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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 one has become a bi-weekly staple for my boyfriend and me. I made it the day after it was posted and it’s still at the top of my go-to list.
My mods:
-I replace the ketchup in the dipping sauce with sriracha (if you prefer spicy to sweet).
-I double the broccoli, and add in 2 chopped bell peppers during the ginger/garlic step. (Mostly because my bf is a giant and needs more food)
-we LOVE the lemongrass + coconut milk rice recipe in some of the other HBH recipes on here with this meal.
-the “Cheese Rangoons with Sweet Ginger Chili Sauce” are a perfect side dish with this.
Thanks so much for this recipe. ?
Hey Sara,
Wonderful!! I love to hear that this recipe is always a winner and really appreciate you making it so often:) Thanks for sharing what works well for you! xTieghan
Great meal and super timely as well. Happy I found this recipe, it’s a keeper!
Hey Savannah,
Happy Wednesday!! Thanks a bunch for making this recipe and sharing your review, I love to hear that it was tasty!?
made this recipe a few weeks ago with a mix of ground beef and turkey. It was absolutely delicious! I big hit with the family. Tonight I’m thinking about cooking it with shrimp…and one tried this yet?
Susan
Hi Susan,
Happy Monday!! I am thrilled to hear this recipe was a hit, thanks for trying it out and sharing your review:) I’ve not tried this with shrimp, but it sounds great!
I was looking for a quick and healthy dish to use up some ground turkey I had in the fridge. So glad I chose this recipe. It was super easy and I had all of the ingredients in my pantry or fridge. My sauce was not as thick as in the pictures, but it was still good. Will make again ( may add more broccoli). Thanks
Hey Lauren,
Amazing!! I am thrilled that this dish was a hit, thanks a lot for trying it out! xTieghan
Our family liked the idea of this recipe, but we all found it too salty by a lot (and I really like salty things!) If we made it again we would reduce the soy sauce in the sauce by at least half and maybe cut it with something else – low-sodium broth?
Hi Evie,
Thanks for giving the recipe a try, so sorry to hear it was salty for you. I would try coconut aminos next time:) I hope this helps! xx
Made this tonight it was a hit!! re: the other comments that said everything was too mushy, I didn’t skimp on the time browning the meatballs and was careful to not let them fall apart – it was not mushy at all! We used ground turkey and arrowroot powder instead of cornstarch. It turned out great.
Hey Leslie,
Happy Wednesday! Thanks for sharing your review and making this recipe, I am so glad it was a winner! Thanks for sharing what worked well for you!! xxTieghan
So good Tieghan!
I just made this for dinner tonight and we used ground beef, everything turned out great. I added some red bell peppers because I had some extra in the fridge! Anytime you make meatballs it’s not always the most ‘time efficient’ meat but it’s worth the extra time – just make sure you plan ahead for it! 🙂
Hey Melanie,
Perfect!! I am so glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for trying it out! Have a great holiday weekend!?? xxT
Meatballs tasted great! However, I found the sauce to be a bit too salty with the amount of soy sauce added.
Hey Alex,
Thanks for making this recipe and sharing your feedback! Sorry to hear this was salty for you! xx
We ate this tonight and my husband, son and I all agreed it was completely amazing! We’ve been needing some new recipes in the mix, lately, and this is now joining our regular rotation! Nice to know there’s a blog I can go to for a quick weeknight supper that will always knock it out of the park. You totally rock! ?❤️
Hey Toni,
Happy Friday!! Thanks so much for trying this recipe out and sharing your feedback! I love to hear that it was a hit!☀️
I would agree with some of the other commenters. The sauce was yummy and went well with the broccoli. But with ground chicken, after rolling the meatballs in cornstarch and then attempting to sear them in the pan, they kind of turned into a sticky mess…and more like little chicken nuggets rather than balls. They also tasted pretty bland and not much like anything, maybe if we tried it again I’d just use turkey, omit the soy sauce and add salt and season then with other spices. Overall the recipe was just very okay, but I’ve had a lot of dinner wins with HBH!
Hey Brit,
Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try and sharing your feedback. So sorry to hear it was not enjoyed! xTieghan
The flavors in this dish were good, but I don’t think it can be called a weeknight meal, and it didn’t turn out as good as I was expecting. In total, it took a little over an hour to complete the recipe. The effort to crisp the meatballs seemed wasted when dredged in the sticky soy sauce, and although the broccoli was supposed to be lightly charred and crisp, it came out mushy, and once everything was served with rice it was all the same texture. I kept strictly to the cooking times and followed the recipe exactly so I’m not sure how other people were able to get it to work. I won’t be making it again.
Hi Ashleigh,
Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try, so sorry to hear it was not enjoyed. Thanks for sharing your feedback. xTieghan
I love this dish! Wondering if I could freeze the meatballs to make prep quicker next time I make this? And would I freeze them after they are cooked or before?
Thanks!
Hey Lisa,
Thanks so much for your comment! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks so much for making it! Totally, I would freeze before they are cooked:) xTieghan
This recipe was sooo delicious. I used ground turkey for the meatballs. Will definitely be making this again
Hey there,
Awesome!! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it! Have the best week:) xxT
I’m confused by the recipe instructions in step 5, something about adding chicken mid way???
Hey Sheila,
You are removing the meatballs from the skillet in step 4, so in step 5 you are going to add them back in:) I hope this makes sense! xTieghan
Made this for dinner last night. I used lean ground beef for the meatballs and made them a little bigger (so I increased the cooking time). Everyone loved it, especially the sauce! This is my first HBH recipe to make, but it definitely isn’t my last. My recipe box collection is bursting with lots of great meals to try.
Hi Elizabeth,
Happy Friday!! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it!! ☀️xxT
This is one of the best things I’ve made in a long time! I make chicken meatballs pretty often and used my go-to recipe instead. (It just adds an egg, 1/2 c. Panko, a chopped shallot, a few cloves of minced garlic and some chili flakes to your ingredients.) The flavors and sauces were amazing. I wasn’t sure about the second sauce with the mayo, but it honestly makes the dish. I will be making this one again. Thank you for another great recipe!
Hey Jenn,
Wonderful!! Thanks a bunch for trying this recipe out, I am so glad to hear that it was enjoyed!! ?xxT