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The best summer Weeknight 30 Minute Coconut Curry Chicken Meatballs…with spicy mango salsa. This dish incorporates a variety of Thai flavors, all with an abundance of health benefits. It’s a delicious mix of cozy and healthy, and a great way to use up those garden bell peppers and fresh basil. It’s made creamy and extra saucy with coconut milk, spiced with curry paste, and served over steamed rice. Top with spicy mango salsa and toasted coconut for a DELICIOUS quick meal. Best part…all you need for this recipe are pantry ingredients and 30 minutes!
If there’s one thing I love doing, it’s taking something kind of boring, like chicken meatballs, and reinventing the dish to be exciting and extra delicious. Why? I guess I love a good challenge. So much so that I’ve made this a game I play with myself to help keep things fresh and creative. I get bored of things incredibly fast, especially when it comes to food. So challenging myself to reinvent dishes helps to keep things refreshing and fun for me.
What’s the game?
Basically, I just force myself to take a recipe that feels a little boring and completely switch it up. I might mix up the process by making the recipe in the instant pot or on a sheet pan. Or I might combine two cuisines into one. Or maybe even turn something traditionally meat-based into something vegan. Who knows, but I’m always trying to switch things up, even if it’s only a little bit.
And with these meatballs that is definitely the case.
Truth is, I’ve never been someone who has cared for meatballs and red sauce, or really meatballs of any kind. In fact, the word meatball really weirds me out. BUT my oldest brother loves meatballs so much, he’s always asking me to make them.
The other thing Creighton loves? Curry…of any kind, whether it’s Indian or Thai, he just loves curry.
So I thought why not combine his love of meatballs and his love of saucy curry. I know it sounds odd, but stick with here, this curry is good. It’s not like any other chicken curry you’ve ever had. It’s a mix of Thai with a touch of Indian flare. So much flavor, so saucy, creamy, and full of vegetables. All in all, a great healthy dinner that’s flavorful and easy to throw together too.
So here are the details…
The meatballs. I like to cook them in the oven. I know it’s summer, and I know it’s hot, but using the oven is just easier, cleaner, and faster. It also creates the perfect non-dry chicken meatball. I like to use a mix of ground chicken, green onions, garlic, salt, and pepper. The secret…a touch of Worcestershire sauce, which adds a really delicious, salty, and almost umami-like flavor. You don’t know it’s there, but it adds so much.
There are no eggs and no bread crumbs in these meatballs. I wanted to keep them simple. Really, I just want them to be a base for the coconut curry sauce. Meaning, the meatballs soak up the sauce instead of being the key flavor.
Roll the meat into balls, place them on a baking sheet, and then bake them at a high temp. They will brown on the outside and cook perfectly on the inside.
Meal prep tip: double the meatball recipe, bake them all, then freeze half of the meatballs for another time. You can then easily turn this dinner into a 15 minutes situation since all you’ll need to do is thaw the meatballs and toss them with the sauce. EASY. Additionally, you can use the meatballs for other recipes too!
The sauce. While the meatballs are cooking, make the sauce on the stove. It’s pretty simple, but made incredibly flavorful with shallots and ginger. I like to use bell peppers as my vegetable, Thai curry paste to keep things spicy, and canned coconut milk for a super luscious and creamy sauce. I then add a splash of soy sauce and fish sauce for saltiness, then fresh basil or cilantro.
DONE.
If bell peppers are not your favorite, try using broccoli florets or sliced summer squash. Really any vegetable you enjoy will be great here!
Now, toss in the meatballs and let the curry cook for a few minutes to thicken up the sauce. While this is happening, prep the mango salsa, which is simply diced mango, jalapeño, and lime. My favorite.
Serve the curry over steamed rice, top with mango salsa, and toasted coconut. Quick, simple, beyond good, and bonus? This dish is super healthy too! To make this even healthier, you can serve with brown rice, quinoa, or even over cauliflower rice.
Meal prep tip #2: if you like, you can freeze the meatballs and sauce together. Just thaw overnight in the fridge, then warm on the stove until heated through…and now you have a 10 minute dinner. Again, EASY and perfect for back to school/back to work/back to reality. That time of year we are all soon to enter.
So…have I convinced you that these Coconut Curry Chicken Meatballs will make a great summer dinner for tonight?
My hope is the answer is YES and that you’re running to the store to pick up any ingredients you might not have on hand. Then head home to make the best summer chicken curry. It’s kind of cozy, but yet lite at the same time. And the bottom line…every last spoonful of this saucy curry is oh so satisfying. You will love it.
If you make these weeknight 30 minute coconut chicken curry meatballs be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Great recipe!!! Creamy from the coconut milk but not heavy. I like spicy food so I add some red pepper flakes when I add the ginger. It gives the recipe a subtle kick.
Thank you so much Sophie! I am so glad this turned out so well for you! xTieghan
I can’t wait to make this recipe tomorrow! I’ve been craving noodles. Will there be enough sauce to serve over noodles instead of rice or would that be weird? Thanks!
Hey Karen,
You could totally serve this over noodles. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Just made this tonight. It was a big hit with the littles and the hubs. Not spicy at all! I picked up a small tub of fresh mango salsa from the deli and used that for my topping. ?
Thank you so much Megan! I am so happy this turned out so well for you! xTieghan
Made this last night & it was so easy & really delicious – literally took 30mins! The whole family loved it, definitely going to make this again!
Love to hear that! Thank you Linnea! xTieghan
Made this for dinner and my fiance and I loved it! We used Ground Turkey instead of Chicken because that’s what we had on hand. I used half Hot and half toasted Sesame Oil to give it a bigger kick (we love spicy). We used light coconut milk instead of full fat to make it lower cal.
Amazing! I am really glad this turned out so well for you, Jessica! xTieghan
This dish is packed with flavors and they all work so. well. Definitely going into the rotation!
Thank you Paige! I am really glad you liked this one! xTieghan
This was so amazing, thank you
Thank you Aurelia! xTieghan
Made this and it was delicious! Saving this recipe for when we crave Thai and it’s pretty quick to make.
Only change I will make is adding some sautéed mince onion and a bit of Serrano pepper to the meatballs!
Thank you! I always look forward to your emails.
Mary
Thank you so much Mary!! I am really glad this turned out so well for you! xTieghan
I am eating this for dinner as we speak and it is so good I had to get my computer right away to write a review. This dish came together in 30 minutes as advertised and is so packed with flavor it’s like it took days to create these sauces and marinate the flavors. It is so easy to make and is nicely timed out. While the meatballs cooked, I was able to make rice and the entire curry aspect of the dish. It was a near perfect execution on my part until I spilled an entire can of coconut milk on my stove! Trials of the kitchen I guess, whoops!! Anyway, I love love love this dish and I can’t wait to add this to my weekly rotation! PS, I subbed broccoli for the peppers and used ground turkey for the meatballs.
Wow that is so great to hear! Thank you Katie! xTieghan
Hi! If i dont have ground meat, could i use chicken thighs for this recipe instead?
Hi Myriem,
Would you use the chicken thighs in place of the meatballs? Are they bone in chicken thighs? You could certainly use them you would just have to cook them accordingly. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Hi!!! I just discover your blog and I love it! I made this recipe for lunch today and was delicious, i didn’t have mango so i only put some cilantro leaves. Thank you!!!!
I am really glad this turned out so well for you Celina! Thank you! xTieghan
This was amazing! Went together very quickly. Lots of chopping but otherwise uncomplicated recipe. Made it EXACTLY as directed except added 1/2 a jalapeño to the curry mixture because we like things spicy. Do not skip the mango salsa or toasted coconut and cilantro on top – it pulls it all together. I’m now a fan of this site!
Amazing! I am really glad you enjoyed this one and hope you love all of the others you try! Thank you so much Amy! xTieghan
Made this for dinner tonight and it was AMAZING! The spicy lime mango and toasted coconut were such lovely additions to an already delicious dish!
Thank you so much Elizabeth!! I am really glad this recipe turned out so wonderful for you!! xTieghan
This is the best Thai recipe I have ever made! Sending to my brother who also lives this type of food. Thank you so much and your other recipes. Can’t wait to try them too.
Thank you Hilary! I hope you love all of the recipes you try of mine!! xTieghan
I love all of your recipes, so excited to try this one!! My husband is super allergic to mango- what do you suggest I use instead??
Thank you!!
Hey Elisa,
Pineapple or peaches would be great! I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan