Tsukune (Japanese Glazed Chicken Meatballs)

Name: Tsukune (Japanese Glazed Chicken Meatballs)
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 30 min
Cuisine: Japanese
Ingredients: ¼ onion (grated, then squeezed firmly to press out the water); 250 g ground chicken (breast or thigh but thigh is far more forgiving, consider increasing mayo if you use breast); 5 perilla leaves (shiso) (thinly sliced); 1 tbsp Japanese mayonnaise (or regular mayo); 1 tsp ginger root (grated or paste); ½ tsp yellow miso paste (awase); 1 tsp Chinese-style chicken bouillon powder; 2 tbsp potato starch (katakuriko) (or cornstarch/tapioca starch); 1 pinch ground black pepper; cooking oil (for oiling hands to shape, and cooking); 5 bamboo skewers (optional); 1 pasteurized egg yolk (optional, for dipping); 1 ½ tbsp Japanese soy sauce (koikuchi shoyu); 1 ½ tbsp mirin; 1 tbsp sugar; 1 tsp red wine

Instructions

Prep:20minCook:10min

Tsukune are delicious skewered chicken meatballs coated with a sweet soy-based glaze. My version features fragrant shiso and a surprise ingredient that makes the glaze rich and sophisticated.

Updated at: Fri, 19 Jun 2026 07:32:32 GMT