Healthy Recipe: Teriyaki Chicken Meatballs

Teriyaki Chicken Meatballs in Lettuce Cups

Recipe by Ivy Manning | Photo by Erin Kunkel

You won’t be able to resist these juicy chicken meatballs, studded with sweet pineapple and glazed with sticky teriyaki sauce. You could serve them with brown rice or buckwheat noodles and steamed veggies. But it’s even more fun to tuck them into butter lettuce leaves and eat them with your hands, like tacos.

INGREDIENTS

For the meatballs:
1 lb (500 g) ground chicken or turkey, 95 percent lean
½ cup (3/4 oz/20 g) whole-wheat Panko bread crumbs
1 large egg, beaten
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
2 tablespoons finely chopped canned pineapple, drained and patted dry, juice reserved
2 cloves garlic, minced
1½ teaspoons finely grated fresh ginger
1 green onion, minced
Salt and freshly ground pepper

For the teriyaki sauce:
¼ cup (2 fl oz/60 ml) pineapple juice (from the canned pineapple, above)
3 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons sake
2 teaspoons finely grated fresh ginger
1 clove garlic, minced
1½ teaspoons cornstarch

1 large head butter lettuce, leaves separated
2 cups (16 oz/500 g) bean sprouts
2 large carrots, shredded

INSTRUCTIONS

To make the meatballs, in a large bowl, combine the ground chicken, bread crumbs, egg, sesame oil, chopped pineapple, 2 cloves garlic, 1½ teaspoons ginger, green onion, 1/8 teaspoon salt, and a generous grind of pepper. Stir gently until well combined. Chill the mixture for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C). Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil, spray with cooking spray, and set aside.

Using clean and slightly damp hands, shape the mixture into 20 meatballs, about 2 tablespoons each, placing them on the prepared baking sheet as you work. Bake, without turning, until the meatballs are just cooked through and no longer pink at the center, about 18 minutes. (An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of a meatball should read 165°F/74°C.)

While the meatballs are baking, make the teriyaki sauce: In a small saucepan, whisk together the pineapple juice, soy sauce, sake, 1½ tablespoons water, 2 teaspoons ginger, 1 clove garlic, and cornstarch. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat and cook, stirring constantly, until thickened and bubbly, 1 minute. Set aside.

Adjust the oven rack so that it’s 6 inches (15 cm) below the broiler element and turn the oven to broil. Brush the meatballs with some of the teriyaki sauce and broil until browned in places, about 1 minute.

Arrange the lettuce leaves, bean sprouts, and carrots on a large platter. Reheat the remaining teriyaki sauce over low heat until warmed. Transfer the meatballs to a serving bowl and pour the sauce over them. Let guests build their own lettuce wraps, topping lettuce leaves with a few meatballs and a sprinkling of bean sprouts and carrots to eat taco-style.

Makes 4 servings

 

Nutrition Facts (per serving)

Calories 311
Protein 24 g
Total fat 14 g
Saturated fat 3 g
Carbs 20 g
Fiber 3 g
Total sugar 6 g
Sodium 625 mg