Sticky Ginger Chicken Meatballs with Noodles
Sticky Ginger Chicken Meatballs with Noodles. Super saucy, extra sticky, glazey chicken meatballs in a ginger sesame sauce. Served over noodles and with mushrooms, scallions, and spicy chili flakes. The perfect combination of sweet and spicy for a fun Asian inspired weeknight dinner !!
Always down for an asian flare dinner to make a boring old weeknight a little more fun. And this one is sooo good. Especially this sauce. It’s one of my favorite asian inspired sauces we have made yet. I am kind of wanting to try it wish salmon or cod too…it literally just pairs well with anything. It’s super thick and sticky and can give any chicken or fish the perfect shiny glaze.
And you can pair these meatballs with just about anything you want. Any starch or any veggie. But we went with scallion noodles and mushrooms. And topped it with lots of spicy chili flakes to make it the perfect combination of sweet and spicy. Lots of gingery, sesame, pomegranate glaze goodness with all of your favorite pairings. I would be so down to try this with broccoli or Brussels sprouts also. Or over top of rice would be super good too.
Anyway, halfway through the week for me and I could not be happier. It’s been pretty cold this week, so this dinner was definitely a good one to cozy up with. But later this week it’s supposed to get warmer which I am super happy about. And I am going to be at the beach, so warm weather is always welcome at the beach ;)) cheers to that !!
Ingredients
For the Chicken Meatballs
1 1/2 pounds ground chicken
1 egg
1/2 cup Panko breadcrumbs
3 scallions; green part only & finely chopped
1 inch ginger; finely chopped
1 garlic clove; finely chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons sesame oil
1 tablespoon soy sauce
black pepper and salt
For the Sauce
2 tablespoons sesame oil
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup pomegranate juice
3 tablespoons hoisin sauce
3 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 teaspoon crisp chili oil
1 teaspoon corn starch
For the Mushrooms
2 tablespoons butter
7 ounces shiitake mushrooms; sliced
salt and pepper
For the Noodles
1 pound noodles
4 tablespoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons sesame oil
1 inch piece ginger; minced
2 garlic cloves; minced
1 bunch scallions; cut into 1 inch pieces
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Directions
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
In a large bowl, add the chicken, egg, Panko, scallions, ginger, garlic, sesame oil, soy sauce, and pepper. Add salt if needed. Mix until combined. Roll into 2 inch size, round meatballs. There should be about 15 meatballs. Transfer to the the baking sheet and spray with vegetable oil. Transfer to the top rack of the oven and cook until browned for about 15 minutes.
Make the sauce. In a small saucepan, add the sesame oil, soy sauce, pomegranate juice, hoisin, honey, rice vinegar, and crisp chili oil. Bring to a boil. Cook for about 10 minutes or until thickened. Add the cornstarch mixed with about 1 teaspoon of water and cook for another few minutes or until very thick. Coat the meatballs with the sauce and return to the oven for 2 - 3 minutes.
In a medium skillet, melt the butter. Add the mushrooms. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook until caramelized on all sides for about 10 minutes. Set aside.
Cook the noodles according to package directions. Drain well and rinse with cold water. Add the noodles to a large bowl. Add the soy sauce and sesame oil. Heat the vegetable oil in a large pot, add the garlic and ginger. Cook for about 1 minute or until sizzling. Add the scallions and cook for another 1 - 2 minutes. Add the cooked noodles. Toss until combined and heated through for about 5 minutes.
Serve noodles topped with meatballs, mushrooms, scallions, sesame seeds, and additional crisp chili oil.
