Tsukune

Tsukune

Tsukune

Tsukune are little chicken meatballs sautéed then finished in a sweet and savory sauce. These are sometimes grilled on skewers and served as an appetizer like yakitori. These are really easy to make and require very little prep and cooking time. If you can’t find potato starch, breadcrumbs are an acceptable substitute.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time12 minutes
Course: Appetizer, Main Course
Cuisine: Japanese
Keyword: appetizer, Chicken, Japanese, main course
Author: Alex Gorgos

Ingredients

Meatballs

  • 1 lb ground chicken thigh
  • 1/4 cup sautéed onion cooked to golden brown
  • 1 large egg beaten
  • 2 tsp ginger minced
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 5 tbsp potato starch
  • 1 tbsp vegetable oil

Sauce

  • 2 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp sugar
  • 2 tbsp rice cooking wine
  • 3 tbsp water
  • 1/2 tsp potato starch

Garnish

  • green onion finely chopped

Instructions

  • In a bowl, combine ground chicken, egg, onion, ginger, salt, and potato starch.
    Japanese, main course, appetizer, chicken
  • Mix thoroughly.
    Japanese, main course, appetizer, chicken
  • Heat up cooking oil in a sauté pan over medium high heat. Using a cookie dropper, drop scoops of the meatball mix into the oil. Make sure to not overcrowd. You might have to cook these in 2 batches. I yielded 20 meatballs out of this recipe.
    Japanese, main course, appetizer, chicken
  • Cook the meatballs for 4-5 minutes a side. Take out of the pan and set aside.
    Japanese, main course, appetizer, chicken
  • In a small bowl, mix together all of the sauce ingredients.
    Japanese, main course, appetizer, chicken
  • In the same sauté pan, add the sauce over medium heat. Cook for 1 minute. Add in the meatballs.
    Japanese, main course, appetizer, chicken
  • Cook for no more than 2 minutes, tossing the meatballs, making sure that they are evenly coated in the sauce.
    Japanese, main course, appetizer, chicken
  • Serve over steamed rice. Garnish with green onions.
    Japanese, main course, appetizer, chicken