Spicy General Tso's Meatballs are easy to make homemade meatballs with an Asian twist. The turkey meatballs include scallions, ginger root, soy sauce, toasted sesame oil and garlic powder. They get a kick of heat from a salty, sweet, and tangy sauce infused with dried red chili peppers.
Meatballs are always a hit with my personal chef clients. Kids and adults alike love to eat these little gems. My spicy loving clients are crazy for my General Tso's Meatballs.
The spicy meatballs made with ground turkey get a distinctive punch of heat from a sauce infused with dried red chilies. If you like hot and spicy than this recipe to make. This dish is not for the faint of heart!
These spicy meatballs along with other meatball recipes in my repertoire (including my Cabbage Roll Meatballs, Sicilian Meatballs, and Thai Meatball Curry) are frequent menu requests of my clients. Many times a few get nibbled on by a passing child or adult as I am preparing them in their kitchen. They are such a favorite dish that I frequently whip up a batch at home the same day I make them for a client family.
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ingredients
- ground turkey
- plain bread crumbs
- ginger root
- scallions
- garlic powder
- eggs
- toasted sesame oil
- reduced sodium soy sauce
- rice wine vinegar
- honey
- dried red chili peppers
what are the ingredients in general tso's sauce?
What I love about this recipe is the wonderful Asian ingredients that give the dish salty, tangy, and spicy flavor. Reduced sodium soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, toasted sesame oil, honey, cornstarch, water, and dried chilies combine to make General Tso's sauce.
Toasted sesame oil is one ingredient where a little goes a long way. Its intense flavor is best for adding a smoky, nutty taste to recipes. Rice wine vinegar is light and tangy in flavor ~ fabulous for offsetting robust and salty soy sauce.
The star of these spicy meatballs is the dried red chili peppers. They are not specific to Asian cooking but, are in many Hunan and Szechwan recipes. Cooking them for a few minutes in the sauce rehydrates them. It infuses the thin and slightly sticky sauce with hot spicy heat.
expert tips
- This is a big batch recipe. The spicy meatballs will keep in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days in airtight glass storage containers. They also freeze beautifully for up to 3 months. Feel free to cut the recipe in half if you are looking for a smaller portion of meatballs.
- When mixing the ingredients for the meatballs, use a gentle touch. You aren't looking to mash all the ingredients together. They should be just thoroughly mixed.
- If the meatball mixture is too sticky to roll, either wet your hands with cold water or a little oil. This will make rolling the meatballs easier.
- Lining the baking sheet with parchment paper makes clean up a breeze.
- Dried chili peppers are spicy. If you like less heat and spice add fewer of the dark red peppers to the sauce.
what to serve with these spicy meatballs
These spicy meatballs are delicious along side a steaming bowl of fluffy rice. Get my foolproof recipe for making rice here. Noodles also make a tasty side dish. Try zucchini noodles or these super thin rice noodles for a change of pace. Any lightly steamed vegetable such as asparagus, carrots, or green beans make a delicious side dish. My easy garlic Broiled Broccoli or oven roasted Brussels sprouts tossed with a little oyster sauce would also complete the meal.
more meatball recipes
- Cabbage Roll Meatballs
- Easy Awesome Beer Turkey Meatballs
- Sicilian Meatballs
- Thai Turkey Meatball Curry
just one more thing
If you make these Spicy General Tso's Meatballs, I'd love hearing from you. Be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating ~ I do my best to reply to all your comments. And snap a photo to post to Instagram. I'll add the photos to my Insta stories as I love seeing all your creations.
Also check out my Facebook and Pinterest pages for lots of fabulous foodie stories and videos, cooking tips, and recipes.
Recipe
Spicy General Tso's Meatballs
Ingredients
- for the meatballs ~
- 2 pounds ground turkey
- ½ cup plain bread crumbs
- 2 tablespoons reduced sodium soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons grated ginger root
- ½ cup thinly sliced scallions
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 large eggs lightly beaten
- for the sauce ~
- 6 tablespoons reduced sodium soy sauce
- 5 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with ¼ cup cold water
- 10 small dried red chili peppers
- 2 scallions thinly sliced
- sesame seeds
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Prepare the meatballs. In a large bowl, add the meatball ingredients. Gently but thoroughly combine the the ingredients. Form the mixture into 1 ½ inch meatballs and place on the prepared baking sheet.
- Bake the meatballs for 15 to 18 minutes. The internal temperature of the meatballs should be about 165 degrees F on a digital thermometer.
- While the meatballs bake, prepare the sauce. In a small saucepan, add ½ cup water, the 6 tablespoons reduced sodium soy sauce, 5 tablespoons rice wine vinegar, 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil, and 2 tablespoons honey. Stir to combine and bring to a gentle boil.
- Add the cornstarch and water mixture and dried red chilies and continue cooking for 1 to 2 minutes. The sauce will be slightly thickened and glossy. Remove from the heat.
- Remove the meatballs from the oven. They are ready when they have an internal temperature of 165 degrees F on a digital thermometer.
- Place the meatballs in a large bowl and pour the sauce over them. Toss to coat.
- Sprinkle with the scallions and sesame seeds and serve.
Notes
- This is a big batch recipe because they are so tasty and they also freeze beautifully. But feel free to cut the recipe in half if you are looking for a smaller portion of these spicy meatballs.
- When mixing the ingredients for the meatballs, use a gentle touch. You aren't looking to mash all the ingredients together. They should be just thoroughly mixed.
- If the meatball mixture is sticky, either wet your hands with cold water or a little oil to making rolling them easier.
- Lining the baking sheet with parchment paper makes clean up a breeze.
- Dried chili peppers are spicy. If you like less heat and spice add less of the dark red peppers to the sauce.
