Make Chicken Teriyaki Meatballs

As far as easy meals go, chicken teriyaki has one of the best effort to taste ratios I've ever encountered. It's quick, and some magic happens when you reduce the three-ingredient sauce down to a caramel-like consistency.

Like a more traditional Tsukune, these chicken teriyaki meatballs do take a bit more effort, but they come together in under 20 minutes from ingredients you probably already have lying around. Moist, tender and delicious, they're great with a bowl of rice, but they're also the perfect size for including in packed bento lunches.

Tofu may seem like an odd ingredient to include in meatballs, but it not only lowers the cost and fat content of the meatballs, it also prevents the lean chicken from drying out as it cooks. It works so well I even add tofu into my Italian style meatballs! One of the most important things when using tofu is to squeeze the extra water out, so the meatballs don't get soggy. It's also important to mix the tofu in well with the meat so you don't have chunks of tofu popping out when you bite into them.

When preparing the sauce, be sure boil it down until it's very thick. This starts to caramelize the sugar, giving the sauce a marvelous flavor that's not too sweet, while making the teriyaki thick enough to easily coat the meatballs.