Whole30 Chicken Meatballs in Green Curry
I’m in Chicago and in the middle of winter”¦let’s just say the weather isn’t giving me a lot of joy, but it’s when cooking delicious food is the ultimate soulful experience. Here’s a twist on my meatballs, just updated with Thai Kitchen green curry. It’s absolutely delicious.
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Chicken Meatballs in Green Curry (Whole30)
- Prep Time: 30 min
- Cook Time: 50 min
- Total Time: 1 hr 20 min
Description
Whole30 meatballs with a twist that can warm you up any day!
Ingredients
For the meatballs:
- 1 lb ground dark chicken meat
- 1 lb ground light chicken meat
- 1/2 cup chopped basil
- 5 garlic cloves, minced
- 3 finely chopped green onions
- ½ cup finely chopped red pepper
- 3 Tbsp coconut aminos
- 1 Tbsp green curry paste
- 1 Tbsp arrowroot powder
- 2–1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 2 Tbsp Extra Virgin olive oil for sautéing
For the sauce:
- ¾ cup finely diced onions
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 cup chicken stock, warmed
- 1/4 cup green curry paste
- 1 — 14 oz can of coconut milk, stirred
- 6 oz coconut cream
- 3 Tbsp lime juice
- 1 Tbsp coconut aminos
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1/2 cup basil, cut into thinly sliced ribbons
- 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
- Lime wedges for garnish
Instructions
Place a baking sheet in the oven and preheat the oven to 200F. You will cook the meatballs in two batches and will use this to keep them warm.
Int a large bowl, mix all meatball ingredients together by hand, except for the olive oil.
Using a small ice cream scoop, scoop out meatballs and roll, about 2 ounces each.
In a large Dutch Oven over medium heat, warm the olive oil and brown the first batch of meatballs about 3 minutes a side, making sure to brown all sides. Remove and place on the warm baking sheet in the oven. Repeat for the second batch.
Leaving 1 tablespoon of the oil from cooking the meatballs in the Dutch oven, as well as any other tidbits, remove the remaining oil. Add the onions to the dutch oven and sauté until soft, about 5 minutes. Then add the garlic and sauté for 2 more minutes.
Using 1/3 cup of the warmed chicken stock, deglaze the Dutch Oven, being sure to scrape the bottom to get all the little bits. Dissolve the curry paste in the remaining 2/3 cup of the warm chicken stock and add to the Dutch Oven, stirring to combine. Add the coconut milk and coconut cream, whisking until everything is dissolved and smooth.
Add the lime juice, coconut aminos, and red pepper flakes, and stir. Bring to a boil, then transfer the meatballs from the oven into the Dutch Oven with the sauce and cover. Turn the heat down to medium-low and simmer for 20 minutes, or until the meatballs are cooked through.
Add basil and fresh cilantro (or any other fresh herbs you like). Stir to combine. Serve over cauliflower rice, and garnish with lime wedges.
how many does this recipe feed?
I would say 4 generous servings.
I didn’t have great results with the texture of the meatballs (probably because I used only ground chicken breast). However; The flavor of this soup/curry is spot on and I can’t wait to make it with sliced pork or shrimp! It’s delicious!
It’s such a delicious and fabulous dish and totally a fan favorite. I always use dark and light meat, but I’m hoping that you tried again. Would love to know your results – please dm me to let me know.
The Thai Kitchen green curry paste contains peanuts, making it NOT Whole 30 compliant. Do you know of any brands that have compliant ingredients?
I should add that not every site lists “peanut oil” in the ingredients, but Thrive Market does.
I just purchased the Thai Kitchen green curry paste and there is no peanut oil listed on the ingredient list. Perhaps Thrive Market made a mistake in the ingredient list?
I’m looking at my Thai Kitchen Curry Paste right now. My version has the following ingredients in it: green chili, garlic, lemongrass, galangal (Thai ginger), salt, shallot, spruces, kaffir lime. But, you can reach out to them to confirm.
This dish was a hit with the hubs last night! Thanks for knocking it out of the park again, Teri! Your recipes have so much flavor! YUM.
So thrilled you both enjoyed it!
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Think I can use turkey instead of chicken (and a little more arrowroot if needed)?
I would not use turkey because it is not going to be as delicious. The turkey will not have as much fat. If you cannot find gourd chicken ask your butcher to grind some for you.
Teri, this is sooooo yummy! It’s so savory and satisfying! Can’t wait for lunch leftovers tomorrow!
★★★★★
Thank you so much! Enjoy!
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I couldn’t find the dark meat ground chicken near me but it still was a fantastic recipe. Made this as a meal prep for lunches and we are obsessed. I took some of the extra leftover sauce and mixed it in some mashed potatoes too and that was just delectable.
Another amazing recipe from Teri!
★★★★★
If you are at a grocery store with a butcher you can always ask them to grind some chicken thighs for you! Also feel free to experiment with ground turkey or pork.
This is FABULOUS!!!! Soooooo good… I didn’t have ground chicken but finely diced leftover rotisserie chicken and added in last and let simmer!!! Thank you for the GREAT recipe!!!!!
★★★★★
What a great idea! Thank you so much for sharing and I am so glad you enjoyed it!
I love this recipe! My store doesn’t have ground dark meat chicken so I do half turkey, half chicken breast and they are wonderful. It’s in my constant rotation and the leftovers freeze great, too!
★★★★★
Check out the book, it has a similar but slightly different recipe, its a south East Asian inspired curry with is a spin on this and you will absolute love it!
Absolutely delicious. I like to add my curry paste after the onions & garlic are sauteed and cook it for at least 5 minutes, before adding liquid. Otherwise, I followed the recipe as written.
★★★★★
Sounds like a fabulous way to do it
Absolutely delicious! I did use dark ground turkey only as could not find dark ground chicken. Kids loved it. Served on rice for them and on cauliflower rice for the whole 30 crowd. Will put this into regular rotation!
★★★★★
Yes it’s also very delicious with turkey. Remember that when you’re at the grocery store you can always ask the butcher to put chicken thighs through the grinder
What does the arrowroot powder do? And is there something that can be used as an alternative – even if that would make it not Whole 30 compliant. Thanks. I can’t wait to try this. Can’t beat a soup style dish for the colder months!
A family favorite! It’s so easy and flavorful.
★★★★★
Shockingly, this was my first time making this and I honestly don’t know what took so long. It is so easy and very flavorful. The curry broth is outstanding and something I could sip on its own. The chicken meatballs are delicious and I really enjoyed this over cauliflower rice. I will make this again and again.
★★★★★
Question! Is the basil calling for Thai basil or regular basil?
If you want to add veggies – like spinach and potato – would you increase the amount of liquid or is there enough as-is?
I would probably do the potatoes separately and then do this on a bed of the potatoes… You don’t need to increase the liquid with spinach but it’s going to change the recipe because there’s so much water
This was AMAZING. I didn’t find coconut cream, so just added a bit more coconut milk and it turned out great. If not doing Whole30, it would be great served over brown rice too.
Will definitely make again – even when I’m lazy and use store bought meatballs just to have more of that sauce.
★★★★★
Wish I could give this recipe 10 stars!!! Made it for dinner last night served over spiralized zucchini and carrots and I literally did a little happy dance after the first bite! We’ve had some bad experiences with store-bought ground poultry, so I ground the chicken myself; had to add a little extra arrowroot powder because of the additional moisture. Also added some fresh ginger to the meatballs and used parsley instead of basil for sauce. Our whole family was blown away… I can hear the three leftover meatballs that I squirreled away for lunch before everyone gobbled them down calling to me from the fridge…
My partner and I have restarted our journey of cleaner eating and finding your recipes on IG have truly been a Godsend! Thank you so much for sharing 🙂
★★★★★
AMAZING! As always! I added 2 tsp Red Boat Fish Sauce and veggies. Love your recipes so much. They never disappoint. Thank you!
Can the meatballs be prepped and made ahead of time without cooking/browning?
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This dish was fabulous! So much flavor! It’s time consuming but so worth it! Thanks Teri!
Legitimately one of my favorite recipes! Makes great leftovers, and it’s on our household’s bi-weekly dinner rotation!
★★★★★
Delicious!
Made these today for dinner later this week. I ground my own chicken with thighs and breasts; added a couple tablespoons of coconut flour to hold their shape. Next time, I will ease up on the green curry in the sauce, it’s a little spicy for my kids…. But so good! Definitely making again.
★★★★★