Maple Hoisin Glazed Chicken Meatballs

Hello hello!

Apologies for disappearing again. I had every intention of returning back to this newsletter every week but it seems like once I start to feel like I’ve figured out some sort of routine being a stay at home working mom, things totally change and I have to figure out a whole new way to write/cook/wrestle this giant baby on the daily. Thanks for being patient with me!

I’m happy to say that I’ve been cooking so much more the last few weeks. Simply cooking what feels and sounds good to me, while also being manageable in whatever new routine I’m in. My mom was also just here for three weeks and she (and my dad!) cooked some incredible meals for us. I took advantage of the time with extra hands to hold Meyer to rest and reset. Obviously with my parents being parents themselves, they gave me some great tips on how to cook while being short on time, energy, and sleep.

Cooking dinner on an almost daily basis in between naps and wake windows has been a uniquely creative challenge. This meatball recipe has been a meal I’ve been returning to the last few weeks. There’s nothing like a meatball to come to the rescue of a weeknight dinner!

These Maple Hoisin Glazed Chicken Meatballs are not your average meatball. They are made in the style of many Asian meatballs where the meat mixture is more of a blended paste rather that a coarse grind. Think of curry fish balls and shrimp balls floating in a noodle soup. These chicken meatballs are incredibly light and bouncy. You’ll need a food processor to blend up the mixture and the trick is adding some ice cubes to keep the meat cold as you blend to give the meatballs their elastic bouncy texture.

To cook a lot of balls at one time, these are baked in the oven first before tossing in a sticky maple hoisin glaze. I love to serve these with rice and side of thinly sliced cucumbers tossed in sesame paste and kewpie. I also saved a few unbaked meatballs to throw into a noodle soup and they were incredibly tender and fluffy after boiling for a few minutes until they floated.

Ok I have a baby who won’t stop rolling and getting stuck… enjoy the meatballs!

Serves 4

For the meatballs:

2 lbs boneless and skinless chicken thighs

2 egg whites

3 tbsp cornstarch

2 tbsp soy sauce

2 tbsp fish sauce

1 1/2 tsp coarse salt

1 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp white pepper

4 ice cubes

6 green onions thinly sliced, plus more for garnish

For the glaze:

1/2 cup maple syrup

3 tbsp hoisin

2 tbsp neutral oil

1 tbsp rice vinegar

1 tsp sesame oil

1 tsp chili flake

1. Preheat the oven to 400F degrees and line a rimmed baking sheet with foil.

2. In the food processor, pulse the chicken thighs a few times. Add the egg whites, cornstarch, soy sauce, fish sauce, salt, sugar, and white pepper. Pulse again a few times, until chunky. Add the ice cubes and blend until the mixture is very smooth and fluffy, 60 to 90 seconds. Transfer the meatball mixture into a bowl and fold in the green onions.

3. Drizzle a little neutral oil over the baking sheet and scoop 1 1/2 tbsp portions of the meatball mix onto the sheet. Rub some oil on your hands and roll the meatballs into smooth balls. Arrange the meatballs so they are close but not touching.

4. Bake in the oven until browned on the bottom and cooked through, 12 to 15 minutes. If you want, you can broil at the end for an extra 1 to 3 minutes to get them extra crisp.

5. In a bowl, mix to combine maple syrup, hoisin, oil rice vinegar, sesame oil, and chili flake. In a large pan or wok, heat the glaze over medium heat until it just starts to bubble. Add the meatballs and toss to coat. Continue to cook, tossing occasionally, until the meatballs a little caramelized, another 2 to 3 minutes.

6. Serve with steamed rice and top with green onions and sesame seeds!

Leave a comment