Accounting for Taste

This approachable weeknight dinner takes its cue from Japanese grilled chicken meatballs (tsukune), and the glossy, sweet-and-sour sauce that comes with it. And you have to love the fact that everything goes onto one sheet-pan and into the oven at the same temperature.

There are several differences in how we prepared this versus the Bon Appétit directions. For starters, we only used one head of broccoli instead of two, and I steamed the pieces for a few minutes in the microwave first before tossing them on the sheet pan with oil. Previously, I had the unpleasant experience of undercooked, hard broccoli when only roasting the florets for such a short time period—not a memory I cared to revive.

We also decided that instead of setting 1/4 cup of marinade aside for glazing, we thickened the entire batch and used that for the two basting steps. The remainder was used to spoon over the rice before topping with the finished meatballs and broccoli.

Have a wheat issue? Use gluten-free panko, you’ll never notice the difference. Some reviewers complained about too much ginger. I may have included slightly less than called for, but we loved the depth of flavor it provided.

I can see where you would need two heads of broccoli for four dinner guests, because between the two of us, we totally consumed it. Once divided, the meatball mixture makes a dozen 1 1/2″-sized balls. And whereas three meatballs was plenty for me, The Hubs easily ate five. So depending on how hungry your family members are, plan on an average of three per person, with some wanting more…

Sheet-Pan Chicken Meatballs and Charred Broccoli

Servings: 3-4
Time: 45 min
Difficulty: easy
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Ingredients

⅔ cup ketchup
¼ cup Worcestershire sauce
2 Tbsp. rice cooking wine or water
2 Tbsp. honey
4 tsp. soy sauce
1 ½” piece ginger, peeled, finely grated
½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper

2 heads of broccoli (about 1½ lb.)
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil, divided
2½ tsp. kosher salt, divided
Crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
1 lb. ground chicken
1 large egg, beaten to blend
4 scallions, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, finely grated
1 2″ piece ginger, peeled, finely grated
⅓ cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
1 Tbsp. toasted sesame oil
¼ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
Cooked rice and sesame seeds (for serving)

Directions

Sauce

Mix ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, wine (if using), honey, soy sauce, ginger, and pepper in a small saucepan.
Measure out ¼ cup mixture into a small bowl; set aside for glazing meatballs later.
Bring remaining mixture to a simmer over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally and reducing heat if needed, until sauce thickens, about 5 minutes. Transfer sauce to a small bowl.

Meatballs and Assembly

Place a rack in upper third of oven; preheat to 450°.
Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil.
Trim broccoli stems and remove from crown. Peel off tough outer skin; slice crosswise into ½” pieces. Cut florets into 2″ pieces. Toss on prepared baking sheet with 1 Tbsp. vegetable oil, 1 tsp. salt, and a few pinches of red pepper flakes (if using).
Push to the edges of baking sheet to create a space for meatballs. Brush space with remaining 1 Tbsp. vegetable oil.
Mix chicken, egg, scallions, garlic, ginger, panko, sesame oil, pepper, remaining 1½ tsp. salt, and ¼ cup water in a medium bowl. Using wet hands, form into twelve 1½”-diameter meatballs.
Arrange on baking sheet; brush with some of the reserved glazing mixture. Bake until meatballs are cooked through, 14–18 minutes.
Remove from oven; heat broiler. Brush meatballs with remaining glazing mixture; broil until broccoli is charred and meatballs are browned in spots, about 5 minutes.
Spoon meatballs and broccoli over rice in bowl. Drizzle with sauce and sprinkle with sesame seeds.