Description
This Freezer Teriyaki Chicken Meatballs with Broccoli recipe features tender chicken meatballs flavored with ginger, garlic, and green onions, baked to perfection and served with lightly blanched broccoli. Accompanied by a homemade teriyaki sauce that’s both savory and slightly sweet, this meal is freezer-friendly, making it a convenient and tasty option for busy weeknights.
Ingredients
Scale
Meatballs
- 2 lbs ground chicken
- 4 eggs
- 1 tbsp ginger, grated
- 6 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 3 green onions, light and dark parts, chopped
- 1 tsp salt
Broccoli
- 1 lb broccoli, florets
Teriyaki Sauce
- ¾ cup low-sodium soy sauce or tamari
- ⅓ cup honey
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tbsp ginger, minced
- 1 tbsp chili paste
- 1 tbsp lime juice
- 1 tbsp corn starch
- ¼ cup water
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C) to ensure it’s ready for baking the meatballs.
- Mix Meatball Ingredients: In a stand mixer or by hand, combine ground chicken, eggs, grated ginger, minced garlic, panko breadcrumbs, chopped green onions, and salt. Mix gently until all ingredients are fully incorporated without overworking the mixture.
- Shape Meatballs: Using a cookie scoop or heaping tablespoon, portion out about 35 meatballs. Dip your hands in water before rolling to achieve smooth surfaces on the meatballs.
- Prepare for Baking: Place the shaped meatballs onto parchment-lined rimmed baking sheets evenly spaced to allow for cooking.
- Bake Meatballs: Bake the meatballs in the preheated oven for 20 minutes, flipping or rotating the pans halfway through to ensure even cooking and browning.
- Blanch Broccoli: While meatballs bake, bring a large pot of water to a boil and add broccoli florets. Cook for 2 minutes, then transfer immediately to a colander and rinse under cold water to stop cooking. Allow broccoli to dry.
- Prepare Teriyaki Sauce: In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, combine soy sauce, honey, minced garlic, ginger, chili paste, and lime juice. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Mix cornstarch with water to create a slurry, then add it to the sauce and simmer for 2 more minutes until thickened.
- Cool and Store: Once meatballs are cooked and cooled, place them along with blanched broccoli and the teriyaki sauce (in a separate small airtight bag) into a large freezer bag. Remove as much air as possible, seal tightly, and freeze flat for up to 3 months. Raw meatballs can be frozen similarly after flash freezing on a baking sheet for one hour.
- Reheat and Serve: To bake from frozen, run the sealed bag under warm water briefly to separate ingredients. Preheat oven to 400°F, arrange meatballs and broccoli on a greased or parchment-lined baking sheet, and bake for 20 minutes. Serve over rice or noodles with the prepared teriyaki sauce drizzled on top.
Notes
- Freezing raw meatballs requires flash freezing them spread out on a baking sheet before bagging to prevent sticking.
- Cook time for raw and precooked meatballs when baking from frozen is the same, but precooked ones will have a deeper golden color.
- Using water on your hands when shaping meatballs helps achieve smooth, uniform shapes.
- Serve this dish over rice or noodles to complete the meal.
- The teriyaki sauce makes about 1 ½ cups, enough for the whole recipe and some extra for serving.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4-5 meatballs with broccoli and sauce (approx. 1/8th of recipe)
- Calories: 320
- Sugar: 10g
- Sodium: 450mg
- Fat: 10g
- Saturated Fat: 2.5g
- Unsaturated Fat: 5g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 22g
- Fiber: 3g
- Protein: 30g
- Cholesterol: 120mg
