Thai Chicken Meatballs in Peanut Sauce

Thai chicken meatballs in peanut sauce. Tender, juicy meatballs simmered in a rich, ultra creamy peanut butter sauce enlivened with ginger, garlic and red curry paste. This easy weeknight dinner is loaded with sautéed bok choy and served over creamy coconut rice. Top with fresh cilantro and toasted peanuts for a crowd-pleasing dinner.

The most amazing thing about this recipe is that it’s a one skillet kind of dinner. Chicken meatballs are also a leaner alternative to beef or pork meatballs, with a mild flavor that perfectly pairs with any herb, sauce or vegetable. Here, we combine ground chicken with soy sauce, ginger, garlic and cilantro to create a tiny flavor explosion.

First, we sear the meatballs, then create an irresistible pan sauce by sweating the garlic and ginger. We add bok choy to this flavorful mixture, but you could use bell pepper or green beans. Then red curry paste goes in, followed by chicken broth. Next we add coconut milk to create that creamy touch and stir in the peanut butter. It’s traditional to use fish and soy sauce, but brown sugar too, however since I wanted this sauce to be less sweet, I just used a small amount of honey.

There’s also a generous splash of lime juice to balance the flavors and add some tang to the sauce. For that extra kick, I love to use sambal oelek, the heat really mellows out as it cooks in the sauce, adding just the right amount of spice. Not too spicy, but just right.

At the end the meatballs get simmered in this flavorful sauce, and while this is happening, we make the coconut rice. It’s creamy and with just a small amount of coconut flavor that pairs really well with this kicky dish.

We serve the meatballs over rice and top with chopped cilantro and toasted peanuts for a nice finishing touch. It’s creamy and comforting with a little bit of spice, perfect for any night of the week.
Let me guide you through the recipe with this step-by-step VIDEO.

RECIPE NOTES

• enjoy with a side of naan, green beans, broccoli, cauliflower or a crispy cucumber salad
• instead of bok choy, use peas, edamame, bell pepper or spinach
• you can always use ground beef or pork instead of chicken
• swap the peanuts for cashews
• make it as spicy as you can handle
• try to use plain a crunchy peanut butter that isn’t too oily, to create a creamy peanut sauce that won’t separate during cooking
• for the coconut rice, it’s best made with jasmine, basmati, long grain rice or brown rice
• the most delicious coconut flavor is mostly in the fat, so you get more flavor when using full fat coconut milk rather than low fat

Try These Next

• Coconut Gochujang Chicken Meatballs
• Easy Peanut Butter Chicken
• Firecracker Chicken Meatballs
• Thai Coconut Shrimp Curry
• Thai Coconut Salmon Curry

Thai Chicken Meatballs in Peanut Sauce

Anna Chwistek

Tender, juicy meatballs simmered in a rich, ultra creamy peanut butter sauce enlivened with ginger, garlic and red curry paste.

4.67 from 27 votes

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 40 minutes mins

CourseMain Course

CuisineThai

Servings 4

Calories 712 kcal

Ingredients

 

US CustomaryMetric

 

1x2x3x

Chicken Meatballs

• ▢ 1.1 pounds ground chicken
• ▢ 1 tsp grated ginger
• ▢ 1 tsp grated garlic
• ▢ 1 tsp low sodium soy sauce
• ▢ ½ tsp sambal oelek or chili paste
• ▢ 1 egg yolk
• ▢ 2 tbsp corn starch
• ▢ 1 tbsp cilantro chopped

Thai Peanut Sauce

• ▢ 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• ▢ 1 tbsp unsalted butter
• ▢ 5 garlic cloves grated, divided
• ▢ 2 tbsp grated ginger divided
• ▢ 1 bok choy chopped
• ▢ 1 tbsp red curry paste
• ▢ 1 tsp sambal oelek or chili paste
• ▢ ½ cup chicken broth
• ▢ 1 can unsweetened coconut milk (15 ounce/400 ml)
• ▢ ½ cup peanut butter
• ▢ 1 tsp honey
• ▢ 2 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
• ▢ 1 tbsp fish sauce
• ▢ ½ lime juiced

Coconut Rice

• ▢ 1 cup unsweetened coconut milk
• ▢ 1 cup chicken broth
• ▢ 1 cup jasmine rice

Toppings

• ▢ toasted peanuts
• ▢ fried onions
• ▢ chives
• ▢ cilantro
• ▢ chili pepper

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Instructions

 

• Get all the prep done before you start cooking. Chop the cilantro and bok choy. Grate the garlic cloves and ginger.
• Add ground chicken and the ingredients for the meatballs to a bowl. Mix with your hand, just until combined. Roll into 2-tablespoon sized balls.
• Heat oil and butter in a nonstick skillet over medium. Add meatballs, brown all over, about 3 minutes. Remove from skillet onto a clean plate.
• Add garlic and ginger, cook for 1 minute. Add bok choy, cook for 1 minute more. Stir in red curry paste and sambal oelek. Deglaze the skillet with chicken broth, simmer for 2 minutes while stirring and scraping up the brown bits on the bottom of the skillet with a wooden spoon.
• Add coconut milk and stir in peanut butter. Add honey, lime juice, soy and fish sauce. Add meatballs back to the skillet and simmer for 15 minutes. Add more chicken broth, if needed.
• In the meantime, make the coconut rice. Bring coconut milk and chicken broth to a simmer. Add rice, cover and cook over low for 10 minutes. Stir occasionally. Remove from heat, and rest, undisturbed and covered, for 10 minutes more. Fluff the rice with a fork.
• Serve chicken meatballs and peanut sauce over rice. Sprinkle with your favorite toppings, enjoy!

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 712kcalCarbohydrates: 58gProtein: 38gFat: 39gSaturated Fat: 10gPolyunsaturated Fat: 10gMonounsaturated Fat: 16gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 165mgSodium: 1369mgPotassium: 1508mgFiber: 5gSugar: 8gVitamin A: 10139IUVitamin C: 98mgCalcium: 287mgIron: 4mg

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