🍽️

Orange Chicken Meatballs and Sesame-Ginger Broccoli

Course
Dinner
Servings

2+

Tips & Tricks:

  • 🔪 Skip steps with knife if you completed the prep ideas!
  • 🥄 Can’t find orange chicken sauce? Make (recipe below) or buy sesame-ginger sauce and add orange marmalade to taste.
  • ☄️ This recipe should make extra meatballs for you to store in the fridge. Great for snacking or easily add to a dish for some protein.
  • 🍚 This dish goes great with rice if desired.
  • 🚨Check out the Leftover Alert at the end of this recipe.

Ingredients:

Meatballs

  • 1 lbs ground chicken
  • 4 cloves garlic or 1 tsp of garlic powder
  • 2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger (buy frozen pre grated if available)
  • 2 Tablespoons minced green onion
  • 2 tbsp soy sauce or Tamari for GF
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 1/2 cups of orange chicken sauce or DIY (look for GF sauce if desired)

Veg

  • 1 large bunch of broccolini, broccoli, green beans, or asparagus (about 8oz of any)

Sesame-Ginger Veg Sauce

  • 1 tablespoons sesame oil
  • 1 1/2 tablespoon minced fresh ginger (buy frozen pre grated if available)
  • 6 minced cloves of garlic or 3 tsp of garlic powder
  • 1 tablespoons rice vinegar
  • 3 tablespoons soy sauce or tamari for GF
  • 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 3 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  • 2 tablespoons water

[DIY Orange Sauce for Meatballs]

Directions:

  1. 🔪Veg Prep (can be done up to 3 days ahead).
    1. Mince fresh ginger, or defrost frozen while you prep the rest of the veg (for both the meatballs and veg).
    2. Mince garlic if you're not using garlic powder for the meatballs.
    3. Mince the green onion for the meatballs.
    4. Trim the broccolini of leaves and any tough ends.
      1. or cut broccoli into bite size florets.
      2. or trim the green beans of any stems.
      3. or trim the tough ends of the asparagus.
  2. 🔪 Veg Sauce Prep (can be made up to 5 days ahead).
    1. Combine all the ingredients for the veg sauce in a blender, food processor, or bowl and whisk/blend until completely smooth. Set aside.
  3. 🔪 Prep Meatballs (can be done earlier the day you plan to cook the meatballs)
    1. Put the ground chicken in a medium bowl, along with the rest of the meatball ingredients.
    2. Mix thoroughly.
    3. Form the chicken into 4 inch balls, or however big you would like them.
    4. If prepping ahead, place meatballs on a tray, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate.
  4. Quick Veg Blanch
    1. Turn the broiler on to high and place the shelf to the 2nd to top level in your oven.
    2. Set a pot 3/4 full of water on the stove over high heat.
    3. Once boiling, quick blanch the broccolini, broccoli, green beans, or asparagus by placing in the boiling water. Just until the veg turns bright green, about 1 minute for asparagus to 2 minutes for green beans or broccolini, to 3 minutes for broccoli if the florets are cut thick.
  5. Broil Meatballs and Veg
    1. Brush the meatballs with the orange sauce.
    2. Place the tray of meatballs under the broiler (plastic wrap removed) after it's been heating up for at least 10 minutes.
    3. Warm the orange sauce to a simmer in a small pot so you have warm sauce to serve with dinner.
    4. Cook meatballs, turning once and brushing with more sauce, until they are golden brown, for about 10-20 minutes (depending on how big you rolled them).
    5. Internal temperature should reach 165.
    6. Remove the meatballs, and while you prepare for serving, broil the veg.
      1. Brush half the sauce over your veg of choice and broil until crispy, about 2-5 minutes.
  6. Serve
    1. Brush more warmed orange sauce over the meatballs.
    2. Taste and add more sauce if desired.
    3. Serve with Sesame-Ginger Broccoli (or veg of choice) and any extra sauce(s) on the side.

Reheat Options

  1. To reheat any extra meatballs, place in a microwave safe container and cover with a damp paper towel. Microwave for 1-2 minutes.
  2. They’re also perfectly delish cold.

🚨Leftover Alert

  1. Enjoy meatballs with your favorite rice, rice noodles, or fry up any extra vegetables you have on hand with either sauce and serve with the meatballs.