It is a fact that meatballs are universally adored, and these Thai Chicken Meatballs are a juicy, savory flavor boom in your mouth.
These little meatballs are made with ground chicken, aromatic garlic and ginger, green onions, the zest of a lime, a hint of chili, and a fresh pop of cilantro. Imagine sinking your teeth into a perfectly juicy meatball with a zing, a dash of herbaceous freshness, and just the right kick of spice.
Whether you're hosting a gathering or just craving something beyond the ordinary, that is what's fantastic about these Thai Chicken Meatballs - their versatility. They can be a party snack, an appetizer, or part of a main meal! Oh, and they freeze perfectly!
Ingredient Notes
These notes are here to help make this recipe a success; they cover some but not all ingredients. For a complete ingredient list, check out the recipe card below.
Green onions: Also called scallions or spring onions. These add great savory flavor to the meatballs.
Ginger: Fresh ginger is perfect here, or you can use the squeezy ginger that comes in a tube. Grate it into the food processor to ensure you don't get stringy bits of ginger in your meatballs.
Chilies: The recipe calls for 2 red chilies, which makes it spicy but not super hot. Feel free to use 1 to tone down the heat or 3 to up the kick. Or leave them out entirely if you want a really mild meatball.
Lime: I use lime zest to bring that zing that Thai food has; traditionally, it would be Kaffir lime leaves finely chopped, but they aren't always easy to find, and chopping them small enough is a bit of a pain! The zest of lime adds a great flavor, and then you can cut the lime into wedges to serve with the meatballs.
Ground chicken/chicken mince: I like to buy ground chicken that combines thigh and breast meat as I feel this gives a juicer meatball. But not all grocery stores sell it or label it as such. So use what your local store has.
Recipe Tips
We've tested this recipe at least 3 times to ensure it works well for you. Have a look at our tips for getting the best dish you can!
- The aromatics get chopped in a food processor, so they are all small and well combined. If you don't have one, use a sharp knife to mince everything together.
- Ginger doesn't chop well in a food processor, so I grate it into the bowl before the machine starts chopping.
- Use the stems of the cilantro/coriander and the leaves; they add extra flavor.
- The meatball mixture is a little sticky; wetting my hands with water (or a little oil) makes it much easier to roll the meatballs in my hands.
- Keep the meatballs small; they should be bite-sized. I use a half-tablespoon measure to get them roughly the same size.
Why You'll Love These Thai Chicken Meatballs
- They are so versatile you can serve them as a party snack, appetizer, or main meal.
- They are easy to adapt to the spice level.
- They freeze perfectly and can be made in advance.
- They use easy-to-find ingredients.
Freezing Thai Chicken Meatballs
You can freeze them before or after you cook them.
Place the cooked/uncooked meatballs on a lined baking sheet and then put them into the freezer for 3 hours until they are hard. Then, you can transfer them to a Tupperware or ziplock bag.
Before cooking: Defrost them overnight and cook as per the instructions.
After cooking: Defrost them overnight and heat them in the microwave for 2-3 minutes until hot. Or poach them in a pan of simmering stock/salted water. (The water needs to be salted, as they will naturally leech out some salt as they poach; adding salt to the water helps to prevent this).
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Recipe Adaptions
These are all just suggestions and things that have worked in our test kitchen, but it is your dinner, so adapt it to suit your family. That is the beauty of cooking; we can all create our own delicious meals.
- Add extra veg: I will sometimes add some grated carrots to the mixture; it adds sweetness and color. Grated zucchini is great in them as well.
- Change the meat: You can swap the ground chicken for pork or turkey.
- Bake the meatballs: Instead of frying the meatballs, you can put the meatballs on a wire rack over a baking sheet and cook for around 15 minutes until cooked through and golden.
- Poach the meatballs: For an easy soup, use chicken broth infused with chili, ginger, and garlic. Add a splash of fish sauce, then poach the meatballs in the broth. Once cooked, add some cooked noodles and some Asian greens for an easy dinner.
Serving Suggestions for Thai Chicken Meatballs
As an appetizer/party snack, serve the meatballs with chili sauce and some little party forks for people to spear them with. Garnish them with some cilantro/coriander leaves and slices of red chili.
They are great with noodles or fried rice if you serve them as a main meal. Or you can mix them with a green curry sauce or Massaman curry.
Enjoy x
For more meatball recipes try:
- Moroccan Lamb Meatballs
- Thai Pork Meatballs (no chili)
- Baked Paprika Meatballs
- Indian Chicken Meatballs
If you try these Thai Chicken Meatballs, please leave a 🌟star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. I really appreciate it, and it helps others to know that the recipe is trustworthy.
Any questions about the recipe? Use the comments section below.
Get the Recipe
Thai Chicken Meatballs
Ingredients
- 3 green onions
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1½ tablespoon grated ginger
- 2 red chillies
- 1 cup fresh cilantro , stems and leaves
- zest of a lime
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 1 lb ground chicken
- 2 tablespoon oil
Instructions
- Cut the root and the dark ends off the green onions. Then, roughly chop them into 3-4 pieces each.3 green onions
- Add them to the food processor, peeled garlic and grated ginger.4 cloves garlic1½ tablespoon grated ginger
- Cut the ends off the chilies and add them to the processor.2 red chillies
- Blitz the mix until you have a roughly chopped mixture.
- Add the coriander, lime zest and salt.1 cup fresh cilantrozest of a lime¾ teaspoon salt
- Blitz again until you have a finely chopped mixture.
- Add the chicken mince and pulse chop until just combined.1 lb ground chicken
- Fill a bowl with water and dip your hands in.
- Remove about a ½ tablespoon of the mixture and shape it into a small ball.
- Place the ball on a lined baking sheet and repeat. (and repeat......)
- Once you have finished, heat the oil in a large frying pan and cook the meatballs in batches. Keep that pan on medium-high heat and cook them for 3-4 minutes, rolling them about the pan to cook on all sides and prevent them from sticking or burning. After 3 minutes, remove a ball and cut it open to check there is no pink.2 tablespoon oil
Notes
- If you make the balls bigger, they will need extra cooking time.
- They can be served hot or at room temperature.
Nutrition
Nutrition is per serving
Gerrit says
What a lovely recipe, love the addition of Thai flavors to the meatballs. And that it's so easy actually by adding the lime zest. Can't wait to try them.
Sue says
Wonderful meatballs! I used sweet chili sauce for dipping and loved every bite. Adding these to the game day rotation!
Gena says
These sound so good! Everyone loves meatballs and this recipe is perfect.
Sherry Ronning says
I have never made a chicken meatball before but had to try your meatball recipe. OMG, was this ever a delicious chicken recipe and it was super easy to make. Thank you for a great recipe!!
Brenton Banner says
Thanks for the recipe. I am allergic to chicken. Can I use avocado instead?
Claire McEwen says
Hmmm, well you can try but I doubt it will yield great results!
If it is just chicken you are allergic to, then you could sub in ground turkey or pork. Or try this Thai Pork Meatball recipe, Or for a totally vegetarian option try these Thai Vegetarian "Meatballs" from Bronwyn over at Crumbs and Caramel.
Hope that helps
Cx
Alex says
Can you re heat them?
Claire McEwen says
Hi Alex,
Yes you can. You can keep the cooked meatballs in the fridge or freeze them. Then to re-heat, either heat them in the microwave on medium power for 2-3 minutes (spread out over a plate rather than piled in a bowl)
Or poach them in a pan of simmering stock/salted water (It should be salted as when you poach them they will leech out some salt, adding salt to the water helps to prevents this).
You can also make them and then freeze them raw. I make them, freeze them on a baking sheet until solid, then transfer to a tupperware. TO cook, defrost in the fridge overnight and cook as normal.
Hope that helps.
Oh they are actually pretty nice at room temp :_
Louise says
Claire!!! You must must must must must post these on Delishogram, our readers would love them!!!
Claire McEwen says
Thanks Louise. Will do:-)
Carol says
I made these last night as finger food for our monthly bible group. They were such a hit, I gave everyone the site link 🙂
I served them with sweet chilli sauce and some hot sauce.
Will be making these again
Claire McEwen says
Thank you for the message Carol, I like to serve them with sweet chilli sauce too. I am so glad that you and your bible group enjoyed them. And thank you for passing the link on 😀
Yareny says
Making these for Christmas! Do you think baking these would work? Seems a bit faster and easier to get other things done.
Claire McEwen says
Baking will definitely work. I have cooked them in the oven before, I preheated the oven to 190°C/170°C fan forced/Gas Mark 5/375F and I baked them on lined baking sheets for about 10-12 minutes (they are mini so cook quite quickly). I found then that the meatballs on the outside of the tray were firm and cooked but the ones in the middle were still a little soft. So depending on your oven I would suggest cooking them for 10 minutes and testing one.
I hope you enjoy them 🙂
Claudia @ Homemade with love says
Anything with Thai Spices is wonderful.. and if it's rolled into balls and fried it's heavenly! Saved it! 😉
Claire McEwen says
I couldn't agree more Claudia!
Gareth Williams says
they really sound wonderful and must be very tasty. Will try the recipe soonest!
Claire McEwen says
Thank you.
I hope you enjoy the, 🙂 x