Skinny Thai Chicken Meatballs with Peanut Sauce

Skinny Thai Chicken Meatballs with Peanut Sauce – healthy baked chicken meatballs with Thai flavors. All smothered in a sweet and slightly spicy peanut sauce.

Meatballs

Meatballs! I love meatballs. Any kind of meatballs! So here’s why I think these meatballs deserve the word skinny in the title. Two things; lean ground chicken and they are baked. Yum!

Such simple ways to cut back on both fat and calories. You’ll also avoid a heavy sauce bogged down by cream because our spicy peanut sauce uses coconut milk. This dish will taste like it’s full of guilty pleasures but it’s really just a healthy, comforting dinner, with a little bit of spice and lots of oomf!

Skinny Thai Chicken Meatballs

This sauce is so easy but so very very scrumptious. This skinny little dish is a great introduction into the world of Thai flavors as it uses coconut milk, peanut butter, and red Thai curry paste. It may not be exactly authentic to say, but everybody’s got to start somewhere!

Ingredients In Thai Chicken Meatballs

Detailed measurements and instructions can be found on the printable recipe card at the bottom of the page.

Meatballs

• Chicken – Ground chicken is needed for this recipe to form our little meatballs.
• Herbs – Cilantro and green onion chopped up nice and finely.
• Fish sauce – A must in a lot of Thai dishes. Don’t be afraid of the name! This sauce adds so much flavor to the dish.
• Red curry paste – Look for Thai red curry paste, this combined with coconut milk is absolute perfection.
• Breadcrumbs – This will be an important binder in our meatballs.
• Egg – A binder with the bread crumbs that will form our balls.
• Salt & pepper – To taste.

Peanut sauce

• Wet ingredients – Coconut milk and sesame oil.
• Red curry paste – Look for Thai red curry paste, this combined with coconut milk is absolute perfection.
• Peanut butter – The savory flavor key to our sauce and dish.
• Brown sugar – We need a little sweetness in this dish and brown sugar will help develop a more complex flavor.
• Red pepper flakes – Adds some nice heat to our sauce.
• Salt and pepper – To taste.

How To Make Skinny Thai Chicken Meatballs With Peanut Sauce

Detailed measurements and instructions can be found on the printable recipe card at the bottom of the page.

• Prepare your oven: Preheat oven to 375 F degrees. Place parchment paper over a baking sheet.
• Make the meatballs: In a medium bowl mix all the ingredients for the meatballs together well. Form the meatballs into small 1 inch balls. Place meatballs on prepared baking sheet and bake for about 30 minutes or until done.
• Make the sauce: In the meantime you can make the sauce. Heat the oil in a medium sauce pan or skillet. Add the red curry paste and cook for a couple minutes. Add the remaining ingredients, stir and cook for about 5 minutes.
• Finish the meatballs: Add meatballs to sauce and toss so that the meatballs are fully coated. Garnish with parsley or cilantro. Serve with a side of mashed potatoes or rice because we need something to soak up all this sauce.

What Else Can I Use In Thai Meatballs?

You don’t have to use just chicken! Other lean meats like pork, beef, or turkey work just as well. You can even combine these ground meats to make a more complex and interesting flavor in your skinny meatballs.

Storing Leftover Meatballs

This dish can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 – 4 days. The meatballs can be frozen cooked for up to 3 months, just freeze them spaced evenly on a cookie sheet so we can avoid them sticking together before transferring to a freezer bag and storing.

The sauce can also be frozen in an airtight container for the same amount of time. To reheat just microwave them little meatballs for 2 – 3 minutes in the microwave while heating up the sauce over the stove.

Craving More Thai Dishes? Try These Recipes:

• Thai Red Chicken Curry
• Pad Thai
• Spicy Pad Thai Chicken And Veggie Noodles
• Thai Chicken Lettuce Wraps
• Easy Thai Steak Salad
• Thai Meatball Lettuce Wraps
• Pad Thai Zoodles
• Thai Chicken Salad
• Crockpot Thai Chicken Thighs

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Skinny Thai Chicken Meatballs with Peanut Sauce

4.48 from 57 votes

Prep: 15 mins

Cook: 30 mins

Total: 45 mins

Author: Joanna Cismaru

Serves: 6

Print Pin Rate

Skinny Thai Chicken Meatballs with Peanut Sauce - healthy baked chicken meatballs with Thai flavors. All smothered in a sweet and slightly spicy peanut sauce.

Ingredients

For Meatballs

• 1 lb ground chicken
• 4 green onions chopped
• 1/4 cup cilantro chopped
• 1 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 tbsp red curry paste
• 1 cup breadcrumbs
• 1 egg
• 1/4 tsp salt or to taste
• 1/4 tsp pepper or to taste

For Peanut Sauce

• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 1 tbsp red curry paste
• 14 oz coconut milk (1 can)
• 2 tbsp peanut butter
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1/4 tsp salt or to taste
• 1/4 tsp pepper or to taste

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 375 F degrees. Place parchment paper over a baking sheet.
• In a medium bowl mix all the ingredients for the meatballs together well. Form the meatballs into small 1 inch balls. Place meatballs on prepared baking sheet and bake for about 30 minutes or until done.
• In the meantime you can make the sauce. Heat the oil in a medium sauce pan or skillet. Add the red curry paste and cook for a couple minutes. Add the remaining ingredients, stir and cook for about 5 minutes.
• Add meatballs to sauce and toss so that the meatballs are fully coated. Garnish with parsley or cilantro.
• Serve with a side of mashed potatoes or rice.

Recipe Notes

Can I use any other type of meat: Any ground meat would work, so feel free to switch it up. You can also combine meats like ground pork and ground beef together.

Can I fry these: Yes! Heat about a tbsp of oil in a skillet then add the meatballs and fry until golden all around, should take about 7 to 10 minutes.

Can I make these ahead: Yes! Meatballs usually reheat really well. If you're making these ahead, store the sauce separately in another container in the fridge. Before ready to serve reheat the sauce either in the microwave or in a small saucepan. To reheat the meatballs just reheat them in the microwave for 2 to 3 minutes. After everything has been reheated, pour the sauce over the meatballs, garnish and serve.

Can I freeze these meatballs: Yes! Follow the instructions for making these ahead, and store them in the freezer separately both in an airtight container.

How do I store leftovers: Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 to 4 days.

Yields: Recipe yields about 24 meatballs.

Please keep in mind that nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on products used.

Nutrition Information:

Calories: 390kcal (20%)Carbohydrates: 19g (6%)Protein: 20g (40%)Fat: 27g (42%)Saturated Fat: 16g (100%)Cholesterol: 92mg (31%)Sodium: 654mg (28%)Potassium: 651mg (19%)Fiber: 2g (8%)Sugar: 4g (4%)Vitamin A: 975IU (20%)Vitamin C: 2.8mg (3%)Calcium: 69mg (7%)Iron: 4.1mg (23%)

Course:Dinner, Main Course

Cuisine:Thai

Keyword:meatball recipe, meatballs, thai chicken meatballs

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