As far as easy meals go, chicken teriyaki has one of the best effort to taste ratios I’ve ever encountered. It’s quick, and some magic happens when you reduce the three-ingredient sauce down to a caramel-like consistency.

Like a more traditional Tsukune, these chicken teriyaki meatballs do take a bit more effort, but they come together in under 20 minutes from ingredients you probably already have lying around. Moist, tender and delicious, they’re great with a bowl of rice, but they’re also the perfect size for including in packed bento lunches.

Tofu may seem like an odd ingredient to include in meatballs, but it not only lowers the cost and fat content of the meatballs, it also prevents the lean chicken from drying out as it cooks. It works so well I even add tofu into my Italian style meatballs! One of the most important things when using tofu is to squeeze the extra water out, so the meatballs don’t get soggy. It’s also important to mix the tofu in well with the meat so you don’t have chunks of tofu popping out when you bite into them.

When preparing the sauce, be sure boil it down until it’s very thick. This starts to caramelize the sugar, giving the sauce a marvelous flavor that’s not too sweet, while making the teriyaki thick enough to easily coat the meatballs.

Chicken Teriyaki Meatballs

This Chicken Teriyaki Meatballs recipe has only three ingredients in the sauce, and it caramelizes the chicken. (Recipe Credit: Marc Matsumoto of Fresh Tastes)

Ingredients

• 7 ounces (200 grams) firm tofu
• 8 ounces (227 grams) ground chicken
• 1/4 cup panko
• 1 tablespoon sake
• 2 teaspoons grated ginger
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 egg
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup sake
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 360 degrees F (180 C). Prepare a baking sheet by lining it with parchment paper or a silicone mat.
2. Put the tofu in a clean dish towel or sheet of butter muslin and gather up the edges of the cloth and twist to wring as much water out of the tofu as you can. Crumble the tofu into a bowl.
3. Add the ground chicken, panko, sake, grated ginger, onion powder, egg, and salt to the bowl and then use your hands to knead the mixture together until the tofu and chicken are evenly combined.
4. Shape the chicken into 1-inch meatballs and place them on the prepared baking sheet.
5. When you're done rolling them out, put the pan in the oven and bake for 8-10 minutes or until the meatballs are cooked through. Be careful not to overcook them as they will dry out.
6. While the chicken is almost done, add 1/4 cup sake, along with the sugar and soy sauce to a frying pan. Boil the mixture until it is very thick and starts forming large shiny bubbles.
7. When the chicken is done, transfer the meatballs to the pan with the sauce and toss to coat, reducing the sauce until there's almost none left in the pan (but be careful not to burn it).

Yield: 22, 1-inch meatballs