Teriyaki Turkey Meatballs

Super easy to put together, these Teriyaki Turkey Meatballs use seasoned, ground turkey and get some added crunch from diced water chestnuts. As they brown in the skillet a quick, homemade teriyaki sauce gets poured over and cooks until they’re coated and glossy.

Here is another in my Meatball Series for you. If you’re a regular reader here you know my affinity to meatballs.

I love mixing it up with textures and flavor and  instead of grilling some chicken teriyaki the other evening I decided on making my teriyaki meatballs instead.

This ground turkey recipe works, but feel free to use ground chicken, too.

I like to add a little Asian twist with these and add diced water chestnuts, soy sauce and cilantro in the mix.

With a few other pantry ingredients easily on hand these come together in no time at all.

In a hot skillet they go to brown all over.

How to Make Teriyaki Sauce

I keep the homemade teriyaki sauce recipe simple and pretty true to an authentic 4 ingredient version using soy sauce, miren, water and sugar.

I like to use brown sugar, and with a little cornstarch, the sauce is glossy and has a wonderful flavor that compliments the ground turkey meatballs.

If you like you can substitute the water for pineapple juice for another layer of flavor, although this is completely optional and not keeping it authentic. But I like to switch it up occasionally. 🙂

Enjoy!

Teriyaki Turkey Meatballs

Super easy to put together, these Teriyaki Turkey Meatballs use seasoned, ground turkey and get some added crunch from diced water chestnuts. As they brown in the skillet a quick, homemade teriyaki sauce gets poured over and cooks until they're coated and glossy.

5 from 6 votes

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Course: Appetizer, Dinner, Main

Cuisine: Japanese

Keyword: cocktail meatball, teriyaki sauce, turkey meatballs

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes

Servings: 4

Calories: 303kcal

Author: Kevin Is Cooking

Ingredients

Meatballs

• 1 lb ground turkey
• 1 egg
• 1 cup Panko breadcrumbs
• 8 oz can water chestnuts diced
• 1 tsp sesame seeds
• 1 tsp soy sauce
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• pinch red pepper flakes
• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro separated

Teriyaki Sauce

• 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup sake (See Note 1)
• 1/4 cup mirin
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 tbsp cornstarch

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

• Chop cilantro leaves and set aside. Drain the water chestnuts and dice small. Set aside.
• In a bowl mix together the ground turkey, egg, Panko, water chestnuts, sesame seeds, soy sauce, kosher salt, red pepper flakes and 1/4 cup chopped cilantro.
• Using a small scoop (1-2 tablespoon) make the meatballs and roll into balls with your hands. Place on a baking sheet or plate and refrigerate for 15 minutes while you make the teriyaki sauce.
• In a small bowl or directly in a small saucepan, mix together all the teriyaki sauce ingredients with a whisk until cornstarch is absorbed and there are no lumps. Bring to a simmer over medium heat until thickened and it turns into a glossy sauce. Set aside.
• Heat oil over medium high heat in a large skillet. Add all the meatballs and cook, rolling until brown all over, about 5 minutes.
• Turn heat to low. Stir teriyaki sauce and add to skillet, being sure to coat the meatballs. Cook for a minute or two shaking skillet to roll meatballs in the teriyaki sauce.
• Serve over rice, garnished with remaining chopped cilantro and sesame seeds (optional).

Notes

1. Substitute sake with Chinese cooking wine or a dry sherry.

Nutrition

Calories: 303kcal | Carbohydrates: 31g | Protein: 31g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 103mg | Sodium: 1170mg | Potassium: 485mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 225IU | Vitamin C: 1.2mg | Calcium: 45mg | Iron: 2.7mg

Have you made this recipe? Let me know on InstagramTag @KevinIsCooking and hashtag me #keviniscooking!