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The best simple weeknight Coconut Chicken Meatball Curry with Rice Noodles. Made with flavorful Thai curry paste, coconut milk, plenty of fresh herbs, and lime juice. Then toss in seared chicken meatballs and plenty of delicious rice noodles and it’s hard to beat this easy Thai-inspired coconut curry. It’s a delicious mix of cozy and healthy and a great way to use up those garden bell peppers and fresh basil.
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If there’s one thing I used to say I didn’t like, it was meatballs. And to be honest, meatballs themselves still don’t really appeal to me. But put them in a red sauce with cheese? Or a creamy coconut curry sauce?
Wow, that I can get excited about. It’s all about taking something semi-boring and making it exciting and fresh!
Here are the quick details
Start by making the meatballs. I usually like to cook them in the oven, but it just made sense to sear these in a skillet instead. Much faster and no one wants to turn the oven on during these hot days. Using the skillet to sear the meatballs creates the perfect non-dry meatball that’s crisp and tender. I like to use a mix of ground chicken, green onions, salt, and pepper. The secret is a dash of Worcestershire sauce, which adds a really delicious, saltiness. You don’t really know it’s there, but it adds a special touch.
What’s different about these meatballs is that there are no eggs or bread crumbs. I wanted to keep this simple. Well, really, I just wanted them as a base for the coconut curry sauce. Meaning that the meatballs soak up the sauce instead of being the key flavor.
Roll the meat (you can use chicken, pork, or turkey) into balls, then sear them in a skillet with sides until crisp.
Pull the meatballs out of the skillet and finish the dish by making the sauce.
The sauce is pretty simple but made incredibly flavorful with onions, garlic, and ginger. I like to use bell peppers as my vegetable along with sweet summer corn. Then 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 a big dollop of peanut butter for richness.
Next, add the corn and meatballs to the sauce. The dish is finished with lime juice, cilantro, and basil.
As soon as the curry is done, I spoon it overtop rice noodles and add fresh herbs. Simply a mix of cilantro, Thai basil, and mint.
Here’s what I will say, it’s important to eat the curry as soon as you put it over the noodles or the noodles will soak up all that amazing sauce. Just be sure to keep the noodles separate until you’re ready to eat.
A great fresh late summer dinner in under an hour. Kind of love that, especially for the busy back-to-school season we are entering!
Looking for other quick curries? Here are some favorites:
Coconut Curry Salmon with Garlic Butter
Saucy Coconut Curry with Rice Noodles and Garden Vegetables
Weeknight 30 Minute Coconut Curry Chicken Meatballs
20 Minute Red Curry Basil Garlic Oil Noodles
Lastly, if you make this Coconut Chicken Meatball Curry with Rice Noodles 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!
Coconut Chicken Meatball Curry with Rice Noodles
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground chicken, pork, or turkey
- 4 green onions, chopped
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- kosher salt and pepper
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil or extra virgin olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 1 orange bell pepper, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
- 1/4 cup Thai red curry paste
- 1 can (13.5 ounce) full fat coconut milk
- 1 cup low sodium chicken broth
- 1/4 cup peanut butter
- 3 tablespoons tamari or soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons honey
- 2 cups yellow corn
- 8 ounces rice noodles
- juice and zest from 1/2 a lime
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro and basil
Instructions
- 1. Add the chicken, green onions, Worcestershire sauce, and a pinch of pepper to a bowl. Mix until just combined. Coat your hands with a bit of oil, and roll the meat into tablespoon-size balls (will make 15-20 meatballs).2. Heat the sesame oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the meatballs and sear until crisp, about 4-5 minutes, turning them 2-3 times. Transfer everything to a plate. 3. To the skillet, add the onions and bell peppers. Cook until softened, 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in the garlic, ginger, and curry paste. Cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the broth, coconut milk, tamari, honey, and peanut butter. Stir to combine. Add the corn and meatballs and cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens slightly, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the cilantro and basil. 4. Meanwhile, cook the noodles according to package directions.5. Divide the noodles between bowls and ladle the curry over. Top each bowl as desired with basil, cilantro, lime juice, and sesame seeds.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Did you make this recipe? Please rate & comment below.
Didn’t have rice noodles so I used angel hair pasta
And I ended up mixing up Thai roasted red pepper with the red curry ( same jar) still turned out really good. Can’t wait to try it again with the correct ingredients
Hey Kay,
Happy Friday! ☃️ So glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, I appreciate you making it! xT
Are the calorie counts on this correct? Seems extremely high given the ingredients and I noticed on your sheet pan poblano enchiladas they seem to have doubled from when I saved the recipe months ago.
Hey Gabby,
I always recommend that if the nutritional information is important to you, you use your own personal calculator. Ours is automatic and controlled by google. It’s not something we’d prefer to be using. We are required to. I’m sorry for the trouble, we do our best! Hope you enjoy the recipe! xT
I didn’t have any red curry paste, so I subbed green curry paste. I am not sure how this changed the flavor profile, but the sauce/broth was great. It was very mild however and could use some additional spice. That may be due to the green curry paste. The meatballs, unfortunately, were disappointing. All I could taste was Worcestershire sauce, which I don’t care for. They were otherwise bland. I ended up picking them out and just eating the vegetables and broth. If I make this again, I will do my own thing for the meatballs and omit the Worcestershire altogether.
Hey Djienne,
Wonderful!! Thanks so much for making this recipe, I love to hear that it was enjoyed!! So sorry to hear about the meatballs! Happy Thanksgiving! 🦃
We loved this!! I added bok choy for some extra greens, otherwise followed the recipe exactly – no leftovers for our family. Thanks for sharing! 🙂
Hey Catherine,
Happy Monday!! 🍁 Love to hear that this recipe turned out well for you, thanks a bunch for making it! xT
This recipe was really rich. I liked all the ingredients however I think I wanted more of a Tom yum soup with these meatballs. Good attempt, however I think too much going on to make this a repeat recipe.
Hi Madison,
So sorry to hear this recipe was not enjoyed, thanks for giving it a try and sharing your feedback! xT
The recipe is perfection! So simple to put together. 10/10 recommend!
Hi Olivia,
Happy Monday!! 👻 I am so glad this recipe was tasty for you, thanks a lot for trying it out! xT
This was a big hit in our house- husband and teen approved! We didn’t have rice noodles, but it was delicious over cauliflower rice! Bookmarked for future dinners:)
Hey Lynn,
Happy Sunday!!🎃 I truly appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your feedback, I am so glad to hear it was enjoyed!
Unbelievably great! Made with pork and I can’t get enough.
Hey Layla,
Fantastic!! So glad to hear that you enjoyed this recipe, thanks so much for trying it out! Have a great weekend! xx
Hi! I’m allergic to peanut butter, I’d I don’t use it will the recipe not come out right?
Hi Nicole,
You could skip it or sunflower seed butter would also work well for you! I hope you love this recipe! xx
This was delicious and so easy! Also it is a forgiving recipe – I didn’t have green onions so subbed with white onion and a bit of cilantro. Also added some chili flakes for a bit of kick. It turned out great – the broth is the star of the dish!
Hey Jessica,
Wonderful!!❄️ Thanks a bunch for giving this recipe a try and sharing your feedback, I am so glad it was a winner:)
Excited to try it! What other veggies could I substitute for the corn?
Hi Hadley,
You can just skip the corn:) Any other veggies that you enjoy will work here, zucchini or mushrooms would be delicious! xT
The sauce is delicious! My whole family loved it.
Hi Tanis,
Happy Wednesday! Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try, I am thrilled to hear that it was a winner! xTieghan
I’m obsessed with this recipe it’s so good! Last night I didn’t have time to make the meatballs so I just shredded a rotisserie chicken and was still so tasty! Such great flavor in the curry, honestly might have to make it again tonight..
Hey there,
Happy Wednesday! Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try, I am thrilled to hear that it was a winner! xTieghan
Wondering if I could use shrimp instead of chicken? Anything special to do to shrimp?
Hi Jeannie,
Sure, it just needs less time to cook through:) I hope you love this recipe! xxT
Thanks so much for your delicious recipes:)
Thanks for following along Richelle!!
Hi!
Love your recipes!
Can I substitute green curry paste to this recipe? That is all I have in the kitchen!
Thanks!!!!
Hi Peyton,
The green curry is obviously going to change the flavors and coloring, but yes that will work for you! I hope you love the recipe! xx
Loved it!! I substituted the curry paste with the Trader Joe’s Thai red curry sauce (probably about 1/4 cup) and it was still great. Slightly less of the red color but very delicious! Used lean ground turkey for the meatballs and they were still amazing. Next time am going to probably use a little more meat so that each serving has more meatballs but that’s just personal preference.
Hey there,
Happy Friday!! Thanks a ton for making this recipe and sharing your review, I am so glad it was a winner:)