Tsukune, Japanese Chicken Meatballs, are tender, soft, and tasty skewers that you grill. With these kebabs, you serve a delicious homemade yakitori sauce, with which you baste the meatballs generously. A great recipe that is a real crowd-pleaser.
Japanese Chicken Meatballs
Tsukune means Japanese-style meatballs. And that's precisely what these Japanese minced chicken skewers are. By using chicken instead of beef or pork, these balls become leaner.
Season the chicken meatballs lightly and add some Panko and egg to bind the ground chicken. This ensures juicy, tender balls. The sweet Yakitori sauce is perfectly balanced and provides all those delicious flavors from Japanese cuisine.
Do you like Japanese? Then you'll love these Yakitori Chicken Skewers, Japanese Poached Salmon in Miso, or Beef Teriyaki with Broccoli.
This recipe is based on the basisboek Aziatisch (Dutch) by Jody Wassalon and Emily Ezekiel.
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What do you need for Tsukune?
To prepare these Japanese Chicken Meatballs, you need the following ingredients. You can find the correct amounts in the recipe card at the bottom of the blog:
Japanese Chicken Meatballs
- Ground chicken - For this recipe, I used minced chicken; ready-made is so easy. But of course, chicken breast or chicken breast fillet is also possible. When using those, grind them finely into mince in the food processor. You only need to add half of the panko because it contains less moisture.
- Eggs - Helps bind the meat and keep its shape during cooking.
- Salt - to flavor the chicken meatballs.
- Cornstarch - To thicken the sauce and give it a silky shine. Before adding, dissolve the cornstarch in water. That way, you won't get lumps. It also makes the meat a bit softer.
- Panko - Panko is the Japanese variation of breadcrumbs. It has the advantage that it tastes crumbly and fluffier. But if you don't have it, you could also use breadcrumbs.
- Ginger - Use fresh ginger root. Remove the skin with a vegetable peeler if you can't gain organic ginger.
- Sunflower oil - Brushing the chicken meatballs with oil before grilling will prevent them from sticking and make them easier to turn.
Teriyaki sauce
- Sake - A Japanese cooking wine, light in taste. You can replace it with Shaoxing (Chinese rice wine).
- Soy sauce - All-purpose soy sauce (or Japanese soy sauce). It's light soy sauce with more flavor (but you could use light soy sauce too)
- Mirin - Sweet Japanese cooking wine. Mirin is much sweeter than Chinese cooking wine (Shaoxing). If you're using the latter as a Mirin substitute, add ½ teaspoon of extra brown sugar.
- Confectioners sugar - To sweeten the sauce.
How to prepare Chicken Meatball Teriyaki
You can find a printable recipe with a step-by-step description at the bottom of this blog.
- Mix the ground chicken with the eggs, salt, cornstarch, panko, and ginger, and knead well.
- Roll the chicken mince mixture into balls and place on a cold plate. Let it set in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
- Thread three balls onto a skewer and brush with some oil. Heat the griddle pan and fry the skewers, occasionally turning, until done and fully cooked.
- Meanwhile, make the sauce by heating sake, soy sauce, mirin, and powdered sugar over medium heat until boiling. Make a paste of cornflour with water, and when the sauce boils, add it to the teriyaki sauce. Bring back to a boil while stirring, and simmer until thickened.
Put the skewers on a plate and drizzle with the Teriyaki sauce. Serve with the remaining of the sauce. Delicious with rice and a cucumber salad.
Garnish with some thinly sliced spring onions.
Tips and Variations
- Sticks - If you use bamboo sticks, soak them in cold water for an hour, so they don't burn when you grill.
- Prevent falling apart - Make sure you don't flip the chicken meatballs until they are well browned. A second option is to cook the chicken meatballs in boiling water for 5 minutes. Allow to cool, and then thread onto the sticks.
- Sticky - Is it difficult to roll the meatballs because the meat sticks to your hands? Then wet your hands before rolling.
- Variations -
- Make Japanese chicken burgers instead of balls by flattening the meat with your hand.
- You can also make these meatballs without skewers and fry them in the frying pan
Did you make this recipe? Tag #byandreajanssen via Instagram. I enjoy seeing what your creation looks like. Video recipes can be found on my YouTube channel. And don't forget to save the recipes on Pinterest so you can easily find them next time!
Recipe
📖 Recipe
Servings: kebabs
Equipment
- Grill pan
Ingredients
Japanese Chicken Meatballs
- 1 pound ground chicken
- 2 eggs size L, slightly whisked
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 cup panko
- 2 tablespoons sunflower oil
Teriyaki Sauce
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger fresh and grated
- ⅓ cup sake
- ½ cup Japanese soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon Mirin wine
- 1 tablespoon confectioners sugar
- ½ teaspoon cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon water
Ingredients you need per step are listed below the step in Italic
Instructions
Japanese Chicken Meatballs
- Mix the ground chicken with the eggs, salt, corn starch, panko, and ginger, and knead well, so it is mixed.1 pound ground chicken, 2 eggs, ½ teaspoon salt, 1 tablespoon cornstarch, 1 cup panko
- Make balls about 1 inch (2½ cm) in diameter from the chicken mix and place them on a cold plate.
- Cover with plastic foil and leave in the refrigerator for a minimum of 30 minutes (so that they won't fall apart in the pan).
Teriyaki Sauce
- Make the sauce by adding sake, soy sauce, mirin, and confectioners sugar into a pan and then warm on low heat until it boils.1 tablespoon fresh ginger, ⅓ cup sake, ½ cup Japanese soy sauce, 1 tablespoon Mirin wine, 1 tablespoon confectioners sugar
- Put the cornstarch and water in a small bowl and stir until the cornstarch is dissolved. Add this to the sauce when it boils.½ teaspoon cornstarch, 1 tablespoon water
- Turn the heat low and simmer the sauce, so it thickens (takes about 3 minutes). Cover the sauce, so it stays warm.
Grilled Tsukune
- Let the grill (pan) become hot.
- Stick three chicken meatballs on a skewer and brush with some oil.2 tablespoons sunflower oil
- Grill the kebabs while occasionally turning them until they are done and brown.
- Take the skewers from the grill, drizzle some sauce on top and serve immediately.
Notes
1. Ground chicken - You can also use chicken breast or chicken breast. When using those, grind them finely into mince in the food processor. You only need to add half of the panko because it contains less moisture.
2. Cornstarch - Before adding, dissolve the cornstarch in water. That way you won't get lumps.
3. Ginger - Use fresh ginger root. Remove the skin with a vegetable peeler if you can't gain organic ginger.
4. Substitute ingredients
- Panko - Breadcrumbs
- Japanese Soy Sauce - light soy sauce or Ketjap Asin
- Sake - You can replace it with Shaoxing (Chinese rice wine).
- Mirin - Shaoxing with ½ teaspoon of brown sugar.
- Make Japanese chicken burgers instead of balls by flattening the meat.
- You can also make these meatballs without chopsticks and fry them in the frying pan.
- Refrigerator (not grilled) - Make the meatballs one day in advance and store them covered in the fridge.
- Freezer (not grilled) - Place them on baking paper on a baking tray and let them freeze separately. The next day, take them out of the freezer and put them in plastic bags or freezer boxes. This way, they stay good for up to 2 months.
- Refrigerator (grilled) - Store the Japanese Minced Chicken Skewers covered in the fridge for up to 2 days
- Freezer (grilled) - Store the Tsukune in a freezer bag or box for up to 2 months.
Nutrition
Calories: 193kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 14g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 0.04g | Cholesterol: 90mg | Sodium: 1092mg | Fiber: 0.5g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 59IU | Iron: 1mg
nancy says
Japanese Chicken Meatballs always comes in handy for the barbecue parties. We made a big batch and and leftovers for pasta and salads too! Super tasty and tender
Andréa says
Thank you. It's great for a barbecue party!