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Takeout-style Weeknight Sticky Honey Garlic Meatballs – inspired by classic Mongolian beef. Easy homemade chicken and ginger meatballs, tossed in a sweet, spicy, and extra sticky honey garlic soy sauce. Then served over rice and topped with plenty of sesame seeds for a deliciously fun dinner. Make the meatballs even better with a creamy garlic dipping sauce. Quicker than any take-out meal…and made a little more wholesome too.
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Thursday night takeout-style food at home! What if we made this a weekly series? It could be fun, especially since we all know how much my family loves Chinese, Thai, and Korean-inspired dinners. Plus, I have so much fun with a “takeout” inspired meal. It’s always a nice change from our usual pasta and pizza nights.
Creighton has been asking me to make Mongolian beef for some time now. Really anything beef (or lamb). He’s kind of a guys-guy, he wants at least a little beef in every meal.
Since I have a Mongolian beef recipe in the new cookbook, I wondered if there was a fun spin I could take on the quick and easy recipe. Meatballs are something I usually make with a more Italian-style sauce. But a sweet and spicy Mongolian-inspired meatball sounded fun. And like the perfect simple twist on the very popular restaurant entree, Mongolian beef.
Mongolian beef is a very simple dish consisting of thinly sliced steak, stir-fried with garlic, and ginger, then tossed in a sweet soy-based sauce. It’s not usually too spicy, just a touch, but a little sweet and tangy.
The sauce is the key. It’s usually topped with green onions (scallions) and paired with vegetables, then served over rice.
For the meatballs, instead of using steak, I made ginger chicken meatballs.
Here are the details
For the meat, I used ground chicken, but ground pork or ground beef will work just as well. I seasoned them up with plenty of green onions, ginger, and a splash of soy (well, I like to use tamari, which is gluten-free soy sauce). Then I rolled them through cornstarch (or arrowroot powder) to give them a little breading before pan-searing in a skillet.
Similar to how I make this orange chicken, but with meatballs.
While the meatballs cook, mix up the sauce, which is simply soy sauce mixed with honey and water. I then made a quick cornstarch slurry to use to thicken the sauce.
Once the meatballs are seared, pull them out of the skillet, then toss in lots of broccoli. I love to use broccoli here, but bell peppers, asparagus, or even brussels sprouts would all be delicious.
Pan-fry the broccoli for a few minutes, then add the garlic, ginger, and a pinch of chili flakes. Pour over the sauce and add the meatballs back.
Simmer the sauce a few minutes, then pour in the cornstarch slurry and let the sauce cook until it coats the meatballs.
Grab your bowls full of rice and spoon the meatballs and sauce over top. Next, add lots of fresh green onions and sesame seeds.
So quick and easy, but the flavor is perfect. I made mine a little less sweet than the traditional sauce and added double the ginger. Totally delicious.
Here’s a tip, double the recipe and save the leftovers for quick and easy lunches. The meatballs would also be great atop a chopped salad or served over rice noodles.
They’re great as party appetizers too, so the serving options are endless! Of course, around here we love them over rice with lots of vegetables. It’s our kind of “comfort” food.
Looking for other weeknight dinners? Here are my favorites:
Ginger Sesame Chicken and Crispy Brussels Sprouts
Crockpot Crispy Chicken Tinga Tacos with Avocado Jalapeño Crema
Lastly, if you make these Weeknight Sticky Honey Garlic Meatballs, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Weeknight Sticky Honey Garlic Meatballs
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground turkey, chicken, or beef
- 1 tablespoon tamari or soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger
- 2 green onions, chopped
- black pepper
- 1/4 cup avocado or sesame oil
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1/2 cup tamari or soy sauce
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1 large head broccoli, cut into florets, (about a cup and a half of florets)
- 4 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 tablespoon chopped ginger
- chili flakes
- 1-2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
Instructions
- 1. To make the meatballs. Combine the meat, 1 tablespoon tamari/soy sauce, 1 tablespoon ginger, green onions, and a pinch of pepper in a bowl. Mix until just combined. Coat your hands with oil, and roll the meat into tablespoon-size balls. The mix will be wet. 2. Place 2 tablespoons cornstarch in a shallow bowl. Dredge the meatballs in cornstarch to coat. Take the remaining 1 tablespoon cornstarch and mix with 2 tablespoons water, set aside.3. To make the sauce. In a glass jar, whisk together 1/2 cup tamari/soy sauce, 1/4 cup honey, and 1/3 cup water. 4. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the meatballs, cook until seared all around, about 8 minutes. Remove the meatballs from the skillet.5. To the skillet, add the broccoli and cook until lightly charring, 5 minutes. Add the garlic, ginger, and chili flakes, cook 1-2 minutes. Pour in the tamari/honey sauce. Bring to a boil, boil 3-4 minutes, then add the chicken. Toss with the sauce and cook until the sauce starts to thicken. Pour in the cornstarch slurry and cook another 2-3 minutes, until the sauce coats the meatballs.6. Serve the meatballs and sauce over steamed rice with sesame seeds, green onions, and dipping sauce (recipe in notes).
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Did you make this recipe? Please rate & comment below.
This was loved by the entire family! When my teenage nephew took a bit he said “how’d you make broccoli taste so good!” My initial thought was that I’d need to double the meat next time. Actually, I need to double the amount of broccoli.
Hey Charitie,
Awesome!! Thanks so much for sharing your feedback, I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed! xx
Made this for dinner tonight and it was fantastic.
I skipped the step of coating the meatballs in cornstarch and pan frying and just baked them in the oven instead. Saved a bit of time/mess that way. I also steamed my broccoli separately, which is something I always do when a recipe says to cook it with with the sauce.
The dipping sauce made a lot so I would definitely half the amount next time.
Great quick weeknight dinner, will definitely make again.
Hey Cassie,
Awesome!! Thanks so much for sharing your feedback, I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed! xx
I thought this was awesome! So different then what I normally make but very good.
Hi Regina,
Awesome!! Thanks so much for sharing your feedback, I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed! xx
Could you make these with ground pork?
Hi Megan,
You bet, that will work well for you! Please let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xTieghan
The pork worked wonderfully and it turned out delicious! You are always my go-to for new recipes – thank you for sharing!
Hey Megan,
Happy Friday!! Thanks a lot for giving this recipe a try, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! xx
I made these today for lunch and they turned out great! I used chicken and next time I think I will add a little more spice to the meatballs. Low sodium soy sauce is the way to go and I added some hot honey to the mix and it turned out great!
Hey there,
Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am so glad it was enjoyed!! Have the best week:) xTieghan
I made these tonight for dinner and my family loved them! We have a soy allergy so I subbed the soy sauce for coconut aminos and it still turned out amazing.
Hi Hollis,
Happy Sunday!! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks for giving it a try and sharing your feedback! xx
Oh man! I wanted to love these but they were SO SALTY. Will definitely use low-sodium soy sauce if I attempt these again and probably less, as well. The creamy sauce was also EXTREMELY salty (maybe the seasoning salt I used was saltier than yours?). It pretty much ended up being a waste of food for my family of 5. (My husband actually joked about needing to take extra blood pressure meds.)
Hi Christy,
Thanks for giving the recipe a try, so sorry to hear it was so salty for you. Please let me know if there is anyway I can help! xTieghan
Thanks for letting me know about the saltiness, Christy. I was wondering what the sodium content was and now I know the answer is, “too much”. I have to watch my sodium so will be halving the amount of soy.
Just got through cooking and eating this, OMG 5 STARS…we are happy campers!!!!
Hi Marcy,
Happy Friday!! I love to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks a bunch for making it! xxT
Hi! Could the meatballs be baked? If so, what temperature/time do you recommend? And would I still dredge the meatballs in cornstarch? Thanks!
Hi Charlotte,
I really like to do these meatballs in the skillet because they help to create the sauce. If you want to do them in the oven, I would not coat in the cornstarch, but you are going to want some to help thicken your sauce. I would bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes. I hope you love the recipe! xTieghan
Wow, terrific! Made this exactly to the recipe, with chicken, and threw in a big fistful of cashews ‘cause my wife loves ‘em in Thai takeout and this recipe just seemed to scream out for them.
One twist: I made the meatballs in the morning, to cut down on dinnertime prep. Cooked ‘em in my air fryer, covered ‘em on a plate with aluminum foil, added them at the point of boiling the sauce, and they heated up just great.
My wife rated this meal an A++. Thanx, Tieghan!
Hey Dave,
Happy Friday!! I love to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks a bunch for making it! xxT
What were your air fryer settings? Love this!
Made this with beef because I was out of ground chicken. So good.
Hi Gwynne,
Thanks so much for trying this recipe, I am so glad it was a hit! Thanks for sharing your review!? xT
Just made this for late lunch/early dinner. Amazing recipe and it turned out just like the picture!! Because of our need for a low sodium diet, next time I’ll cut back slightly on the tamari. This one is a keeper. Fantastic recipe Tieghan!!!
Hi Sharon,
Thanks so much for trying this recipe, I am so glad it was a hit! Thanks for sharing your review!? xT
One of my favorite recipes from you! Definitely going to make this again. Only comment was that it was a little salty for me, so I might use less soy sauce next time.
Hi Allie,
Thanks so much for trying this recipe, I am so glad it was a hit! Thanks for sharing your review!? xT
Was pretty good but I agree with others, the sauce was too salty.
Hi Kim,
Awesome!! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thank you so much for giving it a try!! Sorry you found it to be salty. Have the best day:) xx
Another great recipe! These were super flavorful and so easy to make!
Could I use arrowroot instead of cornstarch?
Hi Ilana,
Yes, that will work well for you! Let me know if you give this recipe a try, I hope you love it! xTieghan
Hi Alexis,
Awesome!! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thank you so much for giving it a try!! Have the best day:) xx