These baked Gochujang Chicken Meatballs are simple to make and coated in a sweet and spicy gochujang sauce. They’re best served with a side of vegetables and a sprinkling of green onions and sesame seeds.
Much like our Gochujang Sweet Potatoes, these Gochujang Chicken Meatballs are tossed in a flavorful sauce made with Korean red pepper paste.
The spiciness of the sauce is balanced by the sweetness of honey, giving it a thick, sticky texture that clings to the meatballs. We recommend serving them with kimchi as the fermented flavor of the cabbage pairs perfectly with the flavor of the meat.
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Versatile: We like to serve these in a bowl with rice and veggies, but you can serve them any way you like.
- Easy to Make: These gochujang meatballs are super simple to make and take less than an hour to whip up in the kitchen.
Ingredient Notes
The full list of ingredients and their quantities is in the recipe card below. Here you’ll find notes on specific ingredients as well as any substitutions.
- Ground Chicken: We recommend dark meat since it’s less dry than light meat, meaning you’ll have slightly juicier meatballs. If you can’t find any, regular ground chicken is fine.
- Gochujang: This delicious red pepper paste is what gives the dish its flavor.
- Honey: This complements the spice and helps to thicken the sauce.
- Plain Breadcrumbs: Don’t use panko breadcrumbs. They’re a lot larger than regular breadcrumbs and will give the meatballs a coarser texture.
- Egg: Be sure to lightly beat the egg before adding it to the meat so it distributes more evenly.
- Fresh Ginger: You’ll need a 1-2 inch (2.5-5 cm) knob of ginger for grating.
- Green Onions: 2-4 greens onions should be enough for the meatballs and for topping.
Step-by-Step Instructions
This section provides a general overview as well as any pictures to guide you through the recipe. The full detailed recipe instructions are in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
STEP 1: Mix the meat. In a large bowl, combine the ingredients for the meatballs until just combined. Don’t overmix.
STEP 2: Form the meatballs. Roll the meat into 1 ½-2 inch (4-5 cm) meatballs and place on a lined baking sheet. There should be 16 meatballs.
STEP 3: Bake. Bake the meatballs for 15-18 minutes at 400°F (205°C) or until the internal temperature reaches 165°F (73.8°C). Chicken is prone to drying out quickly, so check it at the first given time.
STEP 4: Make the glaze. In a medium bowl, whisk to combine the gochujang, honey, rice vinegar, sesame oil, and soy sauce until smooth.
STEP 5: Coat the meatballs. Working in batches, add the cooked meatballs to the sauce, gently tossing to coat. You’ll have a little bit of sauce leftover that you can drizzle on top.
STEP 6: Serve. We like to serve ours on a bed of rice with kimchi, sliced cucumbers, green onions, carrots, and sesame seeds. You can opt for brown rice or make lettuce wraps with them.
Expert Tips
- Freeze your ginger beforehand. Using a microplane to grate room temperature ginger can be a struggle with all those woodsy fibers getting in the way. To fix this, just pop your ginger in the freezer about 30 minutes to an hour beforehand. Afterwards, grating should be a breeze.
- Don’t overwork the meatballs. Stop mixing as soon as everything is evenly distributed throughout the meat. Over mixing can result in tough meatballs.
FAQ
As mentioned, we like to serve them in a rice bowl with veggies, especially kimchi and cucumbers. You can also make lettuce wraps with them, serve them as appetizers, or on a salad. Any way you serve them, we recommend topping them with sesame seeds and green onions!
Yes, you can swap the chicken for ground pork or ground turkey. Just make sure the internal temperature is 160°F (71°C) for pork or 165°F (73.8°C) for turkey to ensure they’re properly cooked through.
If you tried this recipe, let us know how it turned out for you! Leave a star rating and review below and tag us on Instagram @fancifuleats so we can see your amazing kitchen creations!
📖 Recipe
Sticky Gochujang Chicken Meatballs
Equipment
- Large Baking Sheet
Ingredients
Gochujang Chicken Meatballs
- 1 lb (454 g) ground chicken preferably dark meat
- â…” cup (93 g) plain breadcrumbs
- 2 tbsp gochujang
- 1 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
- 1 tbsp fresh grated ginger
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- ¼ cup (20 g) green onions finely chopped
- 1 large egg lightly beaten
Gochujang Glaze
- 3 tbsp gochujang
- 2 tbsp honey
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
- 1 tsp low-sodium soy sauce
Serving (Optional)
- White rice
- Sliced cucumbers
- Carrots
- Kimchi
- Sliced green onions
- Black and white sesame seeds
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F (205°C) and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, combine the ground chicken, breadcrumbs, gochujang, soy sauce, ginger, garlic, green onions, and egg. Mix until just combined, being careful not to ovemix.
- Roll the meat into 1 ½-2 inch (4-5 cm) meatballs and place them on the prepared baking sheet. We recommend using kitchen gloves since the meat is a bit soft and sticky. You should have 16 meatballs.
- Bake for 15-18 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 165°F (73.8°C).
- For the glaze, whisk together the gochujang, honey, rice vinegar, sesame oil, and soy sauce in a medium bowl until smooth.
- Working in batches, add the cooked meatballs to the sauce, gently tossing until well coated.
- We like to serve ours over rice with sliced cucumbers, carrots, and kimchi and top them with sliced green onions and a sprinkle of black and white sesame seeds.
Notes
- Storage: Place the meatballs in an airtight container and store in the fridge for 3-4 days.
- Nutrition information only includes the meatballs and sauce.
Sara says
Instead of meatballs I formed patties and put in a bun. Also, added a little mayo to the glaze. Thank you for the recipe!
fancifuleats says
Great idea! Thanks for sharing!