Homemade General Tso’s Chicken Meatballs: A Delicious & Healthier Twist on Takeout

Prepare to revolutionize your weeknight dinner routine with an exciting new spin on a beloved Chinese takeout classic! We’re diving into the delicious world of General Tso’s Chicken Meatballs. Imagine tender, juicy homemade chicken meatballs, generously coated in that iconic sweet, savory, and subtly spicy General Tso’s sauce. This recipe takes everything you love about the traditional dish and transforms it into a convenient, lighter, and incredibly flavorful meal. Served alongside perfectly steamed broccoli and fluffy jasmine rice, it’s a complete, satisfying dish that the whole family will adore. And for your next gathering, these irresistible meatballs can easily double as crowd-pleasing appetizers!

The Inspiration Behind the Twist: Healthier Takeout at Home

A recent trip to Chicago, filled with culinary delights like deep-dish pizza, hot dogs, and savory gyros, left me with a craving for Chinese takeout. However, after indulging in so many rich flavors, I was also determined to avoid anything overly greasy or deep-fried. Traditional General Tso’s chicken, with its crispy, battered pieces, is undeniably delicious, but it’s certainly not the most waistline-friendly option. That’s where the idea for these chicken meatballs was born! I wanted to capture all the incredible flavors of General Tso’s without the heavy frying, and the result is truly spectacular. These chicken meatballs offer a unique texture and flavor profile, and I promise you won’t even miss the fried chicken. They’re so flavorful and tender that you might find yourself eating them straight from the pan, no carbs necessary!

Versatile Serving Options: Main Meal or Appetizer?

As you can see from the enticing photos, I love serving these General Tso’s Chicken Meatballs as a hearty main course. The recipe includes tender steamed broccoli, which I toss directly into the rich General Tso’s sauce, creating a vibrant and nutritious addition. Serving this over a bed of fluffy white rice makes it a complete, balanced, and incredibly satisfying meal. And yes, adding broccoli definitely counts as making it healthy… right? We’ll go with that!

But the versatility of these meatballs doesn’t stop there. If you’re hosting a party or looking for a fantastic appetizer, you can easily omit the broccoli. Simply prepare the meatballs and sauce, then transfer them to a slow cooker to keep warm. They make an excellent finger food that will disappear quickly!

Crafting the Perfect Chicken Meatballs: Flavor from Within

Let’s talk about the heart of this dish: the homemade chicken meatballs. The foundation for these meatballs is a trusted recipe I use time and again, ensuring a consistent and delicious result. It begins with quality ground chicken, light and airy panko breadcrumbs, a binding egg, and a generous amount of freshly minced garlic for a pungent kick. From this solid base, I customize the flavors to perfectly complement the General Tso’s sauce, making these meatballs truly unique.

For this Asian-inspired creation, the meatballs are seasoned with a blend of aromatic ground ginger, a touch of fragrant Chinese Five Spice powder, umami-rich soy sauce, a hint of nutty toasted sesame oil, and crunchy toasted sesame seeds. This combination of ingredients infuses the chicken with such incredible depth that, honestly, these meatballs are sensational even without the General Tso’s sauce! We add just enough five spice to enhance the savory notes without overwhelming the palate, while the toasted sesame seeds provide a delightful textural contrast and a beautiful golden-brown crust when seared. The resulting flavor is truly out of this world.

Pro Tip for Exceptionally Tender Meatballs: Don’t Overmix!

Achieving perfectly tender, melt-in-your-mouth chicken meatballs is simpler than you might think, and it all comes down to one crucial tip: avoid overworking the meat. To ensure this, I highly recommend combining all your non-meat ingredients (panko, egg, garlic, spices, soy sauce, sesame oil, sesame seeds, salt, pepper) in a bowl first, thoroughly mixing them with a fork. Only then should you add the ground chicken. Mix everything together just until *barely* combined. Overworking the ground chicken can lead to dry, tough, and less flavorful meatballs, as it develops the protein too much. By minimizing handling, you ensure a light and tender texture every time!

From one batch of this recipe, you can expect to yield approximately 18-22 meatballs. To achieve consistent sizing, which not only looks professional but also ensures even cooking, I rely on a cookie scoop. This handy tool helps create uniform meatballs that cook at the same rate, eliminating any guesswork. I prefer to cook the meatballs about three-quarters of the way through in the skillet initially, allowing them to develop a nice sear. The final cooking is completed directly in the General Tso’s sauce, letting them absorb all those incredible flavors as they simmer to perfection.

Decoding General Tso’s Sauce: Sweet, Savory, and Spicy Perfection

Now that we’ve covered the delectable meatballs, let’s talk about the star that ties it all together: the General Tso’s sauce. This iconic sauce, a hallmark of Chinese-American cuisine, is a beautifully balanced symphony of flavors. At its core, it’s a straightforward combination of staple ingredients: rich soy sauce, tangy rice vinegar, a touch of sweet brown sugar, fiery dried chilies for that signature kick, aromatic garlic, and a cornstarch slurry to achieve that perfect glossy thickness.

My secret ingredient for an extra layer of depth and umami? A subtle hint of tomato paste. This addition doesn’t make the sauce taste like tomato, but rather introduces a new dimension of flavor that elevates the entire dish, giving it a more complex and restaurant-quality taste. I have a strong suspicion that many of my favorite local Chinese restaurants employ a similar technique. This versatile sauce isn’t just for meatballs; it’s fantastic on almost anything, from classic fried chicken pieces to tofu or even stir-fried vegetables!

Make-Ahead & Freezer-Friendly Options

And there you have it: homemade General Tso’s Chicken Meatballs! I completely understand that life gets busy, and there isn’t always time to whip up homemade meatballs from scratch. For those hectic evenings, it’s absolutely fine to opt for good quality store-bought meatballs. Simply pan-fry them until golden and cooked through, then toss them in your freshly made General Tso’s sauce. No judgment here!

However, when you do find yourself with a little extra time, I enthusiastically encourage you to prepare a batch (or even a double batch) of these homemade meatballs. Once cooked and cooled, you can easily freeze them. This means that on your next busy weeknight, you’ll have flavorful, ready-to-use chicken meatballs tucked away, making dinner prep a breeze. A little planning goes a long way towards enjoying delicious, homemade meals even when time is short.

Versatile Serving Ideas for Every Occasion

While my personal serving suggestion is often “straight from the pan, without a fuss,” these meatballs pair beautifully with a variety of accompaniments. Enjoy them with fragrant white or wholesome brown rice, protein-packed cooked quinoa, or your favorite cooked noodles (like lo mein or egg noodles). For a lighter option, serve them alongside a crisp side salad to balance the rich sauce. The possibilities are endless for creating a meal that suits your taste and occasion.

These General Tso’s Chicken Meatballs are truly too good for words – you simply must try them for yourself to experience their incredible flavor!

Yield: 18-22 Meatballs (6-7 servings)

General Tso’s Chicken Meatballs

Prep Time
20 minutes

Cook Time
25 minutes

Total Time
45 minutes

A new twist on General Tso’s Chicken! I’m making General Tso’s chicken meatballs and serving them as a complete meal, loaded with tender broccoli over a bed of rice. You could easily make these as appetizers too!

Ingredients

Meatballs:

• 1 1/4 pound ground chicken (or turkey)
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon dried ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon Chinese five spice powder
• 1 tablespoon EACH: low sodium soy sauce, sesame oil AND sesame seeds
• 1 egg
• 3/4 cup panko breadcrumbs
• 3/4 teaspoon salt + 1/2 teaspoon pepper

General Tso’s Sauce:

• 2 tablespoons oil
• 4 scallions, thinly sliced (separate the whites and the greens)
• 8 dried Thai chilies
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup EACH: low sodium soy sauce AND chicken broth
• 1/3 cup EACH: brown sugar AND rice vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon dried ginger
• 2 tablespoons EACH: hoisin sauce AND tomato paste
• 2 cups steamed broccoli florets (see notes)
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch dissolved in 2 tablespoon water

Instructions

1. MEATBALLS: In a medium bowl, using a fork, mix together all the ingredients EXCEPT the ground chicken (garlic, dried ginger, Chinese five spice, soy sauce, sesame oil, sesame seeds, egg, panko, salt, and pepper). Then add the ground chicken and mix until *just* combined. Be careful not to overwork the meat. Roll into 18-22 meatballs using a cookie scoop (about 1 1/2 tablespoons each).
2. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Drizzle in a little oil. Add the meatballs to the skillet, ensuring not to overcrowd. Cook in batches if necessary. Sear the meatballs for 6-7 minutes, flipping to brown all sides evenly. We will finish cooking the meatballs through in the sauce later. Remove meatballs to a plate.
3. SAUCE: In a large measuring cup, combine the soy sauce, chicken broth, brown sugar, dried ginger, rice vinegar, hoisin sauce, and tomato paste. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in the same skillet over medium-high heat. Add the thinly sliced scallion whites and the dried Thai chilies and let them sizzle for about a minute. Then add the minced garlic and cook for just 30 seconds until fragrant. Slowly pour in the prepared sauce mixture and allow it to reach a gentle simmer. Stir in the cornstarch slurry, and you will notice the sauce begin to thicken. Add the seared meatballs back into the sauce and let them cook for 3-4 minutes on low heat to absorb the flavors. Stir in the steamed broccoli florets. Top with the remaining scallion greens and serve warm over jasmine rice, quinoa, or egg noodles.

Notes

• You can easily steam broccoli in the microwave: place florets in a deep bowl with 1 tablespoon of water, cover, and microwave for 1 – 1 1/2 minutes, or until they turn bright green and are tender-crisp. Alternatively, use a steamer basket set over a pot of hot water on the stove for approximately 3 minutes.

Have you made this recipe?

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