These Baked Ground Chicken Teriyaki Pineapple Meatballs with Rice are made with ground chicken, crushed pineapple, and tossed in a homemade teriyaki sauce.

Serve over rice with sauteed bell peppers for a quick, easy, and delicious meal your whole family will love.

Who doesn’t love a good meatball? They are quick and easy to make and shouldn’t be limited to just Italian night. These chicken teriyaki pineapple meatballs are bursting with flavor.

Here are some other meatball recipes you will want to try: traditional Italian meatballs, chicken apple meatballs, sage chicken meatballs with brown butter sauce.

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This page may contain affiliate links. I only recommend products that I would use myself. I may earn a small commission when you make purchases through these links at no additional cost to you. Thank you. As an Amazon Affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases. For more information please read my Disclosure Policy.

Why You Will Love This Recipe

• This is a quick and easy meal that is full of flavor.
• These meatballs use common everyday ingredients.
• Because they are baked instead of fried, these meatballs are healthier than traditional pan fried meatballs.
• Easy make ahead recipe. Just assemble all of the ingredients and store in the refrigerator and reheat when you are ready to eat.

Ingredients

Ground Chicken: If you can’t find ground chicken you can either substitute ground turkey or ask your butcher to grind 1/2 a pound of chicken breasts and 1/2 a pound of chicken thighs together.

Panko Bread Crumbs: These bread crumbs are found by the regular bread crumbs at the grocery store but they are crispier than traditional bread crumbs. Breadcrumbs help bind meatballs together and absorb moisture to create more tender meatballs.

Milk: Milk adds additional moisture to the meatballs. When combined with the bread crumbs it also prevents the meat proteins from shrinking and creating tough meatballs.

Pineapple Chunks: Pineapple is the secret to moist chicken meatballs. Use the fruit in the meatball and reserve the juice to use in the homemade teriyaki sauce. 

Egg: Egg helps to bind the meatball together and adds additional fat, moisture, and flavor.

Soy Sauce: My recipes are formulated using reduced-sodium soy sauce.

Green Onions: Green onions are also known as scallions. They are milder than a regular white or yellow onion.

Garlic: Fresh garlic will give you the best flavor. You can use freshly chopped garlic cloves, chopped garlic from a jar, or use some garlic paste from a tube. If you only have garlic powder reduce the amount to 1 1/2 teaspoon for the meatballs and 1 1/2 teaspoon for the sauce.

Fresh Ginger: If you don’t have fresh ginger you can substitute ground ginger or try ginger paste which can be found in the produce section of the grocery store next to the fresh herbs. If using ground ginger reduce the amount to 1/4 teaspoon for the meatballs and 1/4 teaspoon for the sauce.

Did you know fresh ginger can be frozen? Never run out of fresh ginger or throw away moldy ginger again.

Sweet Chili Sauce: Sweet chili sauce adds just a touch of spice to the teriyaki sauce.

Honey: Just a bit of honey sweetens the teriyaki sauce without making it overly sweet.

Cornstarch: Cornstarch is used to thicken the homemade teriyaki sauce.

Red and Green Bell Peppers: Red and green peppers add some color and crunch. Don’t like bell peppers? Try substituting broccoli, snow peas, or cabbage.

Toasted Sesame Seeds: Toasting sesame seeds makes them crunchier and gives them a nutty flavor. As a shortcut, you can buy already toasted sesame seeds in the spice aisle.

Equipment

Large Mixing Bowl: These are my favorite mixing bowls. They come in a huge range of sizes, nest together for easy storage, and are easy to clean.

Grater: A quality grater will make quick work of grating everything from the fresh ginger in this recipe to parmesan cheese. This grater which is available on Amazon was highly rated by America’s Test Kitchen.

9×13 Casserole Dish: When making casseroles I love my glass pyrex pan.

Thermometer: The easiest way to know when the meatballs are fully cooked is to check their temperature. Full cooked meatballs should have an internal temperature of 165 degrees Farenheight. The Thermapen Mk4 from Thermoworks is my favorite thermometer. It is durable, fast, and easy to use, and clean.

Directions

Meatballs

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Farenheight.

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In a large bowl mix together the ground chicken, breadcrumbs, milk, pineapple, egg, soy sauce, green onions, garlic, ginger, and sweet chili sauce.

Mix with your hands until just combined.

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Shape the mixture into golf ball-sized meatballs using approximately 2 tablespoons of the mixture for each meatball.

Place meatballs in a 9×13 casserole dish. Bake for 18-20 minutes. Meatballs are done when they reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees Farenheight. You can also cut a meatball in half to make sure the meat is no longer pink.

Teriyaki Sauce

While the meatballs are baking, combine the soy sauce, water, honey, pineapple juice, garlic, ginger, and sweet chili sauce in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer.

In a small bowl mix together the corn starch and 1 tablespoon of water. Slowly whisk the cornstarch slurry into the sauce. Continue whisking the sauce until it has thickened slightly.

Assembly

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Top the meatballs with the remaining pineapple chunks and red and green pepper chunks. Pour the teriyaki sauce over everything and continue baking in the oven for 30 minutes until the peppers are fork-tender.

Garnish with sliced green onions and sesame seeds.

What to serve with teriyaki pineapple meatballs

I love to serve these meatballs over rice with sauteed bell peppers and drizzled with the homemade teriyaki sauce. If you are looking for a lower carb serving suggestion, try substituting riced cauliflower for the rice.

These meatballs also make a delicious addition to a lettuce wrap.

Storage

Store leftover meatballs in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Reheat over low heat in a saucepan or in the microwave.

Frequently Asked Questions

Tips

• If you can’t find ground chicken you can either substitute ground turkey or ask your butcher to grind 1/2 a pound of chicken breasts and 1/2 a pound of chicken thighs together.
• To keep the meatballs from sticking to your hands when rolling them into balls, spray your hands with a little nonstick cooking spray.
• Don’t overwork the meat. Mixing the ingredients by hand allows you to ensure the ingredients are combined completely without overworking the mixture. Overworking the mixture creates tight tough meatballs.
• When shaping the meatballs, all of the meatballs should be similar in size to ensure they will cook at the same rate. Loosely roll the meat into balls. Rolling and squeezing them into tight balls will create tough overworked meatballs.
• If you are looking for a shortcut, feel free to substitute your favorite bottled teriyaki sauce.

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