Thai style juicy chicken meatballs in a coconut curry sauce. This one-pot dish is incredibly delicious. The meatballs are tender, herby with a garlic note. Coated with a rich, spicy coconut curry sauce and topped with fresh cilantro and roasted cashew nuts.
It’s super easy to make. We cook the meatballs, add the sauce and cook everything in one pot to create a super flavorful meal. Enjoy served with naan, noodles, rice or cauliflower rice.
Let me guide you through the recipe with this step-by-step VIDEO.
RECIPE NOTES
- you can use chicken thighs and ground them in your food processor to make the meatballs from scratch. If you don’t have a food processor, you can ask your butcher to grind chicken thighs for your meatballs, or just buy ground chicken
- you can add broccoli, spinach, or cauliflower, and cook together with the sauce
- swap the cashews for peanuts
- make it as spicy as you can handle
More meatballs, please!
- Polenta with Drunken Meatballs
- One Skillet Meatballs with Orzo and Feta Pesto
- Baked Meatballs with Orzo in Roasted Pepper Sauce
Recipe video
Thai Coconut Curry Chicken Meatballs
Ingredients
chicken meatballs
- 500 g /1.1 pounds ground chicken thighs
- 2 tbsp corn starch
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 tbsp chopped cilantro
- 1/2 tsp each: crushed red pepper flakes, garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp white pepper
- 1 tbsp scallions, chopped
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
sauce
- 3 tbsp coconut oil
- 2 tbsp red curry paste
- 2 tsp honey
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 1/4 tsp white pepper
- 1 lemon grass
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 shallot, finely chopped
- 1 tbsp grated ginger
- 1 tsp sambal
- 1 can (400 ml/14 oz) coconut milk
- 1/2 cup low sodium chicken broth
- 4 scallions, thinly sliced
- salt + black pepper
for serving
- sesame oil
- chili peppers, optional
- steamed rice
- black sesame and cashews
Instructions
- Add ground chicken to a bowl. Add corn starch, egg yolk, cilantro, chili flakes, scallions, garlic powder, white pepper and soy sauce. Mix until just combined. Coat your hands with olive oil. Roll the chicken into 2 tablespoon-size balls.
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add coconut oil. Add the meatballs and sear until crisp, about 5 minutes, turning them 2-3 times.Add garlic, ginger and shallot. Cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Stir in the red curry paste and turmeric. Add coconut milk, chicken broth, soy sauce, sambal, honey, lemon grass and white pepper. Simmer over medium heat until the meatballs are cooked through, 15 minutes. Stir in the scallions.
- Meanwhile, cook rice or noodles in salted water, according to package directions.
- Divide rice among bowls, top with meatballs and sauce. Sprinkle with sesame seeds, toasted cashews and scallions. Add some chili peppers if you like the extra heat. Drizzle with some sesame oil. Enjoy!
Notes
Calories Per Serving: 528 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
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Holy moly this recipe was incredible. I’m going to get you a cup of coffee . Thank you so much !!
Thanks so much! So glad you enjoyed the recipe!
Looks amazing going to try it.
I hope you love the recipe! Happy cooking!
wou.d you be able to tell me approximately how many meatballs this recipe yields – using your guidance of 2 tbsp per meatball. Thanks!
Approximately 20 meatballs. Hope you love it!
Ground chicken difficult to find on my area. What other meat can one use.
Hi, you can use ground pork or ground veal. Hope you love it!
Could I do coconut aminos instead of soy sauce? Thanks!! Really want to try!
Hi, coconut aminos would work great here. Enjoy the recipe!