sprinkling over them upon serving. (see notes)
- 10 diced apricots or 1/3 cup diced dried dates, your choice. Make sure you dice them very fine.
- A generous drizzle of honey plus more for drizzling at the end of cooking.
- Sea salt or kosher salt to taste.
- Fresh herb of your choice: flat leaf parsley, mint, Thai basil, regular basil or cilantro would all be great. Use a good handful, about 1/4 cup, chopped.
- Neutral oil for pan frying the meatballs. I used peanut oil.
- Lemon or lime wedges for serving. Sprinkling of scallions for serving.
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, combine the ground chicken or turkey, diced scallions, grated ginger, soy sauce, sesame oil, honey, rice vinegar, sesame seeds, salt, and pepper.
- Mix the ingredients thoroughly until well combined.
- Wet your hands with cold water and form the mixture into small meatballs, about 1 inch in diameter.
- Place the meatballs on the prepared baking sheet, leaving a little space between each one.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 12-15 minutes, or until the meatballs are cooked through and golden brown.
- Remove from the oven and let them cool slightly before serving.
- Garnish with reserved scallions and chopped fresh cilantro or parsley before serving.
Notes
For a spicier kick, add a pinch of red pepper flakes to the mixture. These meatballs can be made ahead and stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat in the oven before serving. Serve with a side of steamed rice or as an appetizer with toothpicks.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Appetizer
- Cuisine: Asian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 320
- Sugar: 6
- Sodium: 750
- Fat: 18
- Carbohydrates: 12
- Fiber: 1
- Protein: 28
- Cholesterol: 95