Recipes Main Dishes Meatball Recipes Grilled Chicken Meatballs 4.3 (7) 7 Reviews 1 Photo This technique for grilled chicken meatballs is the only way to go. By pre-baking the meatballs, they finish quickly on the grill, and stay moist and juicy every time. A hoisin-ginger glaze makes a beautiful, glossy meatball, but you can flavor them just about any way you want. By John Mitzewich John Mitzewich John Mitzewich — aka Chef John — has produced more than 1,500 cooking videos for Allrecipes. He's the actor, director, and screenwriter whose hands and voice confidently walk you through techniques. Allrecipes' editorial guidelines Updated on May 29, 2024 Save Rate Print Share Add Photo 1 Prep Time: 30 mins Cook Time: 25 mins Chill Time: 1 hr Total Time: 1 hr 55 mins Servings: 4 Jump to Nutrition Facts Jump to recipe There’s a good reason you don’t often see grilled meatballs on a menu, and that’s because they are virtually impossible to do unless you know this simple, bake-ahead trick. If you ever want to get really frustrated, try to get balls of raw, ground meat to stay on a skewer. Even if you somehow accomplish that, then try to grill them without the meatballs falling apart. Spoiler alert: you won’t be able to. That’s a fool’s errand, and since we’re no fools, we’re going to be shaping and baking the balls beforehand, which makes everything so much easier, and virtually stress-free. Even experienced cooks can struggle with grilled chicken, since no one wants undercooked meat, but a boneless-skinless breast can go from perfect to dry in just a few seconds. But, here we are simply reheating our perfectly shaped and cooked meatballs, and unless you horribly burn the glaze, not much can go wrong. Plus, this method works no matter how you decide to flavor yours. So, for all those reasons and more, I really do hope you give this a try soon. Enjoy! More recipes: Try the latest and greatest recipes from Chef John! Cook Mode (Keep screen awake) Ingredients 1x 2x 4x Oops! Something went wrong. Our team is working on it. Original recipe (1X) yields 4 servings Meatballs 1 pound ground chicken 1 tablespoon sesame oil 1 tablespoon soy sauce 1 tablespoon mirin 1 teaspoon kosher salt 1 pinch freshly ground black pepper 1 pinch cayenne pepper 1/3 cup thinly sliced green onions 2 cloves garlic, crushed 2 tablespoons plain fine bread crumbs Glaze 1 tablespoon ketchup 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce 2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger 2 tablespoons rice vinegar 4 skewers Directions Add chicken, sesame oil, soy sauce, mirin, salt, pepper, cayenne, green onions, garlic, and bread crumbs to a bowl, and use a fork to gently but thoroughly mix everything together. Wrap and chill in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes before shaping. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil, and lightly grease the foil. Divide meatball mixture into 16 portions (about 2 rounded tablespoons each), and transfer onto the prepared pan. Using damp hands, roll each portion into a smooth meatball; and space out evenly on the baking sheet. Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes. Meatballs will be just cooked through, and an instant read thermometer inserted near the center will read 145 to 150 degrees F (63 to 66 degrees C). Let cool; wrap and keep in the refrigerator until needed. These can be made the day before. Preheat an outdoor grill, preferably charcoal, for medium heat, and lightly oil the grate. Stir ketchup, hoisin, fresh ginger, and rice vinegar together in a small bowl, and set aside. Place 4 meatballs on each skewer, and grill until lightly charred and heated through, about 3 minutes per side. Turn over, and brush with glaze. Turn back over, so the brushed side is down, and let sear for about 30 seconds; meanwhile, brush top with glaze. Turn over once more and let sear for about 30 seconds; remove from the heat. Apply more glaze after removing from the grill, as desired. Serve immediately. John Mitzewich I Made It Print Nutrition Facts (per serving) 298 Calories 16g Fat 10g Carbs 28g Protein Show Full Nutrition Label Hide Full Nutrition Label Nutrition Facts Servings Per Recipe 4 Calories 298 % Daily Value * Total Fat 16g 21% Saturated Fat 4g 21% Cholesterol 122mg 41% Sodium 811mg 35% Total Carbohydrate 10g 4% Dietary Fiber 1g 3% Total Sugars 5g Protein 28g 56% Vitamin C 2mg 3% Calcium 30mg 2% Iron 2mg 9% Potassium 848mg 18% * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs. ** Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available nutrient data. (-) Information is not currently available for this nutrient. If you are following a medically restrictive diet, please consult your doctor or registered dietitian before preparing this recipe for personal consumption.