These Whole30 Curry Chicken Meatballs are one of my favorite weeknight dinner recipes. Who doesn't like the flavors of coconut and lime? These are gluten and dairy-free, low-carb, and cooked in one skillet. They also freeze well. I have always made half of the recipe as we have a small household, and still manage to have leftovers. I prefer ground turkey, but either meat would work. This recipe is from the Whole Kitchen Sink author, Bailey.
Ingredients
For the Meatballs:
• 2-pounds ground chicken (or 1-pound ground chicken, 1-pound ground turkey)
• 1 tablespoon arrowroot flour (or gluten-free 1:1 flour)
• 1/3 cup finely chopped basil, plus more for garnish
• 1/3 cup finely chopped cilantro, plus more for garnish
• 1/3 cup finely diced green onions, plus more for garnish
• 1 tablespoon minced ginger
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• Juice of 1 lime • Salt and pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
For the Sauce:
• ½ cup finely diced yellow onion
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 2 tablespoons red curry paste
• 2 (14 ounce) cans coconut cream (can sub for canned coconut milk)
• 2 tablespoons coconut aminos (or soy sauce)
• 2 tablespoons smooth almond butter
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
• Optional: chopped basil, chopped cilantro, red pepper chili flakes to garnish
Instructions
1. Add the meatball ingredients, except for the olive oil, into a large bowl and use your hands to combine until everything is incorporated with the ground chicken. Do not overmix as this can dry out the meatballs
2. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Portion the meat using a cookie scoop and roll into 1-1/2 inch meatballs. Gently place each meatball into the skillet
3. Continue doing this until the skillet is full but not overcrowded. Starting from the first meatball you placed into the skillet, flip each one over to brown the other side
4. Brown each side for about 3 minutes, adding more oil if needed. Do not cook all the way through. Once the meatballs have been browned, transfer to a plate
5. Repeat step 2-4 in batches until all of the ground meat mixture has been formed into meatballs and browned
6. Then in the same skillet, drain off most of the oil, leaving 1 to 2 tablespoons remaining in the pan
7. Add in the diced onions and minced garlic and sauté for 4-5 minutes until translucent. Add in the curry paste, coconut cream, coconut aminos, almond butter, lime juice and salt
8. Whisk until all of the sauce ingredients are combined and smooth while bringing the sauce to a boil. Once the sauce is fully combined and boiling, reduce heat to a simmer. Add the meatballs into the sauce, cover the skillet with a lid and simmer for 15 minutes, or until meatballs are fully cooked
9. Remove the lid and remove the skillet from the heat. Spoon the sauce over the top of the meatballs in the skillet and add any basil or salt to the sauce if desired
10. Serve over white rice, cauliflower rice, with roasted broccoli and garnish with chopped cilantro, chopped basil and/or red pepper flakes
Notes:
To reduce chopping prep, you can pulse the basil, cilantro and green onions in a food processor a few times until they’re finely chopped
Baking Instructions:
• To bake the meatballs, first preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. and line a baking sheet with parchment paper
• Use a cookie scoop to portion and roll into 1-1/2 inch to 2-inch meatballs and place directly onto the baking sheet
• Bake for 20 minutes, flip the meatballs over and bake for an additional 15-20 minutes