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Keeping things simple with a warming weeknight style Creamy Coconut Chicken Meatball and Noodle Curry. This southeast Asian inspired noodle curry is the simplest weeknight dinner. Made with flavorful Thai curry paste, coconut milk, creamy peanut butter, and a sprinkling of cilantro. Toss in seared chicken meatballs and plenty of delicious egg noodles and it’s hard to beat this easy creamy curry. It’s the perfect any night of the week dinner that’s made in just about 30 minutes…hearty, cozy, and healthy too.
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Hey, hi! We made it to Thursday, which means the weekend is almost here! Trust me, I know it’s been a long week, but thankfully we have good food to share, upcoming holiday excitement, and tomorrow…chocolate. Everything is better with a good dinner and a night that ends on a sweet note. And that is just the truth.
You guys, I am very excited about today’s recipe. It’s inspired by a Southeast Asian soup called Laksa. It’s spicy, creamy, and the most flavorful dish. And I love all the color throughout.
With fall in full force, and Thanksgiving planning and prep underway, I tend to get into a dinner rut of making casserole after casserole and pasta after pasta. In my mind, there isn’t anything wrong with that. I love these foods! But it’s always nice to switch it up. I was feeling like I needed to break away from all my cozy, cheesy pasta and Thanksgiving recipes and share something completely fresh and different, but yet still warming for fall.
The Thanksgiving recipes will return tomorrow and throughout next week, but when in the midst of Thanksgiving planning and prep, we also need good dinners!
The background.
Laksa is one of the most popular southeast Asian dishes. It’s a spicy noodle soup that usually consists of either rice or wheat noodles with chicken or fish. The broth is a spicy, rich curried coconut milk. Laksa can most commonly be found in Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and southern Thailand. It varies from place to place in exact flavor, but the two things Laksa always has is a creamy, spicy coconut broth and lots of noodles. It’s not hard to prepare, but it does require a handful of ingredients that I can’t easily find.
So this is my simplified version of Laksa. It’s creamy, heavy on the noodles, and made with chicken meatballs. It’s a little different than a classic Laksa, but similar in flavor profiles. Most importantly, it’s easy to make and so delicious.
Here are the details.
Aside from cooking the noodles, you can make this dish entirely in one pot. The meatballs are simply a mix of ground chicken, green onions, soy sauce, and black pepper. Very simple, but yet so flavorful. The combination of green onions and salty soy is key here.
To make the meatballs, roll them out and then pan-fry them in a bit of oil to get them nice and crispy on the outside. I really like using avocado oil for this since it’s a high heat cooking oil, but olive oil works nicely too.
Once the meatballs are seared, remove them from the pot to ensure they don’t end up overcooking or losing their crispness. Once the meatballs are out, add everything else right to that very same pot. Starting with lots of shallots, ginger, and garlic, then toss in the cubed butternut squash or sweet potatoes.
Next, you’ll want to sauté the Thai red curry paste for a minute or two before adding in the liquids. This will activate the flavors in the curry paste and give you a richer tasting broth. Now, just add in all the coconut milk, stir back in the meatballs and simmer everything together for a few minutes.
While that’s happening, boil some egg noodles (or use rice noodles if you’re gluten-free). By the time the noodles are ready, the curry should be thick and ready to toss with the noodles and serve.
To serve, just add the noodles to bowls and then ladle both the veggies and meatballs overtop.
Finish with lots of fresh cilantro and pomegranate arils. Simple, but yet so complex with flavor, and so colorful too!
The broth, the crispy meatballs, the noodles, the toppings…everything all together? It’s delicious. Creamy, gingery, and garlicky, a touch spicy, salty, and truly so perfect. Loving this for busy weeknights, but yet it feels special enough for a cold Sunday night. Either night you end up serving this, it’s going to be perfect.
Looking for other warming curry recipes? Here are my favorites:
Slow Cooker Saucy Thai Butternut Squash Curry
30 Minute Coconut Milk Braised Chicken with Sweet Potatoes and Rice
Saucy Coconut Braised Chicken with Rice Noodles and Broccoli
Sweet Potato Lentil Curry with Crispy Sesame Chickpeas
Lastly, if you make this Creamy Coconut Chicken Meatball and Noodle Curry, 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!
Creamy Coconut Chicken Meatball and Noodle Curry
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground chicken
- 2 green onions, finely chopped, plus more for serving
- 1/4 cup + 2 teaspoons low sodium soy sauce
- black pepper
- 5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil or avocado oil
- 1 cup cubed butternut squash or sweet potato
- 2-3 medium shallots, thinly sliced
- 1 inch fresh ginger, grated
- 4 cloves garlic, minced or grated
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped, plus more for serving
- 1/4 cup Thai red curry paste
- 2 (14-ounce) cans full-fat coconut milk
- 2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce , (or low sodium soy sauce)
- 2 cups baby spinach
- 8 ounces egg or rice noodles
- pomegranate arils, for serving, (optional)
Instructions
- 1. Add the chicken, green onions, 2 teaspoons soy 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 a large pot over medium-high heat and add 2 tablespoons oil. When the oil shimmers, add the meatballs and sear until crisp, about 4-5 minutes, turning them 2-3 times until cooked through. Transfer to a plate.3. To the same pot, add 3 tablespoon oil, the shallots, ginger, and garlic. Cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the butternut squash and curry paste. Cook another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the coconut milk, 1/2 cup water, 1/4 cup soy sauce, fish sauce, and peanut butter. Slide the meatballs back into the curry. Simmer over medium heat until the meatballs are cooked through, 5-8 minutes. Stir in the spinach. Thin as desired with additional water or broth.4. Meanwhile, cook noodles according to package directions.5. Divide the noodles between bowls and ladle the curry over. Top each bowl with pomegranate, cilantro, and green onions.
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.
So I’ve made some version of this recipe once a week for a few months, seriously. It’s so easy and fool proof. I forgo the meatball part and just add already cooked rotisserie chicken at the end to heated it up. I’ve also added shrimp and let it boil in the sauce for a few minutes…delicious. I start with the basics, onion, garlic and ginger, then add whatever veggies we have left in the fridge that need eating. My favorite is mushrooms and sweet potato. At the end, instead of folding spinach in the sauce, I serve the noodles and saucy mix over a bed of spinach (or leftover greens) and let it wilt with the heat of the sauce. This makes it easy to have leftovers with fresh greens every time. Also, I switched the pomegranate seeds with dried cranberries. These have the same sweet bite effect but much cheaper and easier to keep on hand. Love this dish. Thanks so much!
Hey Christen,
I am so glad that you liked this recipe, thanks for giving it a go! Happy Friday? xTieghan
Loved this recipe. Easy and delicious meal. I’m adding this one to my favourites.
Hey Pat,
Thanks a lot for giving the recipe a try, I am thrilled that the recipe was enjoyed! Have a fantastic weekend! xTieghan
This was so delicious and came together so easily!
Hey Laura,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try, I am so glad it was enjoyed! Have a great week:) xTieghan
Made this last night and it was sooo good! I added some things to give it some heat because we like spice at our house. I love the texture of the noodles but next time I will probably do it over rice. It was just difficult to get that perfect bite with the noodles. Still, LOVED it!
Hey Savannah,
I am so glad that you enjoyed the recipe, thanks so much for making it! Have a great weekend:) xTieghan
Our family loves this – the first time we made the meatballs as the recipe describes and the second time we just baked them to make things easier and less time consuming. The baked ones came out GREAT and were just faster and less messy! We baked them for about 20 min and tossed them back in the curry to keep cooking the same way she recommends in the recipe. Another good option for those who don’t want to deal with searing/pan frying them!
Hey Leah,
I am delighted you enjoyed the recipe, thanks so much for giving it a try! xTieghan
I have made this at least three times now and have loved it every time! Guess this recipe is in permanent rotation! The sauce, the spinach, the chicken, the noodles, and…the pomegranate seeds all make this dish absolutely amazing! Love it, can’t wait to make it again!!
Hey Monica,
I am thrilled you enjoyed this recipe, thanks for giving it a try! xTieghan
wow! made it last night! it was amazing! so easy and full of flavors.
Hey Paulina,
Thanks for making the recipe, I am so delighted that it was enjoyed! Have a great week:) xTieghan
I’m going to make this tonight but I only have one can on coconut milk, will it be okay with just one can?
Hey Telly,
Yes, I would use the one can and then if you want it to be soupier just add more milk of any kind that you have on hand. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Such a great dish to make! I made it for my Fiancé and he now requests this meal almost once a week. It’s creamy, spicy, and so filling. Definitely coat your hands in olive oil before rolling the chicken into meatballs, the chicken can stick. One of my favorite dishes from Tieghan!
Hey Brooke,
Thanks so much for making the recipe, I am so glad it was enjoyed! xTieghan
I’m going to make this tonight. Is there something else you would put in place of the peanut butter for a nut free house?
This was delicious! Your beautiful picture shows 5 meatballs, which is an average helping for me, but my guys eat more. Your directions say to make 15-20 meatballs from 1 lb meat, so that would serve 3-4 people, not 6. I doubled the meat, sweet potatoes and spinach, but kept the same amount of everything else (omitting peanut butter and fish sauce because of food allergies). I couldn’t quite fit it all in the same large frying pan. Enough leftovers for lunch ?
Hey Amy,
I am so glad the recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for trying it out! Happy Sunday! xTieghan
This is my absolute favourite weekday recipe! The flavour is amazing and it’s so easy to make! Out of the 4 recipes I make weekly from Tieghan this recipe always makes the cut!
Hey Stephanie,
I am so thrilled that you enjoyed the recipe, thanks so much for making it! Happy Friday! xTieghan
I tried to reply to comment but it wasn’t working.
Recipe is delicious. However, I followed the recipe exact and it came out thick. Not as soupy. Any idea where I went wrong?
REPLY >
halfbakedharvest
january 5, 2021 at 12:04 pm
Hey Stephanie,
Thanks so much for trying the recipe. That is so great the recipe was enjoyed! So sorry yours was thick, was there anything you may have adjusted? You can always add more coconut milk if needed. I hope this helps! Happy New Year! xTieghan
Reply:
I used the two full cans of coconut milk and the 1/2 cup water. It was delicious and followed every step and used all of the ingredients. What brand of coconut milk did you use?
Hey Stephanie,
So sorry about that! I like to use Thrive Market coconut milk. If you want it to be more soupy next time, try add more coconut milk. I hope this helps! xTieghan
Recipe is delicious. However, I followed the recipe exact and it came out thick. Not as soupy. Any idea where I went wrong?
Hey Stephanie,
Thanks so much for trying the recipe. That is so great the recipe was enjoyed! So sorry yours was thick, was there anything you may have adjusted? You can always add more coconut milk if needed. I hope this helps! Happy New Year! xTieghan
Made this with the following changes: used 1 tbsp oil, stovetop skillet, cooked meatballs in that, then added shallot- ginger -garlic chop and cooked it alongside the meatballs. Didn’t have green onions and used dried chives instead. Omitted squash and spinach. No pomegranates in the store so I left those out too. Fresh cilantro is important, as is the fresh ginger.
While I am sure that the spinach, squash and pomegranate would go really well, they were not missed. It was deeeeee-lish! My son said “this is what I would make if I wanted to impress someone!”
If you want more heat, use more of the Thai curry paste. Like a stronger peanutty flavor? Amp up the PB! Use any veggies you have on hand. I will make this again for sure and with variations! Excellent dish, easy to prepare. Kudos!!!
Hey Els,
Thanks so much for trying the recipe. That is so great the recipe was enjoyed! Happy New Year! xTieghan
This was one of the most flavorful and delicious things I’ve ever made and I’m really surprised by how easy it was!! We made it for new years eve but it would have made a beautiful christmas meal with the red pomegranate seeds and cilantro on top. The only bit I found confusing is I wasn’t sure where to put the half cup of cilantro besides on top 🙂 For us this was 6 servings worth of food though we are hungrryyyy so we used more like a pound of noodles instead of 8oz. I didn’t have low sodium soy sauce so it was very salty but I added some water to tone it down. 🙂
Hey Meryl,
I am so thrilled that you enjoyed the recipe, thanks so much for giving it a try! Happy New Year! xTieghan