Whole30 Chicken Meatballs in Coconut Curry Sauce

Oh how I love curry-based dishes – the thickness of the sauce, the amazing flavors you can taste in every bite, the “omg, this is so good” line you’ll tell yourself whenever you put that delicious dish into your mouth. Ahh… all that is in this dish, Chicken Meatballs in Coconut Curry Sauce.

I made this for my Whole30 days. Whole30 is so fun, only if you prep your meals ahead of time since you can’t just grab a pack of instant noodles when you are hungry. This dish is perfect coz they can be made ahead and enjoy whenever you are ready.

For the meatballs, I fried them in coconut oil since there is no way I can bake them without getting them too dry and overcooked. And I love how charred they get when frying. Hey, I didn’t deep fried these and use only one tablespoon of coconut oil, so I still did the right thing, yeah?? I mean, c’mon, look at how pretty these meatballs are! These are even delicious as they are, but why not make it yummier??

This dish is also quick to prepare. Frying the meatballs will only take less than 10 minutes if your skillet can accommodate the meatballs at once. The frying time will just take about 2-3 minutes on each side. Alternatively, you can bake the meatballs at 400 F for about 20 minutes on each side. After that, you can make the sauce in the same skillet so you can get all the juices from the meatballs and the charred (or burnt??) parts in the skillet, they will also slightly add flavor.

In the sauce, I used cashew butter. In fact, it is homemade, but I didn’t like the looks of it that’s why I didn’t take a photo. It tasted good, though. I ate several spoonfuls while cooking. I also used two kinds of curry – red curry paste and curry powder – double curry goodness, tastier and more flavorful.

This dish is perfect with cauliflower rice, but I am absolutely sure that it is amazingly delish with white rice. When I finish my Whole30, I will definitely cook this again. And I feel so excited now.

Yay! I am sharing another healthy dish to this week’s Fiesta Friday #260. Thank you to our co-hosts, Mollie and Diann.

Chicken Meatballs in Coconut Curry Sauce

To all curry lovers, you will love this. This dish is tasty, spicy and so amazingly perfect with white rice. If, for some reason, you don’t eat rice, this goes very well with cauliflower rice, too. 

Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Servings 3
Author Jhuls @ The Not So Creative Cook

Ingredients

For the meatballs:

  • 400 g ground chicken
  • 1/3 cup grated carrot
  • 2 tbsp grated onion
  • 2 tbsp chopped coriander
  • 1 tbsp lime juice
  • 1 tsp lime zest
  • 3 cloves garlic pressed or grated
  • 1 tbsp ground ginger
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • ¼ tsp black pepper
  • 1 tbsp extra virgin coconut oil

For the coconut curry sauce:

  • 3 cloves garlic pressed or grated
  • 1 14- oz can coconut milk
  • 2 tbsp red curry paste Whole30 compliant
  • 2 tsp curry powder
  • 2 tbsp cashew butter
  • 1 tbsp lime juice
  • A handful of baby spinach
  • Roughly chopped coriander to garnish
  • Salt & pepper to taste

Instructions

For the meatballs:

  1. In a bowl, mix everything. Form into balls and set aside.
  2. Using a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat, add coconut oil. When oil is hot enough, add the meatballs and cook. Make sure not to overcook them as they will turn dry.
  3. Transfer the cooked meatballs into a plate/container.

For the coconut curry sauce:

  1. In the same skillet over low-medium heat, add little coconut oil if needed.
  2. Add garlic and cook until fragrant.
  3. Add curry paste, cashew butter, coconut milk and lime juice. Stir until everything is incorporated.
  4. Turn the heat to low, put a lid on and simmer for about 10-15 minutes or until sauce is reduced.
  5. When the sauce is reduced, do a taste test and adjust accordingly.
  6. Turn off the heat. Add baby spinach and the meatballs. Garnish with coriander if desired.
  7. Serve over white rice or cauliflower rice.

Recipe Notes

If you want a less spicy dish, you may want to decrease the amount of red curry paste. 

Thanks a bunch for spending your precious time with me!

I am also sharing this at

Happiness is Homemade | What’s for Dinner? | Mix it up Monday | Melt in your Mouth Monday | What’d You Do This Weekend? | Cooking and Crafting with J & J | Dishing It & Digging It | What’d You Do This Weekend? | Lou Lou Girls Fabulous Party | Totally Terrific Tuesday |
Cook Blog Share | Delicious Dishes Recipe Party | Snickerdoodle Create Bake Make |

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