This tsukune recipe features ground dark meat chicken combined with garlic, ginger, and scallions, formed into meatballs and cooked in a skillet. Tsukune, or Japanese chicken meatballs, are popular in izakayas and yakitori restaurants. Often shaped into cigars rather than balls, these meatballs are grilled on skewers and finished with tare, a savory-sweet soy-based sauce.
The image released by Milk Street shows a recipe for Japanese chicken meatballs. Unlike tender meatloaf or burgers, tsukune has a pleasing bounciness, so there’s no need to be gentle when mixing the ingredients. This recipe, from “Milk Street 365: The All-Purpose Cookbook for Every Day of the Year,” involves vigorously mixing dark meat chicken with grated garlic and ginger, fresh scallions, panko breadcrumbs, sesame oil, and white pepper. This creates the meatballs’ unique structure and chew.
Instead of grilling the tsukune on skewers, the mixture is shaped into small, thick meatballs and cooked in a nonstick skillet on the stovetop. It’s important not to brown the meatballs too aggressively, as this can cause uneven cooking. Heat the oil over medium-high, then reduce to medium once the meatballs are in the pan.
After lightly browning on the bottom, flip each meatball and add a mixture of sake, soy sauce, and mirin, which has been simmered with smashed garlic and bruised ginger. Cook, occasionally turning and basting the meatballs with the sauce, until they are glazed. For an extra kick, serve with shichimi togarashi (Japanese seven spice blend) or yuzu kosho (Japanese chili and citrus paste).
Japanese-Style Chicken Meatballs
Total Time: 50 minutes
Servings: 4
Ingredients:
- ½ cup sake
- ½ cup mirin
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- 2 medium garlic cloves, 1 smashed and peeled, 1 finely grated
- 2-inch piece fresh ginger, 2 teaspoons finely grated, the remainder thinly sliced and bruised
- 1 pound ground chicken, preferably dark meat
- 4 scallions, minced, divided
- ⅓ cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1 large egg white
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- Ground black or white pepper
- 2 tablespoons grapeseed or other neutral oil, plus more for oiling your hands
Directions:
- Line a rimmed baking sheet with kitchen parchment and mist with cooking spray; set aside. In a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, combine the sake, mirin, soy sauce, smashed garlic, and bruised ginger. Bring to a boil and cook, stirring often, until reduced to ⅓ cup, about 6 to 8 minutes. Remove and discard the garlic and ginger; transfer the mixture to a small bowl. Rinse out and dry the skillet.
- In a large bowl, combine the chicken, grated garlic, grated ginger, ¼ cup of the scallions, panko, egg white, sesame oil, and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Using your hands or a silicone spatula, vigorously stir and knead the mixture until well combined and sticky. Using lightly oiled hands, divide the mixture into 16 portions (about 2 tablespoons each), form each into a ball, and place on the prepared baking sheet. Lightly press each ball to slightly flatten it into a 1- to 1¼-inch round.
- In the same skillet over medium-high heat, heat the neutral oil until shimmering. Place the meatballs in the skillet, reduce to medium, and cook until lightly browned on the bottoms, about 4 minutes. Flip each meatball and add the sake-soy mixture; continue to cook, occasionally turning the meatballs and basting them with the sauce, until the centers reach 160°F and the exteriors are glazed, about 5 to 7 minutes; reduce the heat if the soy mixture is reducing too quickly.
- If desired, transfer the meatballs and glaze to a serving dish. Sprinkle with the remaining scallions.
