Itadori Meatball Recipe: Juicy Asian Chicken Flavor
Itadori Meatball Recipe is a comforting Japanese-inspired dish made with ground chicken, ginger, garlic, and shiitake mushrooms simmered in a savory gravy sauce. These juicy Asian chicken meatballs are simple to make, full of flavor, and perfect for quick dinners or meal-prep. Enjoy tender meatballs with rice or noodles for a cozy homemade meal everyone will love.
- Prep time
- 20 min
- Cook time
- 15 min
- Yield
- 6 servings
- Difficulty
- MEDIUM
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 5 dried shiitake mushrooms (about 25 g)
- ¼ cup hot water (to rehydrate mushrooms)
- 500 g ground chicken (you may use mix dark + breast meat)
- 1 egg (large)
- 1 inch fresh ginger, grated
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 green onions (scallions), finely chopped
- 3 tsp soy sauce
- 4 tsp oyster sauce
- 3 tsp sesame oil
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp white pepper (or regular pepper)
- 3 tbsp panko breadcrumbs (or plain breadcrumbs).
Instructions
- 1
Place dried shiitake mushrooms in a small bowl. Pour ¼ cup hot water over them and let sit for ~15 minutes until softened
- 2
Once soft, finely chop the mushrooms, and reserve the soaking liquid (strain it to remove grit)
- 3
In your kitchen, gather all ingredients so you’re not scrambling mid-cook
- 4
In a mixing bowl, combine ground chicken, chopped mushrooms, egg, grated ginger, minced garlic, chopped green onion
- 5
Add soy sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil, salt, pepper, panko breadcrumbs, and 2 tbsp of the mushroom soaking liquid
- 6
With clean hands or a silicone spatula, mix everything well until it holds shape. Be gentle—you want the mix to be cohesive but not overworked
- 7
If the mixture feels too loose, chill 10 minutes in fridge or add a little more panko
- 8
Shape into small balls (about 1 to 1¼ inch diameter). You should get ~20–24 meatballs
- 9
Heat a shallow layer (~2 tbsp) of peanut oil in a heavy skillet over medium heat
- 10
Gently place the meatballs in the skillet, leaving a little space between. Don’t overcrowd
- 11
Brown them on one side (2–3 min), then flip and brown the other side. You don’t need to cook them fully through—just get a light golden crust. Use a spatula carefully so they don’t break
- 12
In a separate pot, bring your broth (dashi or chicken) to simmer. Add soy sauce, mirin, sake (if using)
- 13
Stir in white miso (dissolve it well), then gently slide the browned meatballs into the broth
- 14
Cover, lower heat, and simmer 10–12 minutes until meatballs are cooked through
- 15
After that, lift the meatballs gently into a large bowl or serving dish
- 16
To thicken, mix cornstarch + water to make a slurry, then pour that into the remaining broth, stirring until the liquid thickens into gravy sauce (watch carefully—it thickens fast)
- 17
Pour the thickened gravy sauce back over the meatballs (or add meatballs back to pot to coat them well)
- 18
If you like, you can add sliced carrots, mushrooms, or spinach to the broth at the end and simmer a few more minutes so they cook just right
- 19
Garnish with sliced green onions, sesame seeds, or fresh herbs.