These Whole30 curry chicken meatballs are the perfect weeknight dinner recipe. Made on the stovetop, these gluten free ground chicken meatballs are dairy free, low carb and are done in one skillet. Inspired by Thai curry, if you’re looking for a dinner that is both healthy and delicious while keeping your cleanup to a minimum, give this chicken meatball recipe a go!
Curry Chicken Meatball Ingredients
To make the Whole30 curry chicken meatballs you will start with 2 pounds of ground chicken, arrowroot flour, 1/3 cup finely chopped basil,1/3 cup finely chopped cilantro, 1/3 cup finely chopped green onions, minced garlic, minced ginger, cumin, the juice from 1 lime, salt, pepper, and olive oil.
For the sauce you will need 1/2 cup diced onion, minced garlic, 2 tablespoons red curry paste, 2 14oz cans of coconut cream (or coconut milk), coconut aminos, almond butter, 2 tablespoons of lime juice, and a teaspoon or so of salt to taste.
To cut down on your prep, time a quick method is to place the basil, cilantro, and green onions in a food processor. Pulse it until it is finely chopped.
Steps for Cooking Gluten Free Curry Chicken Meatballs
The meatball part of your gluten free curry chicken meatballs starts with adding all the meatball ingredients minus the olive oil to a large bowl. This consists of the ground chicken, arrowroot flour, chopped basil, chopped cilantro. You will also add the chopped green onions, minced garlic, minced ginger, cumin, and the juice from a lime. Add a pinch or so of salt and or pepper as desired to taste.
Use your hands to mix until everything is combined into the ground chicken. Don’t over-mix as this can dry out the meatballs. Mix just until combined for nice juicy meatballs. Start heating the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Portion the meat using a cookie scoop or your hands and roll it into 1-1/2 inch meatballs.
Now that the oil is hot, gently place meatballs into the skillet. Fill the skillet but don’t overcrowd the meatballs. Let them brown for about 3 minutes, adding more oil if needed. Starting with the first meatball you placed in the skillet, flip them over in order and let the other side brown for another 3 minutes or so. Don’t cook them all the way through.
As the meatballs are browned, transfer them to a plate. Repeat the browning and flipping steps in batches until you have used all of your ground meat mixture. Once that is done, drain out most of the oil but leave about 1-2 tablespoons in the skillet. Add the diced onion and minced garlic and sauté for 4-5 minutes.
When the onions are translucent, add in the curry paste, coconut cream, coconut aminos, almond butter, the 2 tablespoons of lime juice, and the salt. Bring the sauce to a boil while whisking it until it’s smooth. Once the sauce is combined and boiling reduce the heat to a simmer.
Then add the meatballs to the curry sauce and cover the skillet with a lid. Simmer for about 15 minutes or until the curry chicken meatballs are fully cooked. Remove the lid from the skillet and take it off the heat. Spoon sauce over the meatballs and coat them. Add any basil or salt to the sauce if you so desire.
Oven Baking Instructions
If you would prefer to bake your gluten free curry chicken meatballs instead of using the stovetop skillet method it’s an easy change to make. First you preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Crumple it up and lay it back down flat so it doesn’t curl up on you.
Use a cookie scoop or your hands to portion out your ground chicken meatball mixture and roll them into 1 1/2 to 2 inch meatballs. Place them directly on the baking sheet with about 1-2 inches of space between them. Bake them for 20 minutes and then flip the meatballs and bake for an additional 20 minutes.
Serving and Storing Instructions
I recommend serving these Whole30 curry chicken meatballs over cauliflower rice, or even mashed potatoes. This recipe is great with a side of roasted broccoli or green beans.
If you’re not specifically doing a Whole30 you can keep these curry chicken meatballs gluten free by serving them over white rice or your favorite gluten free pasta.
Garnish with chopped cilantro, chopped basil, and/or red pepper flakes and enjoy!
To store these curry chicken meatballs let them cool to room temperature and place them in an airtight container and refrigerate. For meal prep, place them in individual containers on top of whatever you’ve decided to serve them over and refrigerate. They will stay keep well for about 5 days. They will reheat well in the microwave for a filling and satisfying meal as leftovers.
Similar Recipes You’ll Love:
- Slow Cooker Vegetable Curry
- Easy Greek Meatballs
- Slow Cooker Chicken and Chickpea Tikki Masala
- Air Fryer Pork Meatballs
- Instant Pot Chicken Meatballs and Marinara
Curry Chicken Meatballs
These Whole30 curry chicken meatballs are the perfect weeknight dinner recipe. Made on the stovetop, these gluten free ground chicken meatballs are dairy free, low carb and are done in one skillet. If you’re looking for a dinner that is both healthy and delicious while keeping your cleanup to a minimum, give this curry chicken meatball recipe a go!
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 35 mins
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 6 1x
- Category: chicken
- Method: skillet
- Cuisine: american (thai inspired)
- Diet: Gluten Free
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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- Repeat step 2-4 in batches until all of the ground meat mixture has been formed into meatballs and browned
- Then in the same skillet, drain off most of the oil, leaving 1 to 2 tablespoons remaining in the pan
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
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Kirsty says
This was delicious! I baked the meatballs, only because I was using my skillet for something else and it turned out amazing! It was easy too! Thank you!
Julia says
These were incredible. Next time I’m going to double the batch of just the sauce for chicken or veggies later because it was so yummy even my kids want it for dinner again another night this week!
Amber says
This recipe is delicious! I double the ginger. One of my favorite recipes to make at home. The meatballs are so tender and they taste so lean. The fresh herbs are the way to go.
Dianne says
Sooooo delicious!! Thank you BAILEY!