Thai Chicken Meatballs

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.

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.

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). 

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.

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.