Asian Chicken Meatballs (Print Version)

# Ingredients:

→ Meatballs

01 - 1¼ pounds ground poultry (chicken or turkey)
02 - 5 garlic cloves, finely chopped
03 - ½ teaspoon powdered ginger
04 - ½ teaspoon five spice blend
05 - 1 tablespoon reduced-salt soy sauce
06 - 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
07 - 1 tablespoon tiny sesame seeds
08 - 1 large egg
09 - ¾ cup crunchy panko crumbs
10 - ¾ teaspoon table salt
11 - ½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper

→ General Tso's Sauce

12 - 2 tablespoons cooking oil (whatever you've got handy)
13 - 4 green onions, cut thin (keep white and green parts separate)
14 - 8 small dried Thai peppers (more or less for your taste)
15 - 5 garlic cloves, chopped tiny
16 - ½ cup reduced-salt soy sauce
17 - ½ cup chicken stock
18 - ⅓ cup dark brown sugar
19 - ⅓ cup tangy rice vinegar
20 - ½ teaspoon ground ginger
21 - 2 tablespoons sweet hoisin sauce
22 - 2 tablespoons thick tomato paste
23 - 1 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with 2 tablespoons cool water

→ For Serving

24 - 2 cups lightly steamed broccoli chunks
25 - Hot jasmine rice, fluffy quinoa, or tender egg noodles
26 - Extra sesame seeds for topping (if you want)

# Instructions:

01 - Grab a medium bowl and throw in everything but the chicken first. Mix your garlic, powdered ginger, five spice, soy sauce, sesame oil, tiny seeds, egg, crunchy panko, salt, and pepper with a fork. Get it all blended real good so the flavors spread out. Then add your ground chicken and mix it gently. Don't squish it too much or you'll end up with tough meatballs.
02 - Scoop about 1½ tablespoons meat mix for each ball. Roll them between your hands until smooth, making around 18-22 balls. Put a little oil in a big pan over medium-high heat. When it's hot, drop in your meatballs, but don't crowd them. You might need to cook in batches. Let them brown for about 6-7 minutes, turning them now and then. They don't need to be fully cooked yet, just browned outside. Put them aside on a plate when done.
03 - In a big measuring cup or bowl, mix up your sauce stuff. Stir together the soy sauce, chicken stock, brown sugar, ground ginger, rice vinegar, hoisin sauce, and tomato paste. Keep stirring until the sugar melts away. In another small bowl, mix your cornstarch with cold water until it's smooth. Set both aside for now.
04 - Use the same pan where you cooked the meatballs. Don't clean it, those bits add flavor. Heat up a tablespoon of oil on medium-high. Toss in the white parts of your green onions and those dried Thai peppers. Let them sizzle for about a minute to flavor the oil. Add your chopped garlic and cook just half a minute until it smells good. Don't let it burn.
05 - Pour your sauce mix into the pan with all those good flavors. Let it bubble up, then stir in your cornstarch water mix. Cook it about a minute till it gets a bit thick. Now put your meatballs back in, rolling them around to coat them good. Turn the heat down low and let everything simmer 3-4 minutes until the meatballs are fully cooked (they should hit 165°F inside) and soak up some tasty sauce.
06 - Gently add your steamed broccoli to the pan and stir it around to get coated with sauce. Just warm it up for about a minute. Sprinkle those green onion tops all over. Scoop everything over your rice, quinoa, or noodles while it's hot. Pour extra sauce on top and sprinkle with more sesame seeds if you feel like it.

# Notes:

01 - These tasty meatballs pack all the yummy takeout flavors you love but in a healthier way with veggies and everything you need for a complete dinner.
02 - You can make tiny versions for party snacks by rolling smaller balls and sticking toothpicks in them, perfect when friends come over to watch sports.
03 - Play with the hot peppers to get it just right for you, fewer makes it milder, more makes your mouth tingle.

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