Chicken Tsukune (Japanese Chicken Meatballs)
鶏つくね · Tori Tsukune
By Aoi, licensed nutritionist · From a Japanese preschool lunch menu
Tsukune are Japanese chicken meatballs, the kind you will find on skewers at a yakitori restaurant, glazed with a sweet soy sauce. In this preschool version the mixture is shaped into small patties and baked in the oven rather than fried, so there is no splattering oil and the texture stays soft enough for little mouths. Finely chopped green onion and panko keep the meat tender and full of flavor, and the quick microwave glaze of soy sauce, sugar and mirin is what makes children reach for seconds.
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Ingredients
Amounts for 1 child (1 serving). An adult counts as 2 servings.
One serving here is 1.5× the portion served to a child in a Japanese preschool, sized for Western appetites. An adult counts as two servings. Tap an ingredient to check it off.
Ingredients
- 67.5 gground chicken
- 15 ggreen onion (naga negi)Japanese long onion, thicker and milder than Western scallions. Substitute: Scallions or the white part of a leek.
- 12 gegg
Seasonings
- 9 gpanko
- 0.2 gsalt
- to tastepepper
- 1.2 gsoy sauce
- 0.8 gsugar
- 1 gmirinMirin is a sweet Japanese rice seasoning that adds gentle sweetness and a glossy finish. Hon-mirin (true mirin) contains about 14% alcohol; "mirin-style seasoning" has little or no alcohol. Some alcohol can remain after short cooking. If you prefer no alcohol for children, use the substitute. Substitute: For each tablespoon of mirin, use 1 tablespoon water plus 1 to 2 teaspoons sugar.
About the Japanese ingredients in this recipe
- green onion (naga negi) (ねぎ)
- Japanese long onion, thicker and milder than Western scallions. Substitute: Scallions or the white part of a leek.
- mirin (みりん)
- Mirin is a sweet Japanese rice seasoning that adds gentle sweetness and a glossy finish. Hon-mirin (true mirin) contains about 14% alcohol; "mirin-style seasoning" has little or no alcohol. Some alcohol can remain after short cooking. If you prefer no alcohol for children, use the substitute. Substitute: For each tablespoon of mirin, use 1 tablespoon water plus 1 to 2 teaspoons sugar.
Directions
Video is in Japanese and may show a different version of this dish (other ingredients or steps). Follow the ingredients and steps on this page, especially when cooking for allergies.
- 1
Finely chop the green onion.
- 2
Add the chopped green onion, beaten egg, panko, salt and pepper to the ground chicken and knead until the mixture becomes sticky.
- 3
Shape the mixture into hamburger-style patties, arrange them on a baking sheet, and bake in a toaster oven (or an oven preheated to 180°C (350°F)) for about 20 minutes.
- 4
Put the soy sauce, sugar and mirin in a microwave-safe container and microwave at 1200W for about 10 to 15 seconds (20 to 30 seconds at 600W), keeping an eye on it so it does not scorch. Brush the glaze over the baked patties.
Nutrition
| Per | 1 serving | 1 adult serving | Your total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Energy | 177 kcal | 354 kcal | 177 kcal |
| Protein | 14.9 g | 29.7 g | 14.9 g |
| Fat | 9.9 g | 19.8 g | 9.9 g |
| Carbohydrates | 7.7 g | 15.3 g | 7.7 g |
| Salt equivalent | 0.6 g | 1.2 g | 0.6 g |
| Calcium | 19.5 mg | 39 mg | 19.5 mg |
| Iron | 0.8 mg | 1.5 mg | 0.8 mg |
| Energy | Protein | Fat | Carbs | Salt equiv. | Calcium | Iron | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 serving | 177 kcal | 14.9 g | 9.9 g | 7.7 g | 0.6 g | 19.5 mg | 0.8 mg |
| 1 adult serving | 354 kcal | 29.7 g | 19.8 g | 15.3 g | 1.2 g | 39 mg | 1.5 mg |
Values are per serving (1.5× the Japanese preschool portion); an adult serving is double. They were calculated by a licensed Japanese nutritionist using the Standard Tables of Food Composition in Japan. "Salt equivalent" is sodium × 2.54, the standard Japanese measure. Allergen flags cover egg, milk and wheat only and come from the nutritionist's records. Soy sauce and miso are made with wheat but are usually allowed on Japanese wheat-free school menus, so check with your doctor.
Ingredients in this recipe
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