My love for meatballs runs deep. It’s an easy, weeknight meal option that doesn’t require a lot of thinking. You throw all the ingredients into a bowl, mix, and form them into balls. Pop them in the oven, make a quick pan sauce, and you’ve got a delicious, well-rounded meal on the table for everyone to enjoy!

Sticky Glazed Ginger Meatballs - Olivia Adriance

These Sticky Glazed Chicken Ginger Meatballs are a prime example of this easy meatball method.

Now, a lot of meatball recipes call for flour and egg, but I’ve been successful in making a few meatball recipes entirely gluten-free and egg-free including this one. (Be sure to try my Marry Me Chicken Meatball recipe too). A bit of almond flour helps bind the ground chicken while a blend of veggies and saucy ingredients ensures they stay moist while baking.

But the real reason you should keep this Asian chicken meatball recipe on rotation is for the glaze! This sticky, tangy, and slightly spicy sauce comes together in a few minutes. It’s divine when served with jasmine rice as all the saucy goodness spreads into the rice. My mouth is watering just thinking about it.

I can’t wait for you to try this meatball dish and let me know what you think. I never regret making a double batch — they’re a great leftover — and I bet you won’t either… Enjoy!

Key Ingredients for Sticky Glazed Chicken Ginger Meatballs

Ready to make sesame chicken meatballs? Here’s what you’ll need:

Ground Chicken: I always keep ground meat in my freezer. It’s easy to defrost on a weeknight and a quick answer to “What’s for dinner?” Ground chicken can be a bit bland on its own, which is why it’s important to add lots of flavorful ingredients. Ground turkey or pork are great subs if that’s what you have on hand.
Veggies: Grated carrot and thinly sliced green onion are added to the meatball mixture to amp up their taste. This is a sneaky way to add some extra veggies into a picky eater’s meal too!

Sticky Glazed Ginger Meatballs Ingredients - Olivia Adriance

Herbs and Spices: These wouldn’t be Asian-inspired if it weren’t for a few crucial ingredients. Fresh ginger provides a nice zing in the meatballs and the sauce, while garlic powder has an underlying soft tone that isn’t too pungent. Fresh basil may seem like an odd addition here, but it gives a nice herbaceous flavor. If you can find Thai basil, I’m sure that would be absolutely delicious but regular basil is great too.
Coconut Aminos: This gluten-free soy sauce alternative can be found in the condiment aisle, often next to the soy sauce. It adds an umami punch to the meatballs and sauce. Once reduced, it becomes deliciously sweet and tangy at the same time. I use it in a lot of my recipes (like my Saucy Soy-Free Teriyaki Chicken Thighs and my Honey Sriracha Glazed Salmon Bowls), so it’s worth seeking out during your next grocery run.

How to Make Sticky Glazed Chicken Ginger Meatballs

MAKE THE MEATBALLS

Preheat the oven to 400°F. In a large bowl, combine the ground chicken, almond flour, ginger, basil, carrot, green onion, garlic powder, coconut aminos, fish sauce, sriracha, salt, and pepper. Mix until just combined. Avoid overmixing as this will lead to tough, dry meatballs.

Using damp hands — I coat mine in avocado oil to avoid the meat from sticking to my fingers —, form the meatball mixture into 2-inch balls (about the size of a golf ball).

Sticky Glazed Ginger Meatballs Step 1 - Olivia Adriance

Sticky Glazed Ginger Meatballs Step 2 - Olivia Adriance

Add the meatballs to a parchment-lined baking sheet pan and bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes. Broil for 1 to 2 minutes, or until golden brown. Watch the meatballs as they’re broiling to avoid them from getting too charred!

Remove the meatballs from the oven.

MAKE THE GLAZE

In a large nonstick skillet over medium-low heat, add the glaze ingredients (coconut aminos, honey, rice vinegar, sriracha, ginger, garlic powder, and sesame oil).

Bring the glaze to a simmer and continue to simmer until the sauce is thick and coats the back of a spoon, about 3 to 5 minutes.

Sticky Glazed Ginger Meatballs Step 3 - Olivia Adriance

Sticky Glazed Ginger Meatballs Step 5 - Olivia Adriance

SERVE THEM UP

Add the cooked meatballs to the glaze, tossing to coat them well. Remove from the heat.

I like to serve them over rice alongside steamed or roasted broccoli and a sprinkling of sesame seeds. Enjoy!

Recipe Variations for Sticky Glazed Chicken Ginger Meatballs

What can I substitute for almond flour?

The flour helps bind the meatballs together and ensures they keep their shape while baking. Oat flour would be a good substitute for almond flour, or if you aren’t gluten-free, you can swap the almond flour for all-purpose flour.

Can I use ground turkey instead of ground chicken?

Absolutely! They’ll be equally delicious.

What’s a good replacement for coconut aminos?

Made from coconut sap, coconut aminos are a gluten-free, soy-free soy sauce alternative. It’s sweeter than soy sauce. If you don’t have it on hand, you can replace it with low-sodium tamari or soy sauce, but not 1:1 as these are much saltier than coconut aminos. I would suggest halving the amount of tamari or soy sauce and cutting it with some water to reach the same amount.

What about fish sauce? Is there a substitute there?

Fish sauce gives a very distinct flavor. If you don’t have it, feel free to omit it completely.

Other Meatball Recipes To Try

Print Recipe

5 from 1 vote

STICKY GLAZED CHICKEN GINGER MEATBALLS

Easy, homemade baked meatballs tossed in a sweet and tangy sauce. Yum! These gluten, dairy, and egg-free glazed ginger chicken meatballs are an easy way to knock it out of the park on a weeknight dinner!

Ingredients

For the Meatballs:

1 pound ground chicken
¼ cup almond flour
1 tablespoon fresh ginger grated
¼ cup fresh basil chopped
⅓ cup carrot grated (about 1 large carrot)
¼ cup green onion (white and green parts) thinly sliced
½ teaspoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon coconut aminos
2 teaspoons fish sauce
1-2 tablespoons sriracha
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper

For the Glaze:

½ cup coconut aminos
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1-2 tablespoons sriracha
1 teaspoon fresh ginger grated
½ teaspoon garlic powder
2 teaspoons sesame oil

For Serving:

Prepared rice (such a jasmine rice)
Steamed or roasted broccoli
Sesame seeds to garnish

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400°F.
In a large bowl, combine the ground chicken, almond flour, ginger, basil, carrot, green onion, garlic powder, coconut aminos, fish sauce, sriracha, salt, and pepper. Mix until just combined.
Using damp hands (I coat mine in avocado oil to avoid any sticking), form the mixture into 2-inch meatballs.
Add the meatballs to a parchment-lined baking sheet pan and bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes. Broil for 1 to 2 minutes, or until golden brown.
Remove the meatballs from the oven.
In a large nonstick skillet over medium-low heat, add the glaze ingredients (coconut aminos, honey, rice vinegar, sriracha, ginger, garlic powder, and sesame oil).
Bring the glaze to a simmer and continue to simmer until the sauce is thick and coats the back of a spoon, about 3 to 5 minutes.
Add the cooked meatballs to the glaze, tossing to coat them well. Remove from the heat.
Serve over rice alongside steamed or roasted broccoli and a sprinkling of sesame seeds. Enjoy!

Notes

Feel free to double the recipe as these keep well for the next day! Just heat them up on a pan along with the glaze for a few minutes, or until warmed through.