We’re combining a few of my favorite dinner recipes into one today and I couldn’t be more excited. If you’ve been making AK recipes for a little while you know my love for super unique, flavorful meatballs runs deep (UM HELLO, the best ginger chicken meatballs in peanut sauce) and today I have a new meatball recipe that will knock your socks off.
These sesame chicken meatballs are super juicy and absolutely delicious paired with crispy broccoli. Everything is simmered in a wonderful sweet and spicy sesame ginger sauce that’s lick-the-plate good. There are hints of fresh ginger and herbs, plus some red chili paste in every bite for a little spice. Add your fav sides like my fluffy coconut rice for the perfect sesame chicken meatball bowls that make the best meal prep!
This recipe combines all of the best parts of a stir fry with flavors from this yummy noodle dish and throws it in an irresistible bowl of flavor that you’ll come back to time and time again. I’ve included tons of different ways to serve these meatballs so that no two times will be the same! What are you waiting for?! Cook everything up in one pan and enjoy the perfect weeknight dinner.
What you’ll need to make these sesame chicken meatball bowls
There’s something so satisfying about a warm bowl of delicious flavors that all come together. These protein-packed bowls have juicy sesame chicken meatballs, crisp stir-fried broccoli, an incredible sauce and your fav grains to tie it all together. OH and you’ll just need one pan for the meatballs and veggies! Here’s what you’ll need to make them:
- For the sweet & spicy sauce: you’ll need soy sauce, some water, sesame oil, sesame seeds, fresh ginger, red chili paste, garlic, brown sugar and arrowroot or cornstarch to thicken it up.
- For the meatballs: we’re using some lean ground chicken, an egg, panko breadcrumbs, diced up cilantro & green onion, fresh ginger, garlic, cayenne pepper, salt & pepper to get super flavorful, juicy meatballs. You’ll also need toasted sesame oil to cook them.
- For the broccoli: all you’ll need is chopped up broccoli and sesame oil!
- For serving: we love to serve these meatballs with my famous coconut rice and garnish the bowls with scallions, cilantro and chopped roasted peanuts. SO GOOD.
Customize your meatball bowls
The ginger sesame chicken meatballs and the bowls themselves are easy to customize with what you have on hand. Here’s what I can recommend:
- Make them gluten free: feel free to use gluten free breadcrumbs or 2-3 tablespoons of coconut flour to keep the meatballs gluten free. Be sure to also use gluten free soy sauce, coconut aminos, or tamari.
- Swap your veggies: we love these bowls with broccoli, but green beans or brussels sprouts would also be delicious! Feel free to add more veggies, too, like red bell pepper, carrots, snow peas, and mushrooms.
- Go paleo and/or grain free: use the above method for making the meatballs gluten & grain free, and then serve everything with cauliflower rice, sweet potato noodles or zucchini noodles! You’ll also want to use coconut sugar in place of the brown sugar, and coconut aminos in place of the soy sauce to keep the sauce paleo.
More protein options
If you’re out of ground chicken feel free to use ground turkey or even cubed chicken breast in this recipe.
Make this recipe vegan or vegetarian
To keep it vegan or vegetarian, use extra firm tofu and follow this method:
- Remove all excess water and liquid from the tofu by pressing it out.
- Cube the tofu and use it instead of chicken in step 3. You’ll want to get it nice and crispy and golden as much as you can.
- Follow the rest of the recipe as written!
Get extra saucy
feel free to double the sauce mixture in the recipe. We’ve had comments that readers felt like there wasn’t enough sauce, but this is likely due to the fact that the heat was too high and evaporated/cooked down most of the sauce quickly.
How to make sesame chicken meatball bowls
You’ll just need one pan and a few simple steps to put these delicious bowls together!
- Make your sauce. Start by whisking together the sweet & spicy sauce until it’s well combined.
- Shape the meatballs. Add all of the ingredients for the sesame chicken meatballs to a large bowl and use clean hands to form 16 golf ball sized meatballs. See our tip below for preventing any sticking!
- Cook the meatballs. Next, cook all of the meatballs completely in a little sesame oil. You may need to do this in batches depending on how large your skillet is.
- Cook the broccoli. Remove the cooked meatballs from your skillet and crisp up the broccoli in a little more sesame oil. Make sure it still has a bite to it but has some nice golden char in places!
- Mix in the sauce. Add your meatballs back to the skillet with the broccoli and pour over that sweet & spicy sauce. Cook everything on low for a couple minutes to let the sauce thicken up a bit.
- Make your side & serve! Finally, add your meatballs and broccoli to a bowl with some cooked rice (or any of the sides we love below) and top with scallions, cilantro and chopped peanuts, if you’d like!
Don’t forget this trick when forming meatballs
If you’re using your hands to form meatballs, I recommend wetting your hands, coating them in a little olive oil or spraying them with a little nonstick cooking spray to prevent the mixture from sticking. So easy!
Try adding these to your sesame chicken meatball bowls
As I mentioned, these meatballs are incredible served with my go-to coconut rice recipe, but they’re also amazing served with:
- My homemade green rice
- Black rice (or forbidden rice)
- Sweet potato or zucchini noodles
- Cauliflower rice for a grain free, low carb option
- Fluffy quinoa
- Rice noodles — try adding the meatballs & broccoli to this recipe!
Make-ahead chicken meatballs
Looking to save a little time? You can actually make these meatballs ahead of time and cook them up when you’re ready.
- Mix and form the meatballs as directed in the recipe.
- Cook them as directed and store them in the fridge for up to 2-3 days until you’re ready to continue with the recipe, OR place them raw on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Tightly cover the meatballs with plastic wrap.
- Put the raw meatballs in the fridge until you are ready to cook them. You can prep these meatballs 1-2 days ahead of time.
- Once ready to cook, simply follow the recipe as written. Start at step 4 of the recipe if you’ve already cooked your meatballs ahead of time.
Freezer-friendly meatballs 2 different ways
- Cook first, then freeze: simply place your ginger sesame chicken meatballs, sauce and broccoli in a freezer-safe, airtight container or bag and freeze it all for up to 3 months. *Be sure to not overcook the broccoli when freezing. When you’re ready to enjoy, let your container of meatballs, sauce & broccoli thaw in the refrigerator for a few hours or overnight, and then empty the contents into a pan on the stovetop. Heat them in your pan until they’re nice and warm, and then serve!
- Freeze before cooking: you can also freeze these meatballs before cooking them! Form your meatballs as instructed, place them on a baking sheet, and put them in the freezer for 1-2 hours. This is called a flash freeze. Then, transfer your frozen meatballs to an airtight, freezer-friendly bag or container and place in the freezer for up to 3 months. To thaw them, simply place them in the refrigerator for a few hours or overnight and then cook them in your skillet as directed in the recipe.
More one pan meals you’ll love
- One Pan Sazon Skillet Chicken
- Sheet Pan Moroccan Chicken with Sweet Potatoes & Cauliflower
- One Pan Ginger Chicken Meatballs with Peanut Sauce
- One Pan Creamy Thai Peanut Chicken Couscous
- Firecracker Chicken Meatballs with Cilantro Coconut Pineapple Rice
Get all of our delicious one pan meals here!
I hope you love these sweet & spicy sesame chicken meatball bowls! If you make them be sure to leave a comment and a rating so I know how you liked them. Enjoy, xo!
Ambitious Kitchen
Cookbook
125 Ridiculously Good For You, Sometimes Indulgent, and Absolutely Never Boring Recipes for Every Meal of the Day
Sweet & Spicy Sesame Chicken Meatball Bowls
Ingredients
- Sweet and Spicy Ginger Sesame Sauce:
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
- 1 tablespoon red chili paste (such as sambal oelek)
- 1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar (or coconut sugar)
- 1 teaspoon arrowroot starch (or sub cornstarch)
- For the meatballs:
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- 1 pound lean ground chicken (or sub ground turkey)
- 1 egg
- ½ cup panko or gluten free breadcrumbs
- 2 green onions, finely diced (about ¼ cup green onion)
- ½ cup finely diced cilantro
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ tablespoon fresh grated ginger
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ½ teaspoon salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- For the broccoli:
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- 3-4 cups broccoli florets
- For serving:
- Coconut rice or brown rice
- Scallions
- Cilantro
- Chopped roasted peanuts
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together soy sauce, water, sesame oil, sesame seeds, red chili paste, ginger, garlic, brown sugar and arrowroot (or corn) starch.
- In a large bowl, add the ground chicken, egg, breadcrumbs, green onion, cilantro, garlic, ginger, cayenne, salt and pepper. Use clean hands to mix and form into 16 golf ball sized meatballs.
- Place a large deep skillet over medium-high heat and add in sesame oil. Add the meatballs and brown on all sides and cook until done and the meat thermometer reads 165 degrees F. This should take about 10-12 minutes total. You may need to do this in batches, depending on how many meatballs you can fit in your skillet without overcrowding them. When the meatballs are done cooking, transfer them to a plate and set aside. Keep the heat in the pan.
- Wipe the skillet clean and add in 1 tablespoon sesame oil. Next add in broccoli florets, and cook, stirring frequently, for 6-8 minutes or until broccoli is slightly tender but still has a bite. The broccoli should get somewhat charred and slightly golden and crispy in places. Yum!
- Add chicken meatballs back to the pan with the broccoli and pour the sauce over, simmer on low until the sauce thickens slightly, about 2-5 minutes.
- Serve over rice of choice (we love my coconut rice!) and top with scallions, cilantro and chopped peanuts if desired.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Recipe by: Monique Volz // Ambitious Kitchen | Photography by: Eat Love Eats
447 comments
Healthy eating habit will add years to your life
Great recipes. Simple yet fantastic . Easy to make yet tasty on palate. Thank you so much!
So happy to hear you enjoyed these, Dayne! Thanks so much for the review 🙂
Incredible meatballs! Loved all of the flavors in this dish. We substituted the egg with greek yogurt and added some extra veggies. My husband’s coworkers kept asking him what he was eating for lunch because the leftovers smelled so good!
#AKDinnerParty
YAY, I’m so happy you all are loving it! Thanks so much, Lynn ❤️
I used smashed chickpeas instead of chicken and a flax egg to make this recipe vegan and it turned out better than I could ever imagine. The flavors were absolutely delicious! I can’t wait to share this recipe with friends.
Oh that’s incredible!! So happy the chickpeas worked well in here!
This recipe was fantastic! I used ground beef instead of chicken. I e never made homemade meatballs before and these were so easy! Definitely would make again!
Oh I’m so happy they were easy and that you loved them, Christine! 🙂 ❤️
Wow! I just made this and it got a lot of thumbs up here!👍 Very good flavour and easy to make. If you are a “saucy” person, I recommend doubling the sauce, you can never have too much of a good thing! One small thing I noticed is that the recipe doesn’t mention where to add the sesame seeds in the directions but clearly after looking at where they are in the ingredients list, you add to the sauce.
I am also trying to up my veggie intake so I added red peppers with the broccoli, it works well and adds nice colour. Thanks so much for another great recipe Monique!
SO happy to hear you guys loved this recipe! And thanks so much for noticing the missing seeds in the instructions–we’ll update that!
Sooo good! I substituted the breadcrumbs with gf breadcrumbs I had on hand – delicious!!
I think I’ll be making a couple of batches of meatballs ahead of time and freezing – then they will always be on hand!
Great swap! So happy you loved these. And yes EXCELLENT idea to freeze them!
Another fantastic meatball recipe from AK! This one is definitely a bit spicy, but it was just right. I subbed lean ground pork for the ground chicken, and I liked the way they turned out with the pork. The only thing I would change is that I think I might try baking the meatballs next time (I find it easier to do and easier to multi-task). Overall a very tasty and flavorful recipe I plan to make again!
So happy you enjoyed it! A few other readers have commented saying they baked the meatballs with success 🙂
These were incredibly delicious and I cannot wait to make my family eat them every single week because I will be craving them again and again!
Yay!! I’m so thrilled to hear you loved them. Hope the fam does, too!
Made these last night and they were so delicious! I double batched the recipe and baked the meatballs at 375 for 15 minutes and they turned out delicious. I then used the sauce more as a dressing and have lots leftover that I’ll use with remaining meatballs, but can also see it on other chicken, salmon and more YUM!
Awesome! Such a good idea to double the recipe. Glad you loved it!!
My husband and I absolutely LOVED this recipe! This has been added to our list of staple meals. Super flavorful, perfect spice level + great with the AK coconut rice. Make it!
Yay!! I’m so glad you guys tried and loved it!
Holy Flavor Town!
This recipe is amazing!!! It’s spicy and fresh all at once. The Turkey (or chicken) meatballs are so so delicious!
I don’t loveee ginger so I added more red chili paste to balance it out.
My husband requested this be added to my rotation of favorite recipes. So so good!
Haha RIGHT?! So much flavor! So happy you guys enjoyed it 🙂
Didn’t have cilantro and baked the meatballs instead of frying but otherwise followed the recipe exactly and it was delicious! Served with your coconut rice recipe and my husband loved it. Thanks!
Love that idea! SO happy you guys enjoyed it 🙂
This recipe was great! I made the. Meatballs and sauce ahead of time and it was a super easy weeknight meal!
Such a smart idea! Happy it was easy and delish 🙂
Great recipe, easy to make and very tasty and flavorful. I will definitely make it again!
Yay! I’m so happy you enjoyed it, Hila!
This was INCREDIBLE. A little more time intensive than I anticipated but the flavors were amazing. I used Trader Joe’s rice crumbs for my GF breadcrumbs. So, so good and got the 👍🏻 from the fam.
Woohooo! Happy you and the fam loved this recipe so much 🙂 Great idea to use those rice breadcrumbs!
Delicious! The flavors went so well together! I couldn’t find toasted sesame oil so I substituted regular sesame oil instead. I also cooked the broccoli a little before sautéing because my family likes it more soft. We will make this again!
So happy that you guys loved this dish! Totally fine to use regular sesame oil (the flavor just won’t be as strong) 🙂
These were so delicious and easy to make! They have the perfect amount of spice and sweetness. Our whole family loved them. 🤩
Wonderful!! So happy to hear you guys loved them 🙂
OMG these meatballs were UNREAL!!! We love AK meatballs in our house (I’ve made them all) and these are definitely the best ones. The sauce is too good! We served this over your coconut rice (another winner). Thank you Monique for inspiring me in the kitchen with your amazing recipes!
Omg best?! YAY. So happy you guys loved these so much! Great call on the coconut rice 🙂
Made this with snap peas instead of broccoli…. The balance of sweet and spicy was excellent! We loved it, and my husband said it was restaurant quality! I accidentally added sesame oil to the meatball mixture instead of the pan….oops…. Luckily that didn’t hurt anything. I think the meatballs would be good in a lettuce wrap, may try that next!
So glad you guys loved it! Great idea to use snap peas in here. And YES to lettuce wraps 😍
I followed the recipe almost exactly as presented and served with brown rice (I didn’t have TOASTED sesame oil or cilantro). I made the meatballs in my Dutch oven which worked perfectly with very little mess. I will definitely be making this again – the sauce was delicious and the additions to the meatballs made them flavorful and juicy! Thanks for a great recipe!
Happy you loved this dish, Natalie!! Thanks so much for the review.
This was really good- we didn’t have red chili paste so I added sweet chili sauce from Trader Joe’s and skipped the sugar. Served with brown rice.
So glad to hear that, Tara! Happy you guys enjoyed this one 🙂
Made this tonight and they were so delicious!!! Left out the cilantro because we have a cilantro-hater in the family but the meatballs were still so flavorful. 10/10 recommend
Yay!! Happy you all loved it 🙂
This dish was amazing!!! Can’t wIt for leftovers tomorrow! I used coconut aminos, gluten free panko and arrow root flower to make gf.
Awesome! So happy you loved it, Julie 🙂
This recipe rocks. The meatballs were great, well paired with the broccoli and the sauce was amazing. While we had hoped to have leftovers for lunch, my husband and I finished the entire dish between the two of us. 10/10 would recommend and will definitely make again.
Haha NICE! Hard to not eat the whole pan! Happy you guys enjoyed it 🙂
I love pretty much everything from Monique/ Ambitious Kitchen – and this one is going down in the the weekly dinner night recipe options. My boyfriend and I cooked it tonight and both loved it and wouldn’t change a thing. THANK YOU!
Amazing!! SO happy you guys loved these, and thank you! ❤️
It was great! It was a little sweet for me, so I doubled the chile paste since we love things spicy AF. My boyfriend especially loved it, and asked if it was from the “meatball chick” (I’ve made a few AK meatball recipes recently, all to rave reviews!)
Nice!! So happy you guys loved them. And LOLLLL that’s too funny 😂
tomorrow I am making ONe Pot Cheesy Mushroom dish! Its funny.. I made the pecan bars and brought them over a friends house and she called me the next day and said, her husband wanted to know who made them and I need the recipe. I just said, Ambitious Kitchen. thank you for all your recipes. Wonderful!
AMAZING! So glad you guys loved those. Enjoy the pasta!!
I just love your recipes. My son and I make the Pecan Bars all the time. I just made tonight- Sweet and spicy sesame Chicken. So Delicious! Love the Chicken with the green beans also. You are a great cook and creator!! Thank you Jean
Yay!! Happy to hear you’re loving everything. Thanks so much for your kind reviews 🙂
This recipe doesn’t make much sauce so I was worried the dish would be a bit bland once I served it with rice but boy was I wrong! Tons of flavour without having to add a thing. Definitely a keeper!
Awesome!! So happy it turned out well and that you loved it, Kait 🙂
Absolutely unreal. Better than takeout!
Yay!! Happy you loved it, Courtney!
This will be made again! Very tasty and easy to prepare and cook. I used turkey mince and added some peas and shredded carrot for extra bulk.
Awesome! So glad you loved it. And those are great additions!
This was my first time using ground chicken in meatballs and we loved it! I was out of breadcrumbs and didn’t have coconut flour, so I subbed 1/2 c almond meal. The meatballs were a little sticky but I used your tip to oil my hands and it worked like a charm! Loved this meal, can’t wait to try some of your other meatball recipes!
Nice, so happy that the almond flour + your oiled hands worked well and that you enjoyed these!
I’ve made many AK recipes (always good) but this was next level! I left out the cayenne and added a tiny bit of extra red pepper flakes and it was perfectly sweet with a nice little kick.
I made this tonight and it was so delicious, but I was disappointed that there wasn’t more sauce. Is it ok to double the sauce next time?
Yes absolutely! It can reduce quickly if the pan is hot, so you I’d recommend keeping the heat really low at the end.
Thank you. I”ve been dreaming about these meatballs all week. Can’t wait to make them again!
Yay! Enjoy!
I would choose this recipe over takeout any day. The meatballs are SO flavorful and the sauce is a winner. My husband said we should use this sauce recipe anytime we make stir fry from now on.
Excellent meal! My husband commented on how tender the meatballs were. The meal overall had wonderful flavor and a little heat which we always appreciate. I will be putting this on my list of meals to make again.
Loved this recipe! Definitely will be making this again and again! Similar to a few other posts I baked the meatballs and they turned out great, Highly recommend this option for multi-tasking. Thanks again for a great recipe Monique!
Yay!! I’m so happy you enjoyed them, Liz 🙂
Yum! Super easy and tasted so good 🙂
Best chicken meatballs I have ever made! Paired with the coconut rice, just perfection!!! Will for sure make it again very soon.
This recipe is amazing and so easy to make! We subbed turkey for chicken and it was a huge hit. Can’t wait to make it again. As always ambitious kitchen never disappoints!
Delicious and easy. Entire family enjoyed these meatballs.
I’m so glad to hear that!!
This was great! I made with turkey, and skipped the chili until on the plate so my kids could enjoy. I will definitely make again-I’ll Remove the broccoli from the pan, then add the sauce to cook it down a little then add everything back to the pan to coat.
SO glad you loved it, Sally! 🙂
This is a great dinner! I love how flavorful the broccoli gets with the sauce.
These meatballs were CRAZY good. I’ll probably make them again on their own as part of weekly meal prep. Loved the sauce – the right balance of spicy and sweet. Served this over brown rice and absolutely loved it. Adding it to my rotation and sharing it with my clients! Thanks for a great recipe!
Yay!! I’m so happy you loved this recipe, Leslie! Thanks so much for the review and for sharing it, too ☺️
Delicious! Next time, I would skip forming the meat into meatballs and just sautee it with the mix-ins. I also recommend doubling the yummy sauce.
Totally fine to do that–bet it would still taste amazing! Glad you loved it 🙂
5 stars, sooo delish, Flavours are amazing!! Made with your coconut rice. Only thing I’ll say is it took me way longer than 40 mins to make, a little labour intensive, BUT totally worth it!
Good to know about the time. I’m happy it was worth the effort!!
Absolutely loving this recipe! I’ve made it twice in the last 2 weeks 🙌 It’s that good & the whole family loves it! Make the jasmine rice in my IP.. Mix up the meatballs then cook them in my air fryer while I get the broccoli going in the skillet then combine.. So easy & delicious! & I do double the sauce 😉 Thank you for sharing!!
I’m so glad to hear that!! One of my fav family dins, too 🙂
I’ve made this recipe a handful of times, it’s a favorite! My boyfriend raves about them. The meatballs turn out perfect. So yummy.
YAY I’m so glad you both love this one!!
Is there any way to make the meatballs on the stove and then make the sauce in a crockpot? Looking for a recipe I can prep earlier in the day and have all ready for guests when hosting.
Hi, there! The sauce is mixed in a bowl and poured in toward the end, so you can definitely make the meatballs in a skillet or even bake them on a sheet pan ahead of time. Then you can cook the broccoli and add the meatballs and sauce to the pan right before serving 🙂 Hope that helps!
Very tasty! I don’t love spicy food but this was the perfect amount. My picky bf loved it. Thanks as always!
Amazing! I’m so happy you both loved it ❤️
#AKDinnerParty these bowls are so delicious and easy to make! I love the sauce!!
Woohoooo thanks for coming to the party!!
Love this recipe! It’s easy and so delicious and satisfying with lots of flavour. I made it for the second time tonight for dinner and instead of doing the meatballs in the pan I baked them for 20mins at 400F. I found this a little more simple for me (plus quicker to get to safe internal temp) and thought they maintained shape better! Then I just added them to the pan after cooking broccoli and added the sauce with them and stirred. Can’t wait to try more of your recipes!
Great idea to bake the meatballs and glad it worked well! Thanks so much for the review, Natalie ☺️
My husband made this for me and it was so delicious. We used ground turkey because we had it and the flavors were so yummy. We were practically licking the bowls!!
I’m so happy you both loved this one, Sarah! Thank you!
This was the perfect weeknight recipe! It’s easy, simple, and so delicious. Made it with tofu and tasted yummy, will definitely make these again! #AKDinnerParty
So glad you loved it! Happy to hear that the tofu worked out well, too.
#AKDinnerParty Just made this as written and it was delicious! Definitely glad I doubled the sauce!
Amazing! Glad you enjoyed!
First time making any sort of meatball & this recipe was super easy & packed with flavor. Absolutely delicious! I used just a half teaspoon of chili paste so my kids could enjoy. Will definitely make again!
#AKDinnerParty So good!
Love that! Such a great weeknight dinner. Glad you enjoyed and thanks for joining the Dinner Party!
We hosted our AK Dinner Party tonight and the sweet and spicy sesame chicken meatballs we aaaaamazing!! So easy to put this meal together and the flavors were sensational. Not to spicy just enough to awaken your tastebuds!! We doubled the batch so we can enjoy again!!
Love that! So happy it was a hit!
Absolutely amazing flavors. I didn’t change a single thing about the recipe. I doubled the sauce at the suggestion of others- but seriously satisfying meal! Will make again 💯
Perfect! Glad you enjoyed!
This was delicious! Will definitely make again!
So glad it was a hit!
This was so easy to put together and was SO FLAVORFUL!! I loved the kick of the dish, as well as the sweetness. Will definitely be making again! Rice and broccoli went super well with this dish! #AKDinnerParty
The perfect combo! So happy that you loved it!
I made this tonight and my husband and I loved it! I followed the recipe almost to a “T”. The only minor modifications made were 1) using ground turkey and 2) using Siracha sauce since that’s what we had on hand. I can definitely see why this is a popular recipe. Half way through dinner my husband jokingly asked, “what’s the name of the recipe? It should be called ‘amaze-balls!,’” Will be making this one again!
Perfect swaps! Haha maybe I should change the name, too 😉 glad it was a hit!
Lots of great flavour. Easy to make and a great make ahead meal. I added red peppers and shredded carrots for some added veggies. Will definitely make again
Love the boost of veggies! Glad you enjoyed 🙂
Lots of great flavour. Easy to make and a great make ahead meal. I added red peppers and shredded carrots for some added veggies. Will definitely make again! #AKDinnerParty
Perfect! Glad you enjoyed!
5 stars, so delicious!! A few things I changed: I didn’t have fresh ginger so I used ground. Also didn’t have green onions so I used onion powder. Didn’t have cilantro so I used dried parsley. I decreased the amount of coconut sugar since I used coconut aminos which is sweet already. I also used a soy free Korean red chili paste.
I’m glad those swaps worked well! Perfect dinner!
#AKDinnerParty. This was such an easy meal for a week night and so tasty. My husband ate two big bowls!
Love it!! Glad you both enjoyed 🙂
It’s super tasty! I didn’t put the full spicy into the dish because I can’t handle too spicy but the little I put in really gave it a great flavor. I would 1/2 the sauce because it caused my broccoli to get mushy.
#AKDINNERPARTY! Forgot to hashtag my
Comment 🤪
Glad you enjoyed! Thanks for joining the AK Dinner Party 🙂
Wow this was really flavorful! Meatballs were juicy and I felt like I was eating at a restaurant. Thanks for sharing this recipe!
Love it! Glad you enjoyed!
I voted for this recipe on Instagram and was glad it was chosen for this month’s dinner party! This was delicious! We doubled the recipe to make sure we would have extras, and served with rice and broccoli! Would love to try it with the coconut rice and peanuts next time. #AKDinnerParty
Yay! So happy to hear that 🙂
Another great recipe that is a hit with my husband and young kids! I love recipes that are versatile, and this is be you can change things up, if need be! I use coconut aminos, and find that it needs more water in the sauce part, so I always add just under a cup. I also increase the cornstarch a tad as well. It makes extra sauce, which is a plus! Don’t be afraid of the spice in this one, as it is a pretty mild kick…my kids love it. Very tasty! Thank you!
#AKDinnerParty
So glad it was a hit with everyone! Thanks for joining the Dinner Party 🙂
#AKDinnerParty I was a skeptic going into this one because generally I feel like homemade Asian dishes are never as good as takeout, but this proves my theory wrong! It is saucy, filling and delicious!
So glad you loved it!
I made the sweet & spicy meatballs and paired it with the ambitious kitchen’s recipe for coconut rice! I have one incredibly satisfied (and happy) family right now! I love recipes with complex flavor profiles and this one fit the bill. Thank you for another amazing recipe AK team! #AKDinnerParty
The perfect combo! Glad everyone loved it!
This was so delicious! I didn’t have chicken so I used ground turkey. The whole family loved it! #AKdinnerParty
Perfect! So happy to hear that!
This was SO GOOD! Bursting with flavor and the meatballs were very tender. I roasted broccoli and carrots and sauteed mushrooms before adding the meatballs back in and mixing with sauce. #AKDinnerParty
Love it! Perfect dinner 🙂
This recipe is incredible. It’s so easy and extremely flavorful! It’s an excellent weeknight meal. I used ground beef because that’s what I had on hand, and I served it over quinoa. I can’t wait to make it again!
#AKDinnerParty
Perfect! Glad you loved it!
Delicious, healthy, easy – the ultimate home run of a recipe. I made using ground Turkey and Served with a combination of cauliflower rice and brown rice. The sauce..YUM. It was a hit for the whole family!
Perfect! So glad everyone loved it!
This was absolutely delish and so fun to make! Never would have thought of Asian meatballs will definitely make again #AKdinnerparty
Such a fun project 🙂 glad you loved them!
Amazing flavor and the texture of the meatballs was 10/10! #AKDinnerParty
Glad you enjoyed!
Spectacular! These are part of our weekly rotation made with coconut rice!
#AKDinnerParty
Love that! Perfect weeknight dinner 🙂
#AKDinnerParty – Christine Callahan, [email protected]
SO GOOD! Great weeknight dinner, easy to make and so tasty. Served over brown rice and used only 1 Tbsp of brown sugar. 10/10 would make again!
Love it! Perfect for busy weeks!
These were tasty, but not my favorite. I did double the sauce as suggested but my sauce didn’t get very glazey. #AKDinnerParty
Thanks for giving these a try Mollie! Did you make sure to add the arrowroot starch or cornstarch? That should make the sauce thicken up nicely so that it gets that glazed look.
As always, Monique hits this out of the park. SO GOOD!!! I used ground beef because I had to use it up, and added red peppers and onions to the broccoli. GF breadcrumbs. Also made her coconut rice with it. Will absolutely be in the rotation!!
Perfect! So happy you loved them!!
Just made this recipe for dinner and it was delicious! I got 5 good sized servings out of it instead of 4 with some brown basmati rice. After reading though the instructions, I decided to brown the meatballs in the skillet, then roast them in the oven with the broccoli to speed things up (cooking things in batches tests my patience 😂). Then I combined everything in the pan again at the end and it worked perfectly for me! #AKdinnerparty
Great idea! So easy. Glad you loved these!
This recipe was great! I roasted the broccoli in the oven as I made my meatballs bigger and they took up the whole pan. I also only added 1/2 TBSP of chili paste and it was just the right amount of heat for me. Another great recipe from Ambitious Kitchen! #AKdinnerparty
Perfect! Great idea. Glad you enjoyed, Christa!
I made this recipe as part of #AKDinnerParty- so good! I baked the meatballs, replaced the red chili paste with sriracha, doubled the broccoli, & doubled the sauce (although it wasn’t needed – way too much sauce that way)! Then served it over your coconut rice recipe- definitely a hit and will be a repeat recipe!
Love it! People have run into having too little sauce if it evaporates too much, but next time feel free to use the regular amount 🙂
Absolutely delicious! Definitely recommend doubling the sauce (we like more sauce, no such thing as “extra”). We liked it topped with chopped toasted peanuts. I think next time, I will try gluten free breadcrumbs instead of GF flour, just to see how the texture changes.
Perfect! So glad you enjoyed!
This was a delicious recipe that I was totally able to customize for my kids who can’t handle spicy. There were a lot of ingredients which made it a bit more time consuming, but it was all worth it in the end! Thanks for a fun recipe and a fun way to cook with a community! #AKDinnerParty
Absolutely! Once you have the ingredients, too, it opens the door to so many other fun recipes 🙂 Thanks for joining the dinner party!
Really loved this dish & so did my family! Left out cilantro in 1/2 of the meatballs as my daughter doesn’t like… worked well. Delicious, nutritious & filling! Thank you.
Oh I’m so glad you all loved it! Thanks for coming to the party 🙂
This recipe is actually a regular in our house. So delicious. Kids thought it was too spicy so I just pull a couple meatballs out for them before adding the sauce for the grown ups 🙂 #AKDinnerParty #FamilyFavorite
I love that! So happy you and the fam all enjoy this one, Hannah ❤️
Very good flavor! I made with cauliflower rice husband approved too!
Love that! So glad you both enjoyed it 🙂
I made this for the first time last week for the family. I used ground turkey instead of chicken and left out the cayenne pepper (for the sole purpose of less complaining of spice from the kids). Everyone LOVED it! #AKDinnerParty
Forgot to rate it 😉
Oh thank you! I’m so glad you loved it, and totally fine to leave out the cayenne!
This was a hit in our house! We made it with brown rice and broccoli and I thought they were the perfect pairings. It is very gingery so if you’re not a fan of ginger maybe cut back on the amount added. But we love ginger so it was a winner. #AKdinnerparty
Happy you loved them! And I’m a huge ginger fan haha but yes you can definitely reduce the amount. Thanks, Stacy!
The whole family loved it! My daughter jumped of the vegetarian train to give it a try and loved it! She’s actually falling off the train a lot when I make AK’s recipes! “They just small so good”
Forget to mention… the coconut rice was a game changer… I’ll be making that again to!
Ughhh… wish you could edit posts… I’m well aware it’s too NOT to (where are my glasses when I need them!
Me again… 😂… tho recipe made for a great #AKDinnerParty…. Phew
Hahaha I love this thread! SO glad that everyone loved this one. Isn’t coconut rice just THE BEST? 🙂
I loved this meal! I thought it might be too spicy for me, but it was just the right amount. I made this gf using gf breadcrumbs and tamari, and it was delicious! Definitely making this one again!
#AKDinnerParty
Woohooo! So happy you loved it, Stacy!
The only alteration we made was using ground turkey instead. This recipe was super delicious and I did not miss our normal take out when we made it for Friday dinner. The coconut rice was an extra indulgence that me and my husband both enjoyed. Can’t wait to have the leftovers later on.
Forgot to mention #AKDinnerParty
So happy it turned out amazing! Thanks for the review, Vanessa 🙂
Oh. My. Gosh! I can’t get over how perfect this recipe is. I love Asian cuisine and trying Asian restaurants, so I usually end up disappointed when I try to make Asian food at home. But oh boy, this recipe came to impress! I minced chicken breasts in the blender but otherwise made exactly as described. And it was honestly one of the best things I’ve ever cooked. Thank you!!
#akdinnerparty
Aw that’s amazing to hear, thank you!! I’m thrilled you loved this one so much ☺️
This recipe is definitely a winner, the flavor of the meatballs was excellent. I have Celiac’s so I made them gluten free and as usual Monique’s advice on the blog for how to accomplish that was 10/10. I served them with the coconut rice and broccoli I baked in the oven so I wouldn’t have to wait for it. Once it was done, I added the broccoli and sauce to my cooked meatballs and simmered for ~5 minutes. When I make it again, I will definitely double the sauce.
#AKDinnerParty
So glad they turned out amazing! Thanks for coming to the party, Olivia 🥳
#AKDinnerparty This recipe is soooo delicious! Not only is the sauce amazing, but the meatballs themselves are very flavorful, and a nice change from sliced meat that would typically be in a stir fry.
Aw thank you, Christy! You’re the best!!
#AKDinnerParty. The sauce was delicious! I would add more salt to the meatballs next time and double the sauce.
Good to know, thanks! Happy you enjoyed the sauce 🙂
I am sorry to report that this has not been an easy one for me! Second time around, I doubled the sauce, but struggled with the meatballs falling apart/sticking. For next time, I will use baked and then frozen meatballs (third time’s a charm?). I like the flavors but find I am having to make lots of tweaks to make it work!!
Hi, Emiley! Oh I’m sorry to hear that you’ve had issues with the meatballs falling apart! What kind of pan are you using to cook them? I wonder if it’s not that non-stick?
Baking them is a great idea. I recommend baking them on parchment paper to reduce sticking 🙂
Really yummy. My 3 year old and 18 month old also loved it! #AKDinnerParty
Aw I’m so glad!! Thanks, Karen 🥰
Amazing! Easy to make. On the hot/spicy side but I love that! Lessened the cilantro and green onion to my family’s taste. Wish I added more broccoli. Next time. Thank you for sharing this recipe!
Oops #AKDinnerParty
So glad you tried and loved it! It’s a super flexible recipe so those adjustments are totally fine!
Now my second time making these! I do double the sauce because I typically like more sauce in pretty much everything. My favorite thing about the recipe is that it makes for great leftovers all week! Super easy to make and the whole family loved it! Absolutely adding to our rotation.
My husband and I loved this recipe! We followed it exactly and really enjoyed the sesame ginger flavor with some heat at the end. We will definitely make it again! #AKDinnerParty
I’m so happy to hear that! Thanks so much for the review 🙂
This recipe is amazing! So delicious. I was so nervous to make meatballs. Worried about making them and knowing they were cooked. However they came out perfect! I made them gluten free so I used coconut flour and they came out perfect. I love the blend of sweet and spicy. Everyone at work was jealous and kept asking what I was eating when they smelled the deliciousness. #AKDinnerParty
I’m SO glad they turned out amazing! And hahaha yes everyone needs to make it! 🙂
So delicious! The sauce is perfection. Sadly my grocery store was out of ground chicken so I made with plant-based ground instead and it was still great!
#AKDinnerParty
I’m so happy you loved it and that the plant-based sub worked well!
This recipe was easy and delicious. Perfect for a week night dinner. It was the perfect amount of spice for me and I just left out the sauce when serving my toddler. I will make again. Thanks!
#akdinnerparty
I’m so glad you’re loving it! Thanks for coming to the party ☺️
#AKDinnerParty Made this last night with udon noodles, green beans and zucchini. 12 year old son gave 2 enthusiastic thumbs-up! And my husband said it was delicious as well. They fought over the remainders in the pan! This recipe was so easy and will have a place in our meal rotation as there are so many serving variations possible.
Aw I’m so glad to hear that!! Maybe double the recipe next time 😂 Thanks, Melissa!
#AKDinnerParty
I made this for my immediate family plus my mom & dad. My mom has gone on to make it for Sunday dinner for the extended family. So I would say “It gets a Thumb’s Up!”
I made a few changes: 1. because I am not a huge fan of cilantro, (nor did I look up a good substitute), eliminated it all together, with no regrets. 2. I forgot to purchase scallions, therefore I replaced with a small amount of white onion. I do not tend to be that good in the kitchen, so my changes probably make those of you that have a kitchen clue, cringe, but I do know that my family members who are used to my “cooking”, really ejoyed it.
I’m so happy you all enjoyed this one! And those are great changes! Totally fine to leave out the cilantro or replace it with parsley 🙂
So delicious! I used ground turkey and subbed in almond flour and coconut flour instead of using breadcrumbs. The flavors in this dish are so good!
#AKdinnerparty
I’m happy you loved them, Bridgid! Thanks so much for the review 🙂
Made these last week! They were super good! I loved the charred broccoli, I had a hard time cooking the meatballs all the way through but I think it was my pan.
#AKdinnerparty
Happy you loved them! You can turn the heat down a bit and cover the pan to make sure they’re fully cooked, or even bake the meatballs if you prefer!
This is a new favorite in our household! For the nights when I’m short on time I may try making this with ground meat instead of meatballs. So satisfying and filling!
I’m so glad!! And ground meat is a great time-saver 🙂
This was delicious. I added brussel sprouts with the broccoli and it was awesome. We like more sauce so I doubled the sauce recipe. My husband said it was still as good but he next day warmed up as his lunch!
#AKdinnerparty
So glad you tried and loved it, Lisa! Love the addition of brussels sprouts and great call to double the sauce 🙂
These are so good!!! Also added zucchini and it was great.
Great addition! So glad you loved it 🙂
Another winner recipe! The flavor profile was so authentic and the texture was so complimentary. The sweet and spicy ginger sesame sauce really worked so well with the meatballs and broccoli. This is a great meal prep dinner/lunch and we liked to serve it over arugula or mix greens. Recommend this one! #AKDinnerParty
Yaaay I’m so happy you’re loving it, Shannon! Thanks for coming to the party 🥳
The flavor was great and easy to make! #akdinnerparty
I’m so glad you tried and loved it!
These were pretty easy to pull together and really flavorful. They were a bit spicy for my 18 month old though so next time I’ll reduce the spice. I made 1.5x the sauce and that was the perfect amount for the meatballs, 1 romanesco, and 1/2 a bell pepper.
#akdinnerparty
I’m so glad you liked them! Good call on reducing the spice next time for your little one 🙂
Loved this! I replaced the chicken with turkey, but next time I’m going to try the chicken! I also replaced the rice with spaghetti squash, so delicious! I ran out of peanuts but i toasted some pecans to top it with. Definitely saving this recipes!!
@marieleeskitchen
Those are all great subs! So happy to hear you loved it 🙂
Worth the hype! Had it with cauliflower rice. Will make this again and again.
Yaaaay! Thanks for coming to the party, Molly 🥳
This was delicious and my husband’s favorite meatball recipe yet. I subbed pea pods for the broccoli and it turned out great! #AKDinnerParty
Yum, I bet pea pods would be great in here! Happy you both loved it 🙂
Delicious! My family of 6 loved this dinner. I made it with ground turkey and to save time since it was a school night, I used a cookie scoop and baked the meatballs on a sheet pan in the oven. I served it with air fried broccoli and medium grain steamed rice. The turkey meatballs were so moist and flavorful! I subbed stevia drops for the brown sugar and used gluten free bread for the bread crumbs. I topped it all with scallions, roasted peanuts and sesame seeds. Yum! Thanks for this recipe!
I’m so glad! Love all those changes. Happy you loved it 🙂
So tasty! I was blown away at how much flavor this packs – will definitely be a regular in the rotation. Swapped peanuts for cashews on the topping due to allergies and was delicious nonetheless.
I’m so happy you loved it, Emily! Can’t wait for you to make it again and again 🙂
I doubled the sauce because it is AWESOME! The meatballs are just a huge flavor explosion, so many layers of flavors that all work so well together. YUM. Great recipe and love all the different variation suggestions, I can totally see how versatile this recipe is! #AKDinnerParty
YAY! I’m so happy you loved it, Denise! Thanks so much for joining the party + leaving a review — it means a lot 🙂
Another great #AKDinnerParty recipe!
I meal prepped this last night and my lunch today was full of flavor. I used ground pork instead of chicken and added in a red bell pepper. Absolutely delicious!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Liz! Yay!! Thanks for coming to the party 🥳
#AKDinnerParty
Made the vegan version of this with your coconut rice and WOWOWOW. AMAZING! Will now be on my dinner rotation!
I’m so glad you loved it, Kaitlan!! Thank you!
Insanely delicious recipe. The meatballs were so vibrant with herbs and spices! The sauce was perfection! I doubled it as suggested. Would be fantastic to adapt with more veggies or tofu! Will be making this again 💯
Woohooo! So glad you loved this one, Stephanie 🙂 And yes lots of different veggies + tofu are great in here. Can’t wait for you to try more variations!
This was delicious and we will definitely be making it again. I doubled the recipe since there were 6 of us and I wish there were more leftovers. We added bell pepper with the broccoli but it seems like you could use most vegetables you have at hand. #AKDinnerParty
I’m so glad you loved it, Carla! Yes I think almost any veggie would be amazing in here 🙂
So good! I made for my roommates and I with white rice and everybody loved it. Will definitely be making again!
Amazing!! I’m so happy you all loved it 🙂
I thought I would enjoy this recipe more. I added red bell pepper and zucchini in, along with the broccoli, but the broccoli was definitely the best because it soaked up all the flavor! My meatballs didn’t have a ton of flavor and I was longing for some type of acidity in the dish. If I made this again I would opt out of the meatball and do ground chicken instead, to really soak up the sauce and simplify the dish. If you love sesame, worth a try! #AKDINNERPARTY
Thanks for the feedback, and sorry it didn’t blow you away! Ground chicken would be great in here. And a big squeeze of lime might be good at the end for a kick of acidity 🙂
I just made the Sweet and Spicy Chicken Meatball bowl for dinner this evening! My husband and I Loved the dish! I was told that I can make this anytime I want too!
I told my daughter about this dish when we were talking on the phone this afternoon. She told me to send it to her, so she could make!
Another Ambitious Kitchen recipe hit!!! Love your recipes, Monique ❤️!!! Thanks for sharing them with us!
Adrienne Peterson
Aw thanks so much, Adrienne! I’m so happy you all loved it. Can’t wait for your daughter to make it, too!
Bomb recipe! Made mine with ground Turkey and had used ground up rice Chex for my breadcrumbs (great hack as I always have those around) but the SAUCE. The sauce is SO good and the meatballs were light… something I can rarely say about meatball recipes. Will definitely make a double batch next time.
Ha! I’m new here… rookie move #AKDinnerParty
No prob! I’m so glad you loved this one. And the chex?! Brilliant!
So so yummy! The meatballs on their own were delicious, but the sauce—next level! #AKDinnerParty
Isn’t the sauce incredible?! I’m so happy you loved this one, Shana!
I love this recipe! I doubled it to have as meal prep for the week and it is wonderful leftover. I served it over couscous and added a little sriracha on top for some spice. #AKDinnerParty
Such a good idea to make extra for leftovers, and so glad you loved it! ❤️
So so good! This recipe is so simple to make and packs so much flavor. Husband was also a huge fan! I followed the recipe as written. I think adding in red bell peppers would be perfect as well! Thanks for the recipe!
#AKDinnerParty
Yaaaay I’m so glad you both loved it! Red peppers are awesome in here, we’ve tried it! 🙂
Absolutely delicious! My whole family loved it. #AKdinnerparty.
I’m so glad! Thanks, Geneen!
This is my husband’s new favorite meal! The blend of spices, healthy veggies, and crunch from the peanuts make this meal so nummy! We will be making this meal again for sure!
This is my husband’s new favorite meal! The blend of spices, healthy veggies, and crunch from the peanuts make this meal so nummy! We will be making this meal again for sure! #AKDinnerParty
Amazing!! I’m so happy you’re both loving it! Thanks for coming to the party 🥳
This was the second time I made these meatballs and I did much better! The first time I put extra cayenne in them and could barely eat them, the recipe calls for plenty of spice already lol. I also did much better moving the meatballs around, the last time I made this they stuck to the pan and we’re falling apart. Overall, me and my fiancé love this recipe and will keep making it in the future. So much good flavor!
Good call to dial down the spice this time around! And hmmm I haven’t had an issue with them sticking but if you prefer, feel free to bake the meatballs (on a greased or parchment-lined pan) next time 🙂
Second time making this for dinner in two weeks. Thank you for such a delicious recipe. #akdinnerparty makes a great lunch the next day too!
Awesome! I’m so glad you’re loving it!
I was looking for a quick and easy dinner recipe, and that was it! so simple, yet so delicious! Thanks a lot for sharing.#AKDinnerParty
Woohooo! Thrilled to hear you loved it, Lena! 🙂
I made these meatballs tonight and served with coconut rice. This meal is restaurant quality. So delicious! #AKDinnerParty
Ahh that makes me so happy! Thank you for the review, Holly 🙂
This dish was so flavorful I couldn’t believe how easy the sauce was to make! My whole family including 3 yo and 1 yo liked it! Made it with ground turkey and coconut rice. #AKdinnerparty will definitely be making this again!!
I’m so glad you all loved it! Can’t wait for you to make it again 🙂
The perfect blend of sweet and spicy! This was great with the coconut rice. Great weekday meal or to make ahead of time and freeze them frozen to cook later. I doubled the sauce because I always prefer things extra saucy. #AKDinnerParty
Nice! I love doubling the sauce, too. So glad you loved it, Katie!
Soooo good! Sauce was perfect with the just the right amount of kick. We used ground turkey and subbed snap peas for broccoli and served it on top of coconut rice (highly recommend that recipe as well!)
YAY! I saw your photo on social, too — looked incredible! Thanks so much for sharing + the review 🙂
This was delicious! I only used broccoli but will add more veggies next time because the broccoli was so good with the sauce! Love that it is a whole meal all in one recipe! #AKDinnerParty
I’m so happy you tried and loved it, Kelby! Great call to add more veggies next time 🙂
This was super yummy! We broiled the meatballs for 7 minutes instead of pan searing before tossing with the broccoli and sauce! Will be making again 🙂 I see a few people said there wasn’t enough sauce but we thought there was more than enough! #AKDinnerParty
Great idea! So happy you all loved them and glad it was enough sauce 🙂
I always visit Ambitious Kitchen for recipe ideas when planning meals for the week. I decided to participate in this month’s #AKDinnerParty and I am soooo happy I did!
The flavor profile of this dish is incredible. A party in your mouth with every bite. My boyfriend, who is skeptical of trying new things, could not get enough! A win win in my book and I can’t wait to make it again!
PROs
– Meatball texture is on point – chewy but not dry
– Flavor profile is dimensional – all my favorite traditional Asian flavors in one dish
– Boyfriend approved
– Easy to make GF
– Did I mention delicious?!
CONs
– The only negative was it took a little longer than I originally expected for a weeknight, so next time I would make the meatballs the night before and store properly in the fridge
Aw yay thanks for coming to the party!! Thrilled to hear you both loved this one. And good to know about the time it took; some folks have baked the meatballs while making the veggies, sauce and rice which should cut down some time 🙂
This is such a delicious recipe, so much fun to make. I already cannot wait for the leftovers tomorrow! The sauce is amazing, I want to put it on all the veggies!
These meatballs were phenomenal! I prepped the mixture ahead of time in the morning to make dinner a bit easier (mom life haha!). Ended up being a late day of work that day and take out instead. I put the meatballs with the sauce in the slow cooker and prior to eating the following night, broiled them in the oven. Made them with some udon noodles and broccoli. My 3 and 1 year old DEVOURED them! My husband and I enjoyed them just as much. Well done Monique!! #AKDinnerParty
So glad they came out amazing, and love the idea of making them in the slow cooker. Thanks for coming to the party!
This recipe was so good! My husband said it was one of his favorites and our 4 year old loved the meatballs and asked for more. Your recipes are my go to and don’t disappoint.
#AKDinnerParty
Aw I’m so glad to hear that! Thanks so much, Monica. Really appreciate the love! ❤️
We loved this recipe! We used ground turkey since I didn’t have any chicken on hand. Loved the crispy broccoli, will definitely be making that as a side in the future!
Forgot to add #AKDinnerParty!! Already looking forward to next month!
Woohoooo thanks for coming to the party! Happy you loved it 🙂
This was so delicious! Definitely a new weeknight staple! I made it exactly as described and topped it with crushed cashews. I loved the balance of flavors and textures of this dish. The sauce was sooo good that everyone was slurping it up! I’ll definitely have to make double of it next time! #AKDinnerParty
Aw thank you, Stephanie! I’m so happy you enjoyed it 🙂 Thanks for coming to the party!
I really enjoyed this recipe. I doubled the sauce so there would be extra. The only thing I would do different next time and cut back on the chili paste. It was a little too spicy. Overall the flavors were really good.
#AKdinnerparty
So glad you enjoyed it! And totally fine to dial back the heat (I personally love the spice!)
Another great recipe, will definitely make again. Used ground turkey instead of chicken and boy choy instead of broccoli. Served with your coconut rice. Crowd pleaser. Only downside, cooking the meatballs took much longer than anticipated, perhaps user error? May brown on stove next time and bake. Thanks again! #AKDinnerParty
I’m so happy you loved it! And hmmm yeah not sure, you could definitely bake them or try covering the pan with a lid to help them cook through the center 🙂
So good! First time cooking chicken after being vegetarian for 6 years and this was fairly fool proof, I paired it with the AK thai broccoli cashew salad and it was amaze. #AKDinnerParty
Oh wow I’m honored you started with this recipe haha! Happy it turned out delicious! And that salad’s a great side for this 🙂
These meatballs were so delicious. The crispy broccoli cooked is sesame oil was a big hit!! I will be making this recipe often!
YAY! So happy you enjoyed it, Janice!
We loved this recipe. It made a lot of meatballs so we ate it leftover a second night and it was just as good. I loved the sauce (may even double it next time) and the flavor of the meatballs. I will definitely make this again.
Nice! So glad it made leftovers so you could enjoy it again!
This recipe is delicious! The flavor is incredible. I wouldn’t call this a quick recipe – I don’t love making meatballs but that’s a me thing. Also, I made this recipe twice because the first time I had mom brain and forgot to wash the cilantro. It was like eating something that fell into a garden, but the sauce was so good that i made a second attempt. I did add sesame oil to the meatball mixture because I again wasn’t paying attention, but it didn’t seem to have much effect. Served this over quinoa! #akdinnerparty
So happy you enjoyed it! Some folks have suggested baking the meatballs while making the veggies, sauce and rice to save time. And sorry about the gritty cilantro!! Glad it worked out well in the end 🙂
We made the recipe with no modifications and served over AK’s coconut rice. It was so good! Next time, we may add a little more cayenne or chili paste for a little more heat. We’ll be adding this recipe to the dinner rotation!
Happy you loved it! Great call to turn up the heat next time 🙂
I love everything ambitious kitchen but this was next level 🙌🏼 So delicious!! Thank you for the substitutions I used coconut sugar and also coconut flour since I didn’t have breadcrumbs! I had a bell pepper that needed to be used, tossed it in too and it was perfect! #AKdinnerparty
Aw thanks, Angie! SO thrilled to hear you loved this one!
Bursting with flavor! I’m GF so i just subbed gf breadcrumbs and soy sauce. The fresh ginger was key, and i put in some extra cayenne. Had a really nice kick and was balanced well over rice!
Nice!! I’m so glad you loved it, Sarah! Thanks so much for the review 🙂
Very pleased with this recipe! Exceeded my expectations. Didn’t have red chili paste so I added siracha and red pepper flakes.
Amazing!! I’m so glad you loved it, Lauren. Sriracha + red pepper flakes are a great sub 🙂
This recipe is really delicious and simple to make! I made this recipe using tofu instead of meatballs. I also added mushrooms for extra meatiness. Overall a great new meal to add to my rotation. #AKDinnerParty
Love those additions! I’m so happy you enjoyed it 🙂
10/10! The meatballs are so flavorful on their own, I kept breaking off pieces to eat while finishing the recipe! Doubled the sauce, and was so happy to have extras. I also used GF panko breadcrumbs and frozen broccoli and it came out fabulously
#AKDinnerParty
Yay!! I’m so happy you loved it, Yinka! Glad it came out perfect 🙂
This recipe came together very fast and was delicious. The meatballs were tender and so full of flavor. I will definitely make again!
I’m so glad you loved this one, Robin!
Made this for a third time for the #AKDinnerParty and tried the coconut rice for the first time (will never make it any other way)! It’s a great hit with my hubby and 1 year old and she loved the coconut rice even more! I’ve cooked the meatballs as instructed but also cooked them in the oven when I did a double batch and I really think the oven is easier. Otherwise no changes!
Isn’t the coconut rice so good?! I’m so glad this recipe’s on repeat on your kitchen and that the fam loves it, too! ❤️
These are in my regular rotation. I recommend these all the time. Probably the nest chicken meatball on the internet. Thanks for all your wonderful, whole recipes!
#AKDinnerParty
Oh THANK YOU!! I’m so thrilled you love these, Corrine 🙂
This was a hit for my family – even my toddler loved it. I just wish I would have doubled the sauce! ##AKDinnerParty
So glad to hear! Yes it can reduce down a lot if the heat in the pan is high, so I often make a double batch to ensure I have enough!
Love this recipe! Omitted the spice for our kids & it was still excellent. Also cooked the broccoli simultaneously in a second pan to save on time & it worked out great! Easy & delicious—will definitely be making this again! #AKDinnerParty
I’m so glad! Thanks so much for coming to the party 🥳
I made this recipe tonight and loved it! I added 2 red bell peppers and carrot in addition to the broccoli. My husband made coconut rice to go with it. We don’t cook with round chicken often but I see us making this again and again! #AKDinnerParty
Those are great veggie additions! I’m so happy you both loved it ☺️
Delicious! I substituted gluten free bread crumbs in the meatballs and added extra broccoli (because there is always room for more vegs!) and it was very very tasty! Doubling the sauce is a must if you want extra to wet your rice. Great recipe! Thank you! #AKDinnerParty
Nice! So happy you loved this one, Cyndi! Great call to make extra broccoli & sauce 🙂
Just starting following you last week and instantly joined the Dinner Party after browsing all your awesome feed on Instagram!! Made this one tonight and just under the wire 😅 I’ll be honest, I wasn’t 💯 sure on the ground chicken having not used it before but let me tell you it received 5 star ratings all around … even from the pickiest in our family. Lol. Thank you. So glad we “bumped” into other!!
Oops almost forgot … #AKDinnerParty 🙂
Aw I’m so happy you’re following along and that you found the dinner party — yay!! So glad you and the fam all loved this one 🥰 Can’t wait to reveal the April dinner party recipe next week!
Super delicious! I used ground turkey instead of chicken and it turned out just as fabulous! I like things spicy so I topped it with chili sauce. Would definitely recommend!
Whoops, forgot… #AKDinnerParty
I’m so glad it turned out amazing! Love the extra chili sauce on top yummm 🙂
This was delicious! I made a silly mistake when making the meatballs though & accidentally added the sesame oil to the mix 🤦🏼♀️ Ended up tasting great though! Can’t wait to make them again
Glad they still tasted amazing! (I doubt that would be an issue 🙂 ) Thanks, Lorin!
OMG, I just did the same thing!!! I was so not paying attention. I hope they still are edible….ugh
This was absolutely delicious! I served with AK coconut rice which I highly recommend because wow what have I been doing eating plain rice this whole time!? I did half coconut aminos/half soy sauce in the sauce and reduced the amount of sugar by half. I doubled the sauce as others suggested but I think that’s only necessary if you want it bathing in sauce. Next time I’ll stick to the recipe exactly. The fresh ingredients make the dish so lovely! Sneaking in at the last minute for the #AKDinnerParty
Isn’t coconut rice incredible?? I’m so happy you loved everything! And good to know that that amount of sauce worked well for you 🙂
These were a hit in my family! I used ground turkey instead. I also used tomato paste & chipotle chili powder to sub the chili paste. It turned out great. I love your recipes! Im always check your site for dinner recipes, weekly. Thanks for making things easy & keep it up.
Delicious! When I make a new recipe my teenage sons rate it, keeper or loose it, this was definitely a keeper!
So so good!!! Wow. This will be a repeat!!
Absolutely delicious! I subbed the veggies in the recipe for asparagus and frozen peas, and then added some pancetta at the end – so filling but felt great after eating! Such a perfect way to make a decadent meal without the need for a nap after. I don’t even like creamy sauce with pasta, but this sauce is nutty, bright, and coats the pasta perfectly. Definitely add the red pepper flakes if you like spice – that extra add really enhanced the dish. This is a new fav on my rotation 🙂 #AKDinnerParty,
Awesome primavera! Much creamier than the standard primavera but not due to heavy cream which my body is thankful for.
I’m so glad you loved it! Thank you!
Wow, so good. These will be added into my regular dinner recipe rotation! So easy and so delicious. A little spicy but in a good way.
Aw thank you so much — happy you loved them! Totally fine to dial down the heat next time if you’d like 🙂
SOOOO BEYOND GOOD!!! I swapped out the chicken meatballs for little salmon nuggets and holy game changer. Is on my weekly menu for next week too! #AKDinnerParty
Oooh that sounds incredible! Happy you loved it, Senna!
I’ve made this dish a couple times now but today, made a couple adaptations! I was out of Sesame Oil so added pineapple juice into the sauce (WOWSA!). I then used the pineapple and added it to the dish along with some black beans.
Over-the-top yummy-yummerson!!
Cheers!
Oooh that sounds absolutely incredible — thanks for sharing that idea + leaving a review, Lisa!
Such a flavorful recipe. I will definitely be making it again. For more hands-off cooking, I threw the meatballs in the oven at 400 for 20 minutes and a broccoli and cauliflower mix in the airfryer at 400 for about 12 minutes, Tossed both in the sauce (warmed up on the stove) and it was perfect! Didn’t double the sauce and had plenty for the meatballs and the veggies. It was absolutely delicious!
Ooh great idea to air-fry them! Sounds amazing 🙂 Glad you loved the recipe!
#AKDinnerParty This recipe is simple, easy, and delicious. I make this for my wife and me a couple of times a week and swap out the protein. Thank you for sharing!
I’m so happy you both loved it, Theo! Thanks so much for leaving a review 🙂
It was wonderful, a little spicy with a perfect kick! Loved it you will too
So happy you loved this one, Nancy! 🙂
#AKDinnerParty
This was a great dish! I ate the chicken, salsa, corn, and sauce over some lettuce. I really liked the cashew sauce- a different flavor profile than what I’m used to and it was refreshing.
really good, i think the greens were a bit too much but overall really good
Happy you enjoyed it! Do you mean there was too much broccoli in the bowl?
Yet again, a fantastic dinner! I don’t have a straight red chili paste so I used gochuhuang paste and I used half the amount of coconut sugar to keep it less sweet. I didn’t have quite enough broccoli so added some sliced red peppers and doubled the sauce since my hubby loves sauce. It was perfect served over brown rice!
Perfect! This one’s great for customizing 🙂
I made these for my fiancé and his words were, “you killed it on the meatballs!” He loved the flavors, the crunchy broccoli and sweet-like coconut rice. I used turkey instead of chicken and I served it with Vigo coconut ginger rice.
Woohooo! So glad you both loved this one!
First off, your recipes are so incredibly flavorful! That is a must for me when I am cooking! The sweet and spicy sesame chicken meatballs were a total flavor bomb! Yay! They were a little bit spicy for me so next time I think I will half the chili paste and cayenne (but my husband loved the spice kick!) My meatballs fell apart a little and had more of a “stuffing” crumbly texture. I will half the amount of bread crumbs next time and see if that helps. I cooked lo mein noodles to serve with this meal and “oh my yum!” This one will definitely go in the meal rotation. Thanks for another winner!
Thank you so much, Heather!! Glad you enjoyed these. And good call to reduce the amount of spice + bread crumbs next time 🙂
Oh my word these were delicious. I baked the meatballs as suggested in a few comments which worked well. I left out the ginger so my kids would eat it and it was still fantastic. Definitely a new weekly rotation meal. Very quick and easy. We are finishing our Friday night with your fudgy flourless brownies. Thank you AK for always having the best recipes!
Thank you, Jami!! SO happy you and the fam loved this one 🙂 Glad you’re here!
This was a super tasty recipe. I’d say it made three solid servings. Only got 11 “golf ball” sized meatballs out of the pound of meat. Used canola oil for frying the meatballs instead of sesame bc I don’t think sesame oil lends itself well to high temps. Will definitely make again!
Happy you enjoyed it, Allie! Totally fine to use canola oil if you prefer 🙂
This meal is freaking bomb. It explodes with flavor and it’s just as delicious the next day! definitely something I crave every week now haha.
You can also easily make this with chicken thighs or breast. So good!!
YAY!! I’m so glad you love it!!
Does the sauce require plain sesame oil or the toasted variety? Thank you!
Just plain sesame oil. Hope you enjoy this recipe!
This meal tasted great, but it is hardly a weeknight meal. I’m an experienced cook and it took an hour and a half at least. I think the method could be improved upon for sure. Personally, browning the meatballs in one pan (or in the oven), while cooking the broccoli at the same time in another pan would save time. I had to wash the pan after browning the meatballs anyway because they take so long to cook through, and just wiping it out wasn’t going to cut it. Yummy but would love a sheet pan version!
This was a huge hit with me and my husband! As someone who’s usually not into ground chicken he didn’t bat an eye! We couldn’t get over how dynamic all of the flavors were from the ginger to the chili paste. It definitely has a kick but in such a yummy way. We had broccolini and used that and it worked perfectly. Definitely making again!
Ahh this is amazing! So glad you both are loving this recipe 🙂
These were really delicious although I improvised and roasted the broccoli and meatballs for about 20 minutes at 400° and served the sauce separately. Next time I will toss the meatballs in the sauce because it was so flavorful and will serve over coconut rice. Definitely a repeat recipe!
Sounds delicious! Glad you are enjoying this recipe ❤️🙂
I made this last night and I think it’s my new favorite recipe! The sauce is so amazing! #AKRecipeoftheMonth
Not 4 but 5 stars! For some reason it wasn’t accepting 5 star rating! My family loved it. I used miced pork, only because I had it in the fridge and added stale white roll soaked in milk (squeezed after it absorbs the liquid) to the mix (I think it made it softer). Agree on the amount of sauce. Make double or triple portion as it is delicious and get soaked in meatballs and rice. Thanks for that inspiration. I will definitely use the recipe again! Greetings from England
AMAZING! I am so excited to hear that you and the family are loving this recipe and it turned out great for you ❤️🙂
Unfortunately this turned out SO salty. We couldn’t eat it. Maybe it was the soy sauce I used since it was dark.. I would say make sure to use a low sodium one or a light soy sauce.
oh no! So sorry this recipe came out too salty, it most likely was the amount of sodium in your soy sauce, i would definitely recommend low sodium soy sauce. Hope you give this recipe another try!
So delish! Thank you for the recipe. A hit with my fam including my teenagers who thought ground chicken sounded like a bad idea. I did double the sauce since everyone at my house likes lots of sauce.
Yay! I am so glad to hear that this recipe is a hit for your whole family! 🙂
This was not only delicious but super easy to make. I love how you lay out all of the individual ingredients. I was out of sesame sauce and it still tasted amazing. I served it with the coconut rice. My husband loved it, will definitely make again!!
Aw thank you, Jessica!! SO happy you both loved this one!
So good! Pretty easy, will definitely be quicker next time. I did added carrots and snap peas for additional veg!
YUM! I am so glad you’re enjoying this recipe and it turned out great for you ❤️
We enjoyed this! Made exactly as stated. The only comment I have is that prep took me a lot longer than estimated. That being said, you could easily prep everything earlier in the day and just bring it all together at dinner time.
Yay! So glad you are loving this recipe, Kathy. You could totally prep everything ahead of time and the more you make it the quicker it is to throw together.
Delicious! I had to improvise somewhat since I didn’t have the ability to cook on the stovetop, so I baked the meatballs at 400 degrees for 20 minutes and they were fantastic! I made the suggested coconut rice and that was so tasty, as well! I look forward to making this properly on the stovetop for what I assume will be a thicker sauce but it was delicious anyhow, this recipe is a keeper for sure. Thanks for sharing! 🫶🏻
Great idea to pop them in the oven! Glad they still turned out delicious 🙂
I made these yummy chicken meatball bowls and felt very ambitious!
Love that!!
I’ve been using recipes from this website for both my baking and for my weekly meal preps. From the other one pan curries to this recipe, I love this variation on the lean ground chicken meatballs!
I give this one 4 stars: I followed this recipe EXACTLY, it is just way too salty for my taste. Still yummy, but overpowering. I use lite reduced sodium soysauce as well. The sauce is really good, I think it just got too salty with the meatballs also having salt added to it. So next time I’m going to hardly salt my meatballs, then knock the soy sauce in the sauce down to 2 tbsp.
Sorry to hear that this one was too salty for you! Everyone’s salt preferences are a bit different and I always want to make sure my recipes are perfectly seasoned. Absolutely feel free to reduce the salt and/or soy sauce to help.
Made as-is and it was delish. Thank you for yummy, healthy recipes.
Absolutely! Glad you enjoyed 🙂
Discovered your meatballs last month and have made them every week since as an easy weeknight staple! I love this one and your pumpkin meatball curry. The breadcrumbs in the meatballs really crisp up on the outside, tastes more indulgent than they are!
Amazing! So glad they’re a favorite!
This recipe is *chef’s kiss*. I excluded chili paste and subbed a little sweet chili sauce to reduce the heat for my kids, but it still came out delicious! Truly one of the best meals I have cooked recently (and I try 1-2 new recipes a week). I’ve since gotten 3 other people to make this dish and they also all raved about it. It comes together so easily and is full of flavor! Will be a staple dinner in our family for sure.
Perfect! So happy to hear that!
This is soooooo good!! I did cook it a little differently, I baked the meatballs and broccoli. Cooked the sauce in a sauce pan then added the meatballs. Definitely double the sauce! It’s incredible, can’t wait to make this again!
Perfect! So glad you enjoyed!
Made this for my son and daughter in law…. Said it was great … definitely a keeper! Made it with ground turkey and doubled the recipe
Love that!!
Can you bake the meatballs instead?
Yes, absolutely!
I made this recipe. I doubled as I have a bigger family. Then I doubled the sauce. Served it with white rice and chopped roasted peanuts on top.
Changes: 1. Ran out of fresh ginger so used chopped jarred ginger. 2. Did 1/4 less of chili paste in sauce as didn’t want it too spicy. Otherwise followed the recipe exactly.
Key points:
– prep time is longer than 20 minutes.
– Watch that your sesame oil isn’t too hot when cooking meatballs.
– I regret using so much cayenne pepper in the meatballs as they were far too spicy. 🙁
Family didn’t hate but didn’t love it. I wouldn’t make again. There is better Asian recipes out there and for the work and money of this recipe, it wasn’t worth it.
Sorry to hear that you didn’t love this one!
This was a triple thumbs up! My family LOVED it and told me it’s a keeper. Thank you for a great recipe that we will enjoy over and over.
Amazing!! I’m so glad 🙂
Hubby and I loved the meatballs and have put the recipe into our rotation! I did make a couple minor tweeks based on what I had on hand–frozen brocolli and some dry spices but the recipe as written is super flavorful and delicious. Thank you! I made and reviewed this on my YouTube channel. Jackie
Perfect!!
Another explosion of flavor from AK!! The sauce is to die for!! I think I might double the amount of sauce and broccoli and use a bigger pan next time. The broccoli soaks up the sauce in the most delicious way, but it threw off the sauce ratio to my liking since I like things saucy, ha. Thank you Monique!
Definitely double the sauce next time to get extra! Glad you enjoyed 🙂
This is is so so good!
Love these! If you do a refresh, might I suggest putting in a reminder earlier in the recipe paragraph text to start the rice? Maybe it’s just me, but I always forget until it’s time to serve!
Yes – thank you for the tip! Glad you enjoyed 🙂
Hi. I have a question about the sesame oil.
I was just reading your recipe for Chicken Meatballs in Pumpkin Curry Sauce.
A commenter asked about using toasted or plain sesame oil for frying. You said that you “usually use untoasted sesame oil for sauteeing because it won’t burn as easily at a high heat. I’d recommend that for cooking the meatballs, and the toasted kind in recipes where it doesn’t need to be heated up so much”.
So, now I’m confused with this recipe, where you actually do ask for toasted sesame oil for the frying of the meatballs and the broccoli.
Just wondering if you could help in knowing which oil to use here.
Thanks so much
Hi! Thank you for the catch here 🙂 My previous comment was cautionary because toasted sesame oil has the potential to burn at very high temperatures. I’ve since used it for sauteing many times and have never run into the issue!
Very tasty! thank you!