Japanese-style chicken meatballs, flavorful and tender.
This is one of those foods that come in many different variations in Japan. They are served primarily on a stick but you can get them in soups, bentos, as a main dish, etc. It became a family favorite almost instantly (it needed some tweaks at first). I'm giving you my dinner recipe here, which I usually serve on a bed of Japanese rice with a side salad or sauteed enoki mushrooms.

Ingredients

  • 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
  • 1 teaspoon minced ginger
  • 1 teaspoon minced garlic
  • ¼ cup tamari
  • ¼ cup cooking sake
  • ¼ cup mirin
  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon sesame seeds
  • 10 ½ ounces ground chicken
  • 1 egg
  • 3 green onions, chopped
  • ½ carrot, grated
  • ¼ cup panko bread crumbs, or to taste
  • 2 tablespoons red miso paste, or more to taste
  • 2 tablespoons grated ginger
  • 1 tablespoon potato starch
  • 1 tablespoon crumbled seaweed
  • 1 tablespoon tamari, or more to taste
  • 1 tablespoon cooking sake, or more to taste
  • 1 teaspoon soy sauce
  • 1 teaspoon white sugar, or more to taste
  • 1 teaspoon ground paprika, or more to taste

Directions

  • Step 1:
    Heat oil in a small pot over low heat. Add 1 teaspoon ginger and garlic; cook and stir until slightly browned, about 2 minutes. Stir in 1/4 cup tamari, 1/4 cup sake, mirin, brown sugar, and sesame seeds; simmer until glaze is slightly thickened, about 5 minutes.
  • Step 2:
    Combine ground chicken, egg, green onions, carrot, bread crumbs, miso, 2 tablespoons ginger, potato starch, seaweed, 1 tablespoon tamari, 1 tablespoon sake, soy sauce, white sugar, and paprika in a large bowl; mix well into a thick paste, at least 5 minutes.
  • Step 3:
    Preheat grill for medium heat and lightly oil the grate.
  • Step 4:
    Roll ground chicken mixture into balls the size of your palm. Flatten them slightly into patties. Grill until well-browned, 3 to 4 minutes. Flip and continue grilling until browned on the second side, 2 to 3 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 165 degrees F (74 degrees C).
  • Step 5:
    Brush glaze over meatballs before serving.