These green curry chicken meatballs are fragrant, spicy, and, best of all? This chicken meatball recipe is super easy to make, even on a weeknight!
I love chicken meatballs so much, and you’ll want this recipe for green curry chicken meatballs in regular rotation. The meatballs load up on aromatics, including garlic, spicy Thai chili peppers, lemongrass, shallot, and scallion. The broth is super simple, loaded with mushrooms, onion, green curry paste, water, and coconut broth.
How spicy is green curry paste?
Green curry paste uses fresh green chilies as the base and ingredients like shallot, galangal, lemongrass, makrut lime, and a host of other aromatics. The result is a bright, spicy, tangy, and herby paste that is perfect for clearing the sinuses. I’ve read contradictory comments about the paste’s spiciness. Some say green curry paste is milder than red, and others say that the fresh green chilies make green curry the spiciest of the typical Thai curry pastes (yellow, green, red, and masaman).
While heat levels will depend largely on the chef or the brand of paste you use, my experience has always been that green is the spiciest. Some brands, like Maesri, will bring an intense, bright heat. While other brands, like Mike’s Organic Foods, are not as spicy at all. In my experience, the order of spiciness is as follows:
- Yellow: Made with a turmeric base, this paste will offer the mildest heat level.
- Red: Red chilies give this moderate heat, and this paste is the most versatile and can usually please spice lovers and those with a lower heat tolerance alike.
- Green: Shrimp paste, fresh green chilies, and lots of aromatics make this the spiciest blend.
Luckily, this recipe is super versatile, so use whichever paste suits your heat tolerance and your preferences! For me, I love a spicy chicken meatball, so I stick with green curry paste. Maesri is definitely my favorite. I used Mike’s Organic Foods in this recipe, and while the flavor was nice, I found the spice to be lacking.
Green Curry Chicken Meatballs
Equipment
- Food processor
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground chicken
- 2 eggs
- 5 cloves garlic, peeled
- 4 Thai chili peppers, trimmed
- 3 scallions, scrubbed and trimmed, divided
- 1 shallot, peeled
- 1 tablespoon lemongrass paste
- ½–¾ cup panko or plain breadcrumbs
- 1 tablespoon neutral oil
- 1 yellow onion, peeled and sliced
- 6 ounces shiitake mushrooms, stems discarded and caps sliced
- 2 tablespoons green curry paste
- 3 cups water or chicken stock
- 15- ounce can of full-fat coconut milk
- Salt and pepper to taste
For serving:
- Lime wedges
- Crispy shallots
- Chili oil
- Cooked rice noodles
Instructions
Prepare the meatballs:
- Combine the chicken and eggs in a large bowl. Season all over with salt.
- Place the garlic, Thai chili peppers, shallot, and 2 scallions in a food processor and pulse until minced.
- Add the minced aromatics to the chicken along with lemongrass paste. Use your hands to combine. Add ½ cup panko or breadcrumbs and mix to combine. If the mixture is too wet, add an additional ¼ cup of breadcrumbs. Mix until combined and let stand 10 minutes.
- Heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium heat in a wide pot. Add a teaspoon of the meatball mixture and fry until cooked through. Taste and adjust seasonings if needed.
Fry the meatballs:
- Form the mixture into meatballs and fry for 3–4 minutes per side until browned all over. They need not be cooked through. Transfer to a plate.
Cook the mushrooms and onions:
- If the pot seems dry, add another tiny drizzle of oil. Add the onions and mushrooms and cook for 7–8 minutes. Stir the mushrooms regularly and continue cooking until they brown around the edges. Season with salt.
Sizzle the paste:
- Add the green curry paste and let it sizzle in the pot for 30 seconds. Toss to coat the mushrooms and onions in the paste. Pour in the water or broth.
Simmer the meatballs:
- Add the chicken meatballs to the pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 25 minutes or until meatballs reach 165ºF. Taste and season the broth to your preferences.
Finish the broth:
- Mince the remaining 1 scallion, keeping the white and green parts separate.
- Stir the coconut milk and white parts of the scallion into the broth. Simmer 5 minutes.
To serve:
- Ladle the broth over cooked rice noodles. Garnish with the minced scallion greens, lime wedges, and crispy shallots. Add a drizzle of chili oil if you like.
Does the calorie count include the rice noodles? I was wondering, since no measurements for that is included in the recipe.
The nutrition doesn’t include the rice noodles. If serving with rice noodles, you’ll probably add 100–200 calories per serving, depending on the brand!