There’s so many flavors and textures in this dish that it might be hard to believe that it comes together in 30 minutes! Well, maybe it doesn’t.
It might have been closer to 45 minutes. But, that’s still pretty good! And most of it is hands-off time. So, I’m still calling it a win!
But now, let’s move on from the time issue and start talking about all of those flavors!
The chicken meatballs are loaded with veggies, curry powder, ginger, and a kiss of cumin. Then they’re baked and finished in a tomato coconut sauce with a little blast of heat from chilies.
The other wonderful thing about this meal is that it’s made with pantry ingredients which means there’s a whole lot of “no muss, no fuss,” action going on.
So, get ready to quickly roll some balls and get ready for a fabulous dinner!
Curried chicken meatballs ingredients + substitutions
To make this recipe, you’ll need:
- ½ lb. ground chicken
- 1 large carrot, roughly chopped and divided
- 1 large celery stalk, roughly chopped and divided
- 1 small onion, roughly chopped and divided
- 2 teaspoons coconut aminos
- 1 ½ teaspoons curry powder, divided
- 1 ½ teaspoons freshly grated ginger
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup thinly sliced red pepper
- 2 tablespoons red curry paste
- 1 (14 oz.) can coconut milk
- 1 (10 oz.) can diced tomatoes with green chilies
Optional Garnishes:
- 1 tablespoon roughly chopped cilantro
- 1 tablespoon thinly sliced scallion greens
Substitutions:
- If you don’t have coconut milk, coconut cream will do instead. (You can always dilute it down to coconut milk, although to be honest coconut cream would add even MORE amazing silky body to this curry!)
- As written, this recipe is Keto, Whole30, Paleo, gluten-free, and dairy-free. If you’re looking to make it vegan, all you need to do is swap out the ground chicken for your favorite vegan meat alternative.
To save time day-of, you could bake the meatballs a day ahead of time and then just assemble the tomato chili sauce before serving.
Curried chicken meatballs recipe (step-by-step instructions)
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
- Fit a medium, rimmed sheet pan with parchment. Reserve.
- Place the ground chicken in a large bowl.
- Place approximately 2 tablespoons each of the carrot, celery, and onion in a mini-food processor.
- Pulse until finely diced.
- Add the diced vegetables to the bowl with the chicken along with the coconut aminos, 1 teaspoon curry powder, 1 teaspoon ginger, salt, and pepper.
- Working with your hands, incorporate all of the ingredients.
- Roll the chicken mixture into approximately 1-inch balls.
- Place on the parchment.
- Bake for 20 minutes, or until the meatballs register 165 degrees.
- While the meatballs are baking, pour olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
- Add remaining carrots, celery, and onion to the pan.
- Sauté for 5-7 minutes, or until softened.
- Once softened, add remaining curry powder, ginger, and curry paste to the pan.
- Stir for 2 minutes.
- Pour in coconut milk, and tomatoes.
- Stir well.
- Bring the mixture to a simmer, and add meatballs to the pan.
- Warm the meatballs through, and garnish with cilantro and scallion greens.
- Enjoy!
Recipes and Tips:
Coconut Tomato Chutney the Dish You Never You Needed
PrintWeeknight Curried Chicken Meatballs in a Tomato Chili Sauce
Chicken meatballs are married with a tomato sauce that’s loaded with fresh ginger and green chilies for the ultimate weeknight meal!
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Ingredients
1/2 lb. ground chicken
1 large carrot, roughly chopped and divided
1 large celery stalk, roughly chopped and divided
1 small onion, roughly chopped and divided
2 teaspoons coconut aminos
1 1/2 teaspoons curry powder, divided
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup thinly sliced red pepper
2 tablespoons red curry paste
1 (14 oz.) can coconut milk
1 (10 oz.) can diced tomatoes with green chilies
Optional Garnishes:
1 tablespoon roughly chopped cilantro
1 tablespoon thinly sliced scallion greens
Instructions
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Fit a medium, rimmed sheet pan with parchment. Reserve.
Place the ground chicken in a large bowl.
Place approximately 2 tablespoons each of the carrot, celery, and onion in a mini-food processor.
Pulse until finely diced.
Add the diced vegetables to the bowl with the chicken along with the coconut aminos, 1 teaspoon curry powder, 1 teaspoon ginger, salt, and pepper.
Working with your hands, incorporate all of the ingredients.
Roll the chicken mixture into approximately 1-inch balls.
Place on the parchment.
Bake for 20 minutes, or until the meatballs register 165 degrees.
While the meatballs are baking, pour olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
Add remaining carrots, celery, and onion to the pan.
Sauté for 5-7 minutes, or until softened.
Once softened, add remaining curry powder, ginger, and curry paste to the pan.
Stir for 2 minutes.
Pour in coconut milk, and tomatoes.
Stir well.
Bring the mixture to a simmer, and add meatballs to the pan.
Warm the meatballs through, and garnish with cilantro and scallion greens.
Enjoy!
Nutrition Facts
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 1577
- Sugar: 18.2g
- Sodium: 7900mg
- Fat: 126.6g
- Saturated Fat: 82.9g
- Fiber: 30.1g
- Protein: 23.9g
- Cholesterol: 11mg
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