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Sheet Pan Sticky Gochujang Chicken Meatballs…easy homemade chicken meatballs with ginger and sesame, tossed in an addicting sweet and spicy Korean-inspired sauce. Serve up bowl style over steamed rice with roasted with broccoli, creamy spicy aioli sauce, and vegetables. Then top with plenty of sesame seeds for a fun and healthy dinner any night of the week. And the best part…these meatballs are made quicker than any take-out meal, and they’re so much healthier too.
And here we are again with meatballs. You’ll know my oldest brother is in town when meatballs make yet another appearance here. Along with those Cheesy Gordita Crunch Tacos, meatballs are one of his favorite foods. Put them in a spicy, sticky Korean sauce…oh, ya, even better!
I made these meatballs the other day with him in mind. I have to say, I think I’m just as excited as he is over these Korean-inspired meatballs. Not only are they part of a complete sheet pan dinner. They also take no time to make and are so delicious. Think, saucy, sweet, and spicy, with a touch of tang, and toasty sesame seeds throughout.
I even added a bit of broccoli to round out the meal…and not one, but two sauces.
So you see, the perfect, easy, but fun weeknight dinner.
Let’s go through the details.
For the meat, I used ground chicken, but ground pork or turkey will work just as well. I seasoned them up with plenty of green onions, ginger, and garlic. Then oven-baked them on a sheet pan alongside some broccoli for added color. Plus, I just love the idea of a one-pan dinner. And if you can cook your meat and vegetables at the very same time, then why not? I am all about it.
While the meatballs bake, make the sauce. Now here’s the truth, the sauce is really why you should make this recipe. It’s honestly so addicting. Sweet, tangy, a touch spicy, and once boiled down, super sticky. This is a pretty simple mix of Gochujang (Korean chili paste), soy sauce, and sesame oil. The Gochujang adds all the flavor, so you really don’t need much else. I boiled it down on the stove to make it a little stickier, which is perfect for tossing with the meatballs.
The sauce takes only a few minutes to thicken up on the stove. It’s usually ready by the time the meatballs have finished cooking. Once the sauce has boiled down, I like to make a creamy “special sauce” sauce for drizzling over the meatballs. Just stir a couple of tablespoons of the Gochujang sauce into yogurt or mayo. This sauce is beyond good.
Toss the rest of the sauce with the meatballs and you’re done. Add rice to your bowls, then snuggle in the broccoli and meatballs. Add extra sauce and finish with any and all toppings you’d like. I always do plenty of sesame seeds, chilies, and kimchi.
Nothing fancy here, just simple cooking, but very delicious (pretty healthy food).
A couple of notes.
What is Gochujang? If you’re not familiar with Gochujang it’s Korean chili paste. For those of you who read often, you know it’s my favorite type of chile paste. It’s spicy with a little sweetness, and it’s extremely flavorful. It’s traditional in a lot of Korean-based sauces and is often used in Korean fried chicken or simply as a dipping sauce. Over here, we LOVE Gochujang. I use it for so much more than just Korean food. It’s so good when paired with…well pretty much anything that you’d enjoy with a touch of hot sauce.
You can buy Gochujang in most grocery stores. I know Whole Foods and Trader Joes carry it. I highly recommend this brand Gochujang. It certainly makes for the best, truly Korean food.
I really can’t tell you enough how much I love these Korean-inspired meatballs. I’ll be turning to this one time and time again. Sheet pan dinners are always my go-to, but this is a new favorite.
It’s all about the sticky Korean sauce and that creamy, yet spicy “special sauce”. Together, they truly make everything that much better.
My final words, double the recipe and save the leftovers for quick and easy lunches. Trust me you will be so happy you did!
Looking for other easy weeknight dinners? Here are some favorites.
Better Than Takeout Dan Dan Noodles
Sheet Pan Roasted Lemon Garlic Butter Salmon with Feta and Olives
Lastly, if you make these Sheet Pan Sticky Gochujang Chicken 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!
Sheet Pan Sticky Gochujang Chicken Meatballs
Servings: 4
Calories Per Serving: 439 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground turkey or chicken
- 2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce or tamari
- 1-2 tablespoons Gochujang (Korean chili paste)
- 3 green onions, finely chopped
- 1 inch fresh ginger, grated
- 1 clove garlic, minced or grated
- 1 large head broccoli, cut into florets
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil or extra virgin olive oil
Sauce
- 1/3 cup low sodium soy sauce or tamari
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1-2 tablespoons Gochujang (Korean chili paste)
- 1 inch fresh ginger, grated
- 2 cloves garlic, grated
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- 1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt or avocado oil mayo
- rice, sesame seeds, chiles, and Kimchi, for serving
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 450° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment.2. To make the meatballs. Add the chicken, soy sauce, Gochujang, green onions, ginger, and garlic, to a bowl. Mix until just combined. Coat your hands with a bit of oil, and roll the meat into rounded tablespoon-size balls (will make 15-16 meatballs). Place on the prepared baking sheet. The mix will be wet, but it will firm up in the oven. Add the broccoli to the other side of the baking sheet and toss with 1 tablespoon oil, salt, and pepper. Transfer to the oven and bake for 15 minutes or until the meatballs are crisp and cooked through.3. Meanwhile, make the sticky Gochujang sauce. In a small pot, combine the soy sauce, honey, rice vinegar, Gochujang, ginger, garlic, sesame oil, and 1/4 cup water. Bring the sauce to a boil for 5 minutes, until the sauce thickens and reduces by about 1/4. Remove from the heat.4. Remove the broccoli from the baking sheet. Pour about half the sauce over the meatballs, tossing to combine. Return to the oven for 2-3 minutes, until the sauce coats the meatballs.5. Combine 2-3 tablespoons of the remaining sticky Gochujang sauce from step 3 with the yogurt. 6. Serve the meatballs and sauce over bowls of rice topped with additional green onions, and sesame seeds. Serve the broccoli on the side.
Made these as a meal and they were delicious. Do you think the meatballs can be made smaller and used as an appetizer?
Hi Pamela,
Happy Monday!! I am so glad to hear that this recipe turned out well for you, thanks so much for making it! Totally, I love that idea!! xT
Very good. As the other reviewers my sauce did not thicken, wondering if you added cornstarch to the 1/4 c of water? That would definitely thicken the sauce.
Hi Christine,
Happy Sunday!! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks for sharing your review and making it! Sure, that would definitely help! xxT
I made this for friends the other night and it was a HUGE hit! We served it with some bacon fried rice for a complete meal. I’ve been wanting to try gochujang for some time and this was the perfect recipe for that. I loved it so much that I’m making it again tonight.
Hi Laura,
Thanks a lot for trying this recipe out and sharing your feedback, I love to hear that it was a winner! xTieghan
Really enjoyed this. Juicy tasty meatballs and works good with the broccoli. Inspired by your photograph I added grated carrot and cucumber on the side- I think without it I would have missed something (my guess is some sweetcorn would also work – I think you use that in another gochujang recipe if I remember correct) My sauce didn’t thicken so I only used a tiny bit on the meatballs. Will certainly make this again for a simple weeknight. Thanks!!!
Hey there,
Thanks so much for your comment! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks so much for making it! xTieghan
I have everything to make this and was wondering when you add the yogurt?
Hi Carli,
The yogurt is used in step 5:) Please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
This recipe is soooo good! I did half gochuchang and half garlic chili sauce to make it a bit spicer! So so good!
Hey Niko,
I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it! xxT
These were awesome! Easy and delicious. We used beef which was what we had on hand but definitely changes the flavor profile; if we make again I’d like to use ground chicken. Our sauce didn’t thicken up much on the stove, as others have mentioned, but it did once in the oven on the meatballs. Our meatballs also put off a lot of goo as they cooked (which always happens with beef meatballs in the oven and it grosses me out, haha!), so when we pulled the broccoli out we also pulled the meatballs off the pan, laid down a new sheet of parchment, and put the meatballs back on the fresh sheet and poured the sauce over. This wasn’t too spicy for us, but the yogurt sauce is delicious and adds a new dimension to the meal. Next time I’ll add some other fresh veggies (carrots, cucumbers) and might pan fry the meatballs instead of doing them in the oven just to try it out.
Hi Meghan,
Thanks so much for trying this recipe, I am so glad it was a hit! Thanks for sharing your review!? xT
Use a broiler pan so that extra grease will drain.
Driest meatballs ever. Most of your recipes are great but this one needs tweaking. Thankfully, I also made tofu (brushed same sauce & baked in sheet pan) which saved our dinner.
Hi there,
Sorry to hear the recipe was not enjoyed, thanks for giving it a try! xTieghan
Omgggg just made this and, as usual, Tieghan knocked it out of the park. Highly recommend that you make at least double the mayo/yogurt sauce at the end even if you do not double the rest of the recipe.
I thought I had gochujang but once I started cooking, it became apparent that I either do not or that I once did but lost it, so I used Trader Joe’s Italian Bomba as a replacement (because they’re both fermented and chili!) and it worked really well. I made two batches, one with turkey and one with beef, and they both turned out great. Also only had cauliflower on hand so used that instead of broccoli and, though it was all an ugly brown and white mess because of that, it was delicious.
Also, my mouth is on fire. Just googled how many scoville units calabrian chilis are vs gochujang and they’re 25,000-40,000 vs 1000. So do with that information what you will. But also make this. You will not regret.
Hey Bee,
Thanks so much for making this recipe and sharing your feedback, I love to hear that it was enjoyed!! xTieghan