These chicken meatballs are as easy as season, form, bake and enjoy. Seemingly insignificant little spheres of confetti dotted meat, these protein-packed, gluten-free, keto and paleo-friendly, clean eating bites have a great texture, a wonderful moistness, and some really great flavor that’s neither too bold nor too understated. The balance is just right making them ideal as both appetizers or served up as an entree such as in my Red (if you like some heat) or Green (for a milder heat level) Thai Curries.
In short, here’s why you’ll love these meatballs:
- It’s clean-eating, gluten-free, keto-friendly, paleo-friendly
- It is incredibly easy to make and takes less than 30-minutes
- All flavors can be adjusted to suit your personal taste
- It makes a great protein packed snack (perfect for pre- or post-workouts!)
- It has a great burst of Thai-inspired flavors
- It has hidden veggies for those picky eaters
- It can be served as an appetizer or part of your main course
On our ingredient list today is:
- Ground chicken: I ground my own using some boneless, skinless chicken breast.
- Diced carrots: Because I am all about those hidden veggies and as a bonus they add a touch of natural sweetness plus they look so pretty in the meatballs!
- Blanched almond flour: this is a dual purpose ingredient as is gives both texture as well as adds some fat (since it’s made only from raw almond) which keeps our meatballs moist.
- Fish sauce: A very common ingredient in Thai cooking, this sauce adds a great depth of rich, earthy umami flavor
- And spices including: salt, ground black pepper, red pepper flakes, grated garlic, grated ginger, freshly chopped cilantro and freshly sliced chives. You can adjust the amounts of these to suit your taste.
Here’s how easy it is to make these. Start by dumping all ingredients into a bowl.
Using your hand (my personal tool of choice) or a spoon, or a spatula, mix it all together.
Shape them into evenly portioned balls (you can use a tablespoon measure or even a cookie scoop if you have one on hand to get even portions) and place them onto a baking tray.
Bake them up for about 20 minutes and you’re done!
Alternatively, you can pan fry them in anything from oil to duck fat to butter for some extra flavor and to help them form a delicious crust.
Enjoy them as they are or add them to soups, sauces, curries (like my Red Thai Curry shown in the image above) or even sandwiches!
Simple and Delicious Thai Chicken Meatballs
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground chicken
- 1/4 cup carrots (diced) (optional)
- 1/3 cup blanched almond flour
- 1 clove garlic (grated)
- 1 tsp fresh ginger (grated)
- 1/2 tbsp fish sauce
- 1/2 tsp Himalayan salt
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- 2 tbsp cilantro
- 2 tbsp chives (finely sliced)
- pinch red pepper flakes (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- Mix all ingredients together in a bowl so that everything is evenly distributed.
- Slightly overfill a tablespoon measure with the mixture and roll each portion into a ball and place on a baking sheet.
- Bake your meatballs at 400°F for 15-20 min (until the internal temperature reaches 165°F)
- Serve immediately and store any leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Freeze cooked meatballs for up to 2 months.
Notes
- Pair these meatballs with a Thai Green or Red Curry for a flavorful blast.
- Though the use of carrots is optional, it adds a nice touch of sweetness and serves as a great veggie addition.
- The use of the blanched almond flour keeps these meatballs gluten-free and it also adds fat to the meatballs which keeps them both moist and helps bind them together.
- If you find that your mixture is a bit too "wet" add a bit more almond flour a tablespoon at a time until you're able to scoop and roll the meatball by hand. Note that if they are slightly moist that is okay.
