Homemade Pineapple Teriyaki Chicken Meatballs

These easy-to-make Homemade Pineapple Teriyaki Chicken Meatballs are sticky, sweet and packed with flavor! Serve these saucy meatballs over steamed rice and broccoli for a complete dinner the whole family will love!

What are the ingredients in these Homemade Pineapple Teriyaki Chicken Meatballs?

You’ll need a few Asian food pantry staples for this recipe, but everything should be available at your local grocery store. You’ve got a few different options for this main dish meal – let’s get into them!

• ground chicken – Feel free to use either ground chicken or ground turkey for this recipe. But either way, look for meat with higher fat percentage. This will add more flavor and moisture to the meatballs!
• panko breadcrumbs – If you’ve made meatballs before, you know breadcrumbs are essential as a binder. I like to use panko for these meatballs!
• Kewpie mayonnaise – You can use any mayonnaise you have on hand, but I love the savory umami taste that Kewpie mayo adds. I’ve actually started buying Kewpie mayo at Costco. It’s getting popular in my area!
• ginger & garlic – Both aromatics are used to flavor the sauce and the meatballs, which is why both are divided within the recipe.
• salt – There’s a lot of sweetness going on in this recipe, so to help being out all the savory flavors and balance the sugar, a bit of salt is necessary.
• avocado oil – My preference for frying the meatballs and the pineapple later. It has a high smoke point, so you can brown the meatballs in batch really easily without the oil getting too hot.
• pineapple – Canned pineapple or fresh cut pineapple (from the produce section!) both work well in this recipe. If you use canned pineapple, you can also put the juice into the sauce!
• cornstarch – This is our thickener for the sauce. I like to mix it with a TB of water in a small measuring cup before I start cooking so it’s ready to go when I need it.
• water – A bit of water is needed as a base to help make the sauce. If you used canned pineapple, feel free to use that as well!
• mirin – Common in Japanese cooking, mirin is a sweet rice wine. The alcohol evaporates during the sauce simmering phase. It has a sweet tangy flavor, and gives teriyaki sauce it’s unique flavor!
• soy sauce – Of course some soy sauce is necessary, and it helps balance all the sweetness in the sauce.
• hoisin sauce – I absolutely love hoisin sauce and the sweetness it brings to any homemade sauce. The flavors go incredibly well with teriyaki and pineapple.
• honey – A final sweetener, just one tablespoon of honey. This is definitely the sweetest addition, so we aren’t adding much, but it’s necessary for flavor and a balanced sweet teriyaki sauce.
• serve with: steamed jasmine rice, cooked broccoli, sliced green onions – just a suggestion! More ideas below!

Equipment you’ll need to make this recipe:

No special equipment is needed besides a big shallow frying pan or Dutch Oven, as well as a couple different utensils to make it easy. Here are my recommendations:

• silicone tongs – Tongs are always useful, but even more useful are these OXO 9-Inch Silicone Head Tongs (affiliate link!)! They don’t scratch your delicate surfaces like a Dutch oven or non-stick pans.
• Dutch oven or frying pan – Everyone needs a good Dutch oven. The most affordable and quality brand is this Lodge 6 qt Cast Iron Dutch Oven (affiliate link!).
• mixing bowls – In almost every one of my recipes, I use these one or more pieces of this 8-Piece Pyrex Sculptured Mixing Bowl Set (affiliate link!). You can see them in most of my pictures!

How do you make these Homemade Pineapple Teriyaki Chicken Meatballs?

While it may seem like quite a few steps, each one is simple to complete and will have you on your way to sticky gorgeous meatballs in minutes! Here’s a complete rundown on exactly how to make this recipe:

Start by combining the ingredients for the meatball mixture in a large mixing bowl. I always use gloves when I mix and form any kind of meatballs, including these. It makes for easier cleanup, time saved, and less meatball mixture sticking to my hands!

Along with the ground chicken, panko breadcrumbs, mayonnaise, minced ginger and minced garlic, season with about 1/2 teaspoon of salt, adjusting if your ground chicken comes pre-seasoned. Gently work the mixture together into a smooth paste, and roll into approximately 20-24 tablespoon-sized balls.

If the mixture is seeming too wet to form neat meatballs, sprinkle about 2 tablespoons more breadcrumbs into the bowl and try again. They should be smooth-looking instead of sticky-looking. I don’t even use another plate – I just put the formed meatballs back in the bowl. They don’t have to be perfect!

While the formed meatballs rest for a few minutes, start making your sides. I recommend steamed rice and air fried broccoli. The rice cooks in my Instant Pot and the broccoli cooks in my air fryer. Easy methods that are hands-off so I can focus on the meatballs!

Next is the sauce. In a mason jar or measuring cup, whisk together the water or pineapple juice, mirin, soy sauce, hoisin sauce and honey until the honey has dissolved. I prefer to use a mason jar – this way I can just shake it all up instead of dirtying another utensil. This is also a good time to combine the cornstarch and water, if not done yet. Set aside the sauce until later!

Grab your large, shallow frying pan or Dutch oven and place it over low-medium heat. Add about 2 tablespoons avocado oil. Once the oil is hot, add half of the meatballs, and fry until golden brown all over. You’ll need to turn them often, letting the outsides brown all over as much as you can.

You want to keep the heat low while cooking the meatballs all the way through, as they won’t have much time to cook further in the sauce. Each batch will take about 8-10 minutes to cook, depending on your pan and heat level. Set the first batch on a paper towel lined plate and repeat the process with the remaining meatballs.

After the meatballs are set aside, it’s time to cook the pineapple before making the sauce. You can wipe the pan clean if you wish, but it’s not a requirement. Add the final 1 tablespoon of clean oil to the pan if it’s dry. Turn the heat up a bit to medium and add the drained pineapple chunks. Stir fry them for about 5 minutes until they start to caramelize a little. You should be able to tell when the edges start browning. Stir in the remaining ginger and garlic cloves, then continue to cook for another minute or so until fragrant and soft. 

Finally, pour in the prepared sauce, then stir in the cornstarch mixture as well. Return the meatballs to the pan and gently stir them in so they are coated with sauce. It should start to bubble gently, and thicken over the next 3-4 minutes as the meatballs heat back up completely.

Turn the heat off and let it cool for a minute or two before serving alongside the rice and the broccoli, or whatever sides you prepared. I like to sprinkle sliced green onions and toasted sesame seeds on top.

Best tips for making Homemade Pineapple Teriyaki Chicken Meatballs:

Here are my best tips for making this saucy chicken meatballs recipe successfully in your own kitchen:

• Use gloves when forming the meatballs, if possible. The meatballs mixture does not stick to gloves the way it sticks to your hands. This makes for a super easy cleanup, and less possibility for cross-contamination overall.
• Don’t worry too much about the *exact* shape when forming the meatballs. They don’t have to be perfect balls – it’s more important they are all similar in size.
• If the meatballs seem to be burning on the sides before they are cooked through, turn the heat down. It’s important to cook them all the way through when browning, since there’s not much time for cooking later.

What to serve with this main dish recipe:

Our top recommendation for serving this recipe is to include some steamed rice and broccoli. Rice can be made in the Instant Pot or on the stovetop. Broccoli can be steamed on the stovetop or roasted in the air fryer.

You can always choose any other grain and veggie combo, or simply serve the chicken meatballs with rice if you want! This would also be good with some snow peas sauteed in with the pineapple. Other grain ideas include: brown rice, quinoa, or rice noodles.

Make-ahead ideas for this recipe:

There are a couple ways to save time by preparing all or part of this recipe ahead of time. Here are some options:

1. Complete prep: Make the recipe start to finish, then package it up into individual portions to store in the fridge and enjoy within the next 4 days.
2. Make and freeze meatballs: Mix up and form the meatballs, but place them on a parchment paper lined sheet pan. Freeze for at least 4 hours or overnight, then transfer to a freezer-safe storage bag. For more meatball freezing info, see my post on Easy Freezer-Friendly Meatballs.
3. Make and freeze entire meal: Make the recipe start to finish, then portion into a freezer container or 2-Cup Souper Cubes Trays (affiliate link!), label and freeze for up to 3-4 months for best quality.

How to store Homemade Pineapple Teriyaki Chicken Meatballs:

Leftover meatballs and sauce can be stored in an airtight container with lid in the fridge for up to 4 days.

How to freeze Homemade Pineapple Teriyaki Chicken Meatballs:

There are a couple options for freezing this recipe:

• Make & freeze raw meatballs: For more meatball freezing info, see my post on Easy Freezer-Friendly Meatballs.
• Make and freeze entire meal: Make the recipe start to finish, then portion into a freezer container or 2-Cup Souper Cubes Trays (affiliate link!), label and freeze for up to 3-4 months for best quality.

How to reheat Homemade Pineapple Teriyaki Chicken Meatballs:

Drizzle 1-2 tablespoons of water over the rice if contained separately from the meatballs and sauce to help create steam. Loosely cover the meal with the lid and microwave on High for 90 seconds, stirring and then continuing to heat in 30 second increments until it’s hot and steamy all the way through.

Recipe developed by Rachel Phipps.