Pineapple Chicken or Turkey Meatballs (Printable Version)

Tender meatballs in sweet pineapple sauce with bell peppers. Ready in 45 minutes.

# What You Need:

→ Meatballs

01 - 1 pound ground chicken or turkey
02 - 1/3 cup breadcrumbs
03 - 1 large egg
04 - 2 green onions, finely chopped
05 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
06 - 1 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated
07 - 1 tablespoon soy sauce
08 - 1/2 teaspoon salt
09 - 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

→ Pineapple Sauce

10 - 1 cup pineapple juice
11 - 1/2 cup water
12 - 1/3 cup brown sugar
13 - 1/3 cup soy sauce
14 - 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
15 - 1 tablespoon cornstarch
16 - 1 can (8 ounces) pineapple chunks, drained
17 - 1 red bell pepper, chopped
18 - 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
19 - 1/4 teaspoon chili flakes

# How-To Steps:

01 - Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or lightly grease with cooking spray.
02 - In a large bowl, combine ground chicken or turkey, breadcrumbs, egg, green onions, garlic, ginger, soy sauce, salt, and black pepper. Mix until just combined, being careful not to overmix.
03 - Roll the mixture into 1-inch meatballs and place them on the prepared baking sheet, spacing evenly.
04 - Bake for 15-18 minutes until cooked through and lightly golden brown. A meat thermometer should read 165°F when inserted into the center.
05 - While meatballs bake, whisk together pineapple juice, water, brown sugar, soy sauce, rice vinegar, and cornstarch in a small bowl until smooth and cornstarch is fully dissolved.
06 - Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Sauté red bell pepper for 2 minutes. Add pineapple chunks and cook for an additional 2 minutes.
07 - Pour the pineapple sauce mixture into the skillet. Bring to a simmer, stirring constantly until sauce thickens, about 3-4 minutes.
08 - Add baked meatballs to the sauce and toss gently to coat. Simmer for 2-3 minutes to heat through. Serve hot, garnished with additional green onion or sesame seeds if desired.

# Helpful Tips:

01 -
  • The sauce hits that perfect sweet and tangy balance that makes everyone reach for seconds
  • Meatballs freeze beautifully so you can batch cook and have dinner ready in fifteen minutes on busy nights
  • That moment when the sauce thickens and coats everything perfectly feels like pure magic
02 -
  • Overmixing the meatball mixture makes them tough so mix just until everything is combined
  • The sauce will look thin at first but trust the process because it thickens up quickly once it hits the heat
  • Cornstarch needs to be whisked really well or you will end up with weird lumpy spots in your sauce
03 -
  • Use a cookie scoop to get perfectly uniform meatballs that cook at the same rate
  • Let the meatballs rest on the baking sheet for five minutes after baking so they hold their shape better

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