Orange Chicken Meatballs

I’ll never say no to a meatball recipe, and I’ve definitely never come across one that I did not absolutely love. Over the years I’ve shared quite a few on this blog that have gone over well. These Tikka Masala Meatballs are still a fan favorite through and through, and I still dream about Enchilada Meatballs constantly. If you’re a fan of stroganoff, these Stroganoff Meatballs are the way to go! I know that some of us might be watching what we’re eating in this new year and so I wanted to offer up these Orange Chicken Meatballs to you. They’re healthier than the classic dish, without all the frying, but still pack all of the flavor we know and love. Serve with brown rice and sautéed snow peas for a quick and easy weeknight meal that you don’t have to feel guilty about!

Let’s start with the meatballs. These meatballs are amazing in this dish but can also be great all by themselves without the orange sauce and can be served with veggies for a healthy meal. But let’s get back to this recipe. In a very large bowl, combine the chicken, bread crumbs, scallions, ginger, garlic, egg, sesame oil, soy sauce, Sriracha, and salt until evenly incorporated.

**Note: With all ground meat, you don’t want to over-work the mixture because it’ll become tough and dry. So you want to mix this as very little as possible.**

Form the mixture into 1 1/2 -inch balls and arrange on a baking sheet lined with foil and greased with cooking spray. 

**Tip: Whenever I make meatballs, I always bake them because it’s so much easier than frying on the stovetop. And I also like to line the baking pan with foil because it makes clean up a lot easier!**

Bake until golden brown and cooked through, about 13 to 15 minutes, flipping over halfway through baking. Remove from the oven and set aside.

To make the sauce, in a medium bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, orange juice, and brown sugar.

**Note: Make sure you use fresh squeezed orange juice for this. The flavor is just so much better, plus store bought orange juice is loaded up with sugar and it’ll make the sauce too sweet as we’re already adding sugar to it.**

Set a large skillet, with high sides, over medium-high heat with 1 tablespoon oil. Once hot, add in the ginger, garlic, and chiles. Cook for about 1 to 2 minutes, until fragrant.

**Tip: I used dried arbol chiles because that’s what I had on hand, but you can also use red Thai chiles instead. It doesn’t make the sauce spicy at all but rather it gives it a slight kick. I recommend you use it!**

Stir in the rice wine vinegar, the orange juice mixture and the orange peels. In a separate bowl, stir together the water and cornstarch until smooth. Whisk the cornstarch water into the orange sauce, and cook until the sauce has thickened, about 5 to 8 minutes.

Add the cooked meatballs to the sauce and gently toss until evenly combined. Cook for about a minute or so longer to warm the meatballs through.

Serve the meatballs with cooked brown rice and sautéed snow peas or green beans. Garnish with fresh sliced scallions right before serving.

I don’t have a recipe for the snow peas because it’s so simple. Just heat sauté with a bit of oil and season with a pinch of salt, black pepper and fresh lemon juice. Cook until bright green and tender. It shouldn’t take more than 3 to 5 minutes.

I hope you’ll give these meatballs a try soon because it’s one of my new favorite healthy recipes for the new year. And while the sauce still have a bit of sugar, the dish itself is still pretty healthy compared to classic breaded and fried orange chicken. Let me know what you think below!

Orange Chicken Meatballs

These much healthier Orange Chicken Meatballs are a quick and easy weeknight meal that can be served with brown rice and sautéed snow peas.

Servings 4 servings

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Total Time 30 minutes mins

Ingredients

Meatballs:

• 2 pounds ground chicken
• 1 cup Panko bread crumbs
• 1/3 cup thinly sliced scallions plus more for garnish
• 3 tablespoons fresh grated ginger
• 3 garlic cloves grated
• 1 large egg
• 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon Sriracha
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Sauce:

• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• ¾ cup fresh-squeezed orange juice from about 4 medium oranges
• ½ cup light brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon vegetable or canola oil
• 2 tablespoons fresh grated ginger
• 4 garlic cloves grated
• 3 to 4 red Thai chiles or dried arbol chiles
• ½ cup sliced green onion
• 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
• 4 to 6 1-inch orange peels (from the oranges before juicing)
• ½ cup water
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• cooked rice and sautéed snow peas for serving

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with foil and grease lightly with cooking spray; set aside.
• In a very large bowl, combine the chicken, bread crumbs, scallions, ginger, garlic, egg, sesame oil, soy sauce, Sriracha, and salt until evenly incorporated. Form the mixture into 1 1/2 -inch balls and arrange on the prepared baking sheet. Bake until golden brown and cooked through, about 13 to 15 minutes, flipping over halfway through baking. Remove from the oven and set aside.
• To make the sauce, in a medium bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, orange juice, and brown sugar. Set a large skillet, with high sides, over medium-high heat with 1 tablespoon oil. Once hot, add in the ginger, garlic, and chiles. Cook for about 1 to 2 minutes, until fragrant. Stir in the rice wine vinegar, the orange juice mixture and the orange peels. In a separate bowl, stir together the water and cornstarch until smooth. Whisk the cornstarch water into the orange sauce, and cook until the sauce has thickened, about 5 to 8 minutes.
• Add the cooked meatballs to the sauce and gently toss until evenly combined. Cook for about a minute or so to warm the meatballs through. Serve over brown rice and sautéed snow peas and garnish with sliced scallions.

Author: The Candid Appetite