Pineapple Teriyaki Chicken Meatballs are baked ground chicken meatballs with crushed pineapple, red bell pepper, scallion, garlic and fresh ginger mixed right in, then tossed in a glossy homemade teriyaki sauce made from the pineapple juice and reduced-sodium soy sauce. They take about 20 minutes to prep and 25 minutes to bake, make about 22 meatballs, and serve 4 over rice.
How to make them: Mix the ground chicken with the drained pineapple, bell pepper, panko, scallion, garlic, ginger, salt and pepper, and roll 22 meatballs. Bake at 400°F for 20 to 25 minutes, until they reach 165°F. While they bake, simmer the saved pineapple juice with water, soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic and ginger, thicken it with a cornstarch slurry, and toss the meatballs in the sauce.
Why You’ll Love Them
- Sweet and savory: pineapple in the meatballs and in the sauce.
- Baked, not fried: the meatballs cook on one tray while the sauce comes together on the stove.
- Homemade sauce: no bottled teriyaki needed, just pantry staples.
- A full dinner: serve them over rice with a green vegetable.
Ingredient Notes
Ground chicken: 1 pound. Ground turkey works too.
Crushed pineapple: 1/3 cup, canned, drained and pressed to remove extra liquid. Save the juice: you’ll need 1/2 cup of it for the sauce.
Panko breadcrumbs: 1/4 cup, to bind the meatballs.
Red bell pepper: 1/4 cup, finely diced.
Scallion, garlic and ginger: 1 scallion, thinly sliced; 1 large clove of garlic, minced; and 1 teaspoon of fresh ginger, grated or minced.
Salt and pepper: 1/2 teaspoon of each.
For the sauce: 1/2 cup of reduced-sodium soy sauce, 1/2 cup of water (low-sodium chicken broth also works), the 1/2 cup of reserved pineapple juice, 2 tablespoons of brown sugar, 1 more clove of garlic and 1/2 teaspoon of ginger.
To thicken: 1 1/2 tablespoons of cornstarch stirred into 2 tablespoons of cold water.
To finish: sliced scallions and toasted sesame seeds.
Ingredients
For the meatballs
- 1 pound ground chicken
- 1/3 cup crushed pineapple, drained and pressed (juice reserved)
- 1/4 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1/4 cup red bell pepper, finely diced
- 1 scallion, thinly sliced
- 1 large clove garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated or minced
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
For the sauce
- 1/2 cup reduced sodium soy sauce
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 cup pineapple juice, reserved from the crushed pineapple
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon ginger, grated or minced
- 1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons cold water
For serving
- Sliced scallions and toasted sesame seeds (optional)
How to Make Pineapple Teriyaki Chicken Meatballs
1. Heat the oven. Heat the oven to 400°F. Line a medium baking tray with parchment paper or spray it with oil.
2. Mix the meatballs. In a medium bowl mix the ground chicken, red bell pepper, drained and pressed crushed pineapple, panko, scallion, garlic, ginger, salt and pepper. Use a spoon or your hands.
3. Shape the meatballs. Divide the mixture into 22 parts and roll each into a meatball with wet hands. A medium cookie scoop makes even portions. Set the meatballs on the prepared tray. If you like, spray them with a little oil to help them brown; it is not necessary.
4. Bake. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the meatballs reach 165°F on a food thermometer.
5. Mix the sauce. While the meatballs bake, whisk the reserved pineapple juice, 1/2 cup water, soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic and ginger together in a bowl or measuring cup.
6. Make the slurry. In a small bowl stir 1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch into 2 tablespoons cold water until dissolved. Set it aside.
7. Thicken the sauce. Pour the soy and pineapple juice mixture into a medium or large skillet. Cook over medium heat, whisking, until the sugar dissolves. Add the cornstarch slurry and keep stirring until the sauce thickens.
8. Toss and serve. Move the baked meatballs into the skillet and toss to coat them in the sauce. Serve right away, garnished with sliced green onions and toasted sesame seeds.
How to Time It
This dinner comes together in about 45 minutes because the sauce cooks while the meatballs bake:
- First 20 minutes: heat the oven, drain and press the pineapple (saving the juice), mix the meatball ingredients and roll 22 meatballs onto the lined tray.
- While they bake: whisk the sauce ingredients, stir the cornstarch into cold water, and simmer the sauce in a skillet until the sugar dissolves and it thickens.
- At the end: check the meatballs for 165°F, move them straight into the skillet, toss, and serve right away while the sauce is glossy.
If you’re serving rice, start it before you roll the meatballs so everything is ready at once.
What Sauce Goes With Pineapple Teriyaki Meatballs?
A quick homemade teriyaki sauce built on the juice you drained from the pineapple. Every good version shares the same base: soy sauce, pineapple juice, garlic and ginger, sweetened and thickened with cornstarch. Here’s how to get it right:
- Save the juice. When you drain and press the crushed pineapple, keep the liquid. That 1/2 cup is the backbone of the sauce.
- Use reduced-sodium soy sauce. With a full half cup in the sauce, the lighter version keeps it from getting too salty.
- Dissolve the sugar first. Warm the sauce and whisk until the brown sugar melts before the cornstarch goes in.
- Make a slurry. Stir the cornstarch into cold water until smooth. Adding dry cornstarch straight to a hot sauce makes lumps.
- Keep stirring. Stir constantly after adding the slurry until the sauce turns glossy and thick, usually just a few minutes.
- Toss in the skillet. Add the baked meatballs straight to the pan and roll them around until every one is coated. You can let them simmer in the sauce for a minute or two.
Want it a little sweeter or tangier? Honey can stand in for the brown sugar, and a teaspoon or two of rice vinegar adds a bit of tang. A half teaspoon of sesame oil gives it a toasty finish.
Tips for Tender Chicken Meatballs
- Press the pineapple. Drain it well and press out the extra juice so the meatballs hold together.
- Wet your hands. Ground chicken is sticky. Dampen your hands before rolling each ball.
- Use a scoop. A medium cookie scoop makes 22 even meatballs that bake at the same rate.
- Check the temperature. Chicken meatballs are done at 165°F on a food thermometer. Check one or two from the middle of the tray.
- Brown them a little. A light spray of oil helps the tops brown, but you can skip it.
What to Serve With Them
These meatballs are made for rice. Spoon them and the sauce over steamed jasmine rice, egg fried rice or teriyaki noodles, then top with sliced green onions and sesame seeds.
For a one-tray dinner, roast broccoli florets and sliced red bell pepper on the other half of the baking sheet: spray them with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Allow a few extra minutes of baking, and still check that the meatballs reach 165°F.
Variations
- Ground turkey: use it in place of the chicken.
- Chicken broth: use low-sodium chicken broth instead of the water in the sauce.
- Pineapple chunks: toss a few pineapple chunks and sautéed bell pepper strips into the skillet with the meatballs.
- With an egg: for a firmer meatball, add an egg and a little more panko.
- Bigger or smaller: golf-ball-size meatballs make about 21; 1-inch balls make about 20.
Storage & Reheating
Refrigerator: Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours in shallow covered containers. They keep 3 to 4 days.
Freezer: Freeze leftovers for 3 to 4 months. Thaw them in the refrigerator, in cold water in a leak-proof bag, or in the microwave.
Reheating: Reheat covered in a skillet, the microwave or the oven until the meatballs reach 165°F and the sauce comes to a boil. Don’t reheat them in a slow cooker; if you’re serving them at a party, heat them first, then keep them warm in a preheated slow cooker.
Serving time: Don’t leave the cooked meatballs out for more than 2 hours, or 1 hour if it’s above 90°F.
More Teriyaki and Meatball Recipes
If you like these, try teriyaki chicken skewers, Hawaiian style teriyaki chicken or slow cooker chicken teriyaki. For more meatballs, make sweet and sour meatballs or chicken piccata meatballs.
Frequently Asked Questions
What to eat with chicken teriyaki pineapple meatballs?
Serve them over jasmine rice, fried rice or teriyaki noodles, with roasted broccoli and red bell pepper on the side.
What sauce goes with teriyaki pineapple chicken meatballs?
A homemade teriyaki sauce of pineapple juice, reduced-sodium soy sauce and water, sweetened and seasoned, then thickened with a cornstarch slurry.
What temperature should chicken meatballs reach?
165°F in the center, checked with a food thermometer.
How many meatballs does this recipe make?
About 22, using a medium cookie scoop. That’s enough for 4 servings over rice.
Do I have to spray the meatballs with oil?
No. A light spray helps them brown, but it isn’t necessary. Without it the tops stay a little paler, and once the meatballs are coated in the glossy teriyaki sauce nobody will be able to tell the difference.
Can I use ground turkey?
Yes. Ground turkey works in place of ground chicken; bake until the meatballs reach 165°F.
Final Notes
Get the rice going before you roll the meatballs and dinner comes together at the same time. If you try them with honey in the sauce, tell me in the comments how you liked it.
Pineapple Teriyaki Chicken Meatballs
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Ingredients
- 1 pound ground chicken
- 1/3 cup crushed pineapple canned, drained and pressed; keep the juice for the sauce
- 1/4 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1/4 cup red bell pepper finely diced
- 1 scallion green onion, sliced thinly
- 1 clove garlic large, minced
- 1 teaspoon fresh ginger grated or minced
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper ground
- 1/2 cup reduced sodium soy sauce for the sauce
- 1/2 cup water for the sauce; low-sodium chicken broth also works
- 1/2 cup pineapple juice reserved from draining the crushed pineapple; for the sauce
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar for the sauce
- 1 clove garlic minced, for the sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon ginger grated or minced, for the sauce
- 1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch for the slurry
- 2 tablespoons cold water to dissolve the cornstarch
- sliced scallions and toasted sesame seeds for garnish, optional
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 400°F. Line a medium baking tray with parchment paper or spray it with oil.
- In a medium bowl mix the ground chicken, red bell pepper, drained and pressed crushed pineapple, panko, scallion, garlic, ginger, salt and pepper. Use a spoon or your hands.
- Divide the mixture into 22 parts and roll each into a meatball with wet hands. A medium cookie scoop makes even portions. Set the meatballs on the prepared tray. If you like, spray them with a little oil to help them brown; it is not necessary.
- Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the meatballs reach 165°F on a food thermometer.
- While the meatballs bake, whisk the reserved pineapple juice, 1/2 cup water, soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic and ginger together in a bowl or measuring cup.
- In a small bowl stir 1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch into 2 tablespoons cold water until dissolved. Set it aside.
- Pour the soy and pineapple juice mixture into a medium or large skillet. Cook over medium heat, whisking, until the sugar dissolves. Add the cornstarch slurry and keep stirring until the sauce thickens.
- Move the baked meatballs into the skillet and toss to coat them in the sauce. Serve right away, garnished with sliced green onions and toasted sesame seeds.
