General Tso's meatballs are an easy chicken meatball recipe inspired by everyones' favorite Chinese-American take out!
This easy chicken meatball recipe is served in a sweet and tangy General Tso chicken sauce. It's the perfect recipe for a fun party appetizer or a quick dinner with white rice and broccoli.
For another scrumptious chicken meatball recipe, try our Chicken Meatballs with Mushrooms and Marsala Cream Sauce!
Ingredients
Key Ingredients (& Substitutions)
- Ground Chicken - This meatball recipe is also delicious when made with ground turkey or ground pork.
- Shaoxing Wine - Shaoxing wine is a type of Chinese rice wine. It's an ingredient found in most Asian grocers and used in a lot of Asian cooking recipes. If you don't have any Shaoxing wine, dry sherry makes a fine substitute.
- Ginger Root & Garlic - I highly recommend using fresh garlic cloves and ginger root to give this recipe its characteristic intensity. In a pinch, you can substitute ground ginger and garlic powder for the meatballs and General Tso sauce.
- Arbol Chiles - I made this recipe with dried Arbol chiles because they are readily available in the supermarkets where I live and quite similar to Chinese red peppers. If you have them, the Chinese red chilies are a great choice. You can also just use a teaspoon or two of dried chile flakes. Of course, if you would prefer a more mild sauce, feel free to reduce or omit the peppers altogether.
- Chicken Stock - When you can, I recommend making this recipe with a homemade gelatinous chicken stock. (We use this chicken feet bone broth recipe and always keep a few bags in our freezer.) The collagen in homemade stock helps to give this sauce a richer, silkier texture with great flavor. Of course, any chicken stock will work for this recipe.
- Soy Sauce - I like the salty intensity of regular soy sauce. Admittedly, we love salt in our house... so, you can use low-sodium soy sauce, if preferred.
How To Make This Recipe
Asian Chicken Meatballs
These meatballs are simple and delicious loaded with versatile Asian flavors. They're obviously phenomenal in General Tso sauce but they're also delicious in lots of other recipes, too. We like to keep a batch in the freezer for quick dinners with fried rice, other Asian pan sauces or to spruce up ramen noodles.
1. Combine all ingredients (ground chicken, Panko Breadcrumbs, whole egg, scallions, garlic, ginger, salt pepper and sesame oil) in a large mixing bowl. Combine with hands until ingredients are evenly distributed. Do not over mix.
2. Use a small scoop, Tablespoon or scale to evenly portion meatballs. I like to keep these meatballs bite-sized by using a ½ ounce (1 Tablespoon) cookie scoop. Use oiled hands to roll the portioned meatballs into rounds.
3. Optional: For a crispy outer edge, pan sear these meatballs in a hot skillet and finish in the oven (recommended).
For a quick and stress free preparation, just bake the meatballs on a parchment lined baking sheet for 7 - 10 minutes or until they reach an internal temperature of 165° Fahrenheit.
Meanwhile, make the sauce.
General Tso's Secret Sauce Recipe
Can you keep a secret? Shhh...General Tso never tasted his namesake chicken dish. (In fact, most Chinese people probably haven't. It's not exactly authentic. And probably not so secret.) Here in the States, however, General Tso is a staple of good Chinese take-out from coast to coast!
The sweet and tangy sauce is super easy to make, and only takes about 5 minutes. (No wok required.)
Chef's Note: Mise en Place - General Tso sauce is made very quickly and requires all of the ingredients to be pre-measured and ready to go before beginning. To minimize dishes, the liquids (sans rice wine vinegar) can be combined in one vessel. Be sure to prepare the cornstarch slurry in advance, as well.
1. Heat a large skillet (or wok) over high heat with a splash of cooking oil. Sauté the dried chiles for 1 - 2 ,minutes until sightly softened. Quickly add the minced garlic and ginger and cook while stirring for 20 - 30 seconds. Avoid browning or burning the garlic.
2. Twenty to thirty seconds after adding the ginger and garlic, whisk in the soy sauce, Shaoxing wine (or dry sherry), sesame oil and chicken stock. Be careful, the liquids will bubble and steam as they are added to the pan. Lower the heat to medium, whisk in the sugar and cook until fully melted and glossy.
Pro Tip: Understanding a Slurry - Cornstarch is a common ingredient used to thicken soups and sauces. It works because heat causes starches to swell and gelatinize. (This is true for all starches - it's what makes pasta grow in the boiling water, thickens pudding and gives boiled bagels their glossy, chewy surface.)
Since this reaction begins almost immediately - it's important to make a slurry. A slurry is mixture of starch and room-temperature or cold liquid. Whisking the cornstarch into a liquid before adding it into the hot pan allows the starch to thicken the sauce evenly by gentle tempering that prevents clumping.
3. Whisk in the slurry of cornstarch and rice wine vinegar. Simmer for 2 - 3 minutes until the General Tso sauce has thickened.
4. To finish the dish, toss the cooked meatballs in the hot sauce. Garnish with toasted sesame seeds and sliced scallions, as desired. Serve hot and enjoy!
Serving
- Garnish: I recommend serving these meatballs immediately with a sprinkle of sliced scallions and/or toasted sesame seeds.
- Party App: This mini meatballs recipe makes for an awesome bite-sized appetizer for cocktail parties, holidays and game days! We like to keep them warm in the lowest setting of a crockpot and serve with little wooden skewers.
- Main Course: For a full takeout at home experience, serve General Tso meatballs with white rice and steamed broccoli!
Storing for Later
- Refrigerator: Fully cooked General Tso meatball leftovers can be kept in the refrigerator for 3 - 5 days. Reheat in a skillet (or microwave) until an internal temperature of 165° Fahrenheit is reached. You may need to add an additional splash of chicken stock or water, to thin the sauce to the proper consistency.
- Freezer: The sauce and meatballs can also be frozen. Raw frozen meatballs can be baked from frozen in 12 - 15 minutes. I recommend freezing the sauce separately. Since the sauce is made with a good amount of sugar, it thaws very quickly. Heat the sauce in a skillet and toss in the hot, baked meatballs for a quick and easy dinner in under 20 minutes.
Frequently Asked Questions
You decide! General Tso sauce is tangy, sweet and can be made spicy or mild. As written, this recipe is balanced with a little spicy kick. (We used 6 chiles.)
For a spicier sauce, add more chiles. For a sweet and mild sauce add little or no chilies.
General Tso (Zuo Zongtang) was a real general and war hero of China's Qing dynasty. He gained famed recognition for his role in China's greatest civil war.
Truth is, General Tso (Zuo Zongtang) never ate his chicken or anything like it. The chef (Peng Chang-keui) who created this dish, originated from the same town as General Tso and randomly named the dish in his honor.
Not at all. General Tso chicken was crated in the 70's when Chef Peng Sang-keui immigrated from Taiwan to New York and adapted his recipe to the American palette by adding a lot of sugar. While not remotely authentic, General Tso chicken is a staple of Chinese-American takeout and North American culture.
Recipe
General Tso's Chicken Meatballs
ADJUST SERVINGS
Special Equipment
- ½ Ounce (1 Tablespoon) Scoop (Optional)
Ingredients
Asian Chicken Meatballs
- 1 pound ground chicken ground turkey OR ground pork
- ½ Cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1 whole egg
- 3 medium scallions finely minced (whites and greens)
- 3 cloves garlic finely minced or grated (1 ½ teaspoons fresh OR ½ teaspoon garlic powder)
- 2 inches fresh ginger root peeled and finely minced or grated (2 Tablespoons fresh OR 1 teaspoon ground ginger powder)
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 Tablespoon fine kosher salt*
- 1 teaspoon Freshly-ground black pepper
- 1 - 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil as needed
General Tso Sauce
- 1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
- 5 - 10 dried Arbol chilies OR Chinese red peppers or 1 - 2 teaspoons dried red pepper flakes
- 3 cloves garlic finely minced or grated (1 ½ teaspoons fresh OR ½ teaspoon garlic powder)
- 2 inches fresh ginger root peeled and finely minced or grated (2 Tablespoons fresh OR 1 teaspoon ground ginger powder)
- ½ Cup chicken stock
- 2 Tablespoons soy sauce OR low-sodium soy sauce
- 2 Tablespoons shaoxing wine OR dry sherry
- ¼ Cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 ½ Tablespoons rice vinegar whisked into a slurry with corn starch
- 1 ½ Tablespoons corn starch whisked into a slurry with rice vinegar
- Sliced scallion greens and sesame seeds optional garnish
Instructions
Asian Chicken Meatballs
- Arrange a rack in the center third of the oven and preheat to 400° Fahrenheit (205° celsius). Prepare a half sheet tray with parchment paper and set aside.
- Combine ground chicken, breadcrumbs, egg, scallion, garlic, ginger, sesame oil, salt and pepper in a medium mixing bowl. Use you hands to combine until ingredients are evenly distributed. Do not over mix.
- Use a ½ ounce scoop or rounded Tablespoon to portion chicken mixture into bite-sized meatballs. With vegetable oiled hands, roll portioned mixture into meatballs.
- Optional Pan Sear: For a crispier exterior, pan sear the meatballs before baking. Heat a small amount of vegetable oil in a large skillet over high heat. Sear balls on 3 - 4 sides until golden and crispy. Transfer meatballs to a baking sheet to finish cooking for 3 - 5 minutes or until an instant read thermometer registers an internal temperature of 165° Fahrenheit (75° celsius). Meanwhile, prepare the sauce.
- To bake the meatballs, cook for 10 - 12 minutes flipping once, until an instant read thermometer registers an internal temperature of 165° Fahrenheit (75° celsius). Meanwhile, prepare the sauce.
General Tso Sauce
- Gather, measure and prepare all ingredients as listed. This sauce is made very quickly and everything must be pre-measured and ready to go in your work station. Whisk corn starch and rice vinegar together to create a slurry. Set aside.
- In a large skillet, heat vegetable oil over high heat until nearly smoking. Add chiles and cook for 1 - 2 minutes until aromatic and beginning to soften.
- Add garlic and ginger and stir, cooking briefly for 20 - 30 seconds. Be careful not to brown or burn the garlic.
- Whisk in chicken stock, soy sauce and shaoxing wine. Be careful, the sauce will bubble rapidly and steam. Lower heat to medium and bring to a controlled simmer. Add sugar and whisk until fully dissolved.
- Add in corn starch and rice vinegar slurry while whisking. Allow the sauce to simmer for 1 - 2 minutes until thick and glossy.
- Add in cooked meatballs and toss to coat. Cook for 1 - 2 additional minutes, stirring the sauce over the meatballs. Serve hot and garnish with sliced scallions and toasted sesame seeds, as desired.
Notes
* A Note About Salt
Unless otherwise noted, all recipes on The Sage Apron are developed using Diamond Crystal Kosher salt. It is a great all-purpose salt for cooking and baking. If using table salt, reduce quantities by about half.
Kristen says
I made this last night, and it was amazing! Definitely am adding it into my rotation for dinner. The only thing that I did that I would NOT do again, is add 10 of the chills. My lips were burning, but that was my fault. Their small size deceived me!
The Sage Apron says
I am SO happy you liked the meatballs! They are a favorite of ours. I love bringing them to parties as an appetizer too. (I keep them warm in a little crockpot!) Those little chilis can be deceiving! I guess I like mine rather spicy. Now you know! Thank you so much for leaving a nice comment - it makes my day!
Thanks again,
- Taylor