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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.
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
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 725 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
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.
Delicious (with a few changes for dietary restrictions)!
I mostly made it as written with a few key changes. I’m allergic to soy and fish so I subbed the soy sauce with coco aminos and the fish sauce with Ocean’s Halo Vegan Soy Free Fish Sauce.
I couldn’t find pomegranate arils at any of my grocery stores so I squeezed on fresh lime instead which really brightened the whole dish up. I topped with both freshly chopped cilantro and basil and it was perfect!
I’ll definitely make it again and just omit the meatballs for my vegan friends.
Hey Kal,
Happy Sunday!! Love hearing that this recipe was a hit, thanks for making it!! Thanks for sharing what worked well for you. xxT
Oh my GOODNESS this one is a home run! I was running short on time at the store and accidentally got premade Turkey meatballs with spinach and feta instead of a more Asian style meatball. Even with this mishap of my own accord, this recipe shines! So yummy and savory!
Hey Kylie,
Fantastic! Thanks so much for making this recipe, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! xTieghan
The broth was unreal, absolutely amazing! But I found the chicken meatballs really lacking in flavour. I would add some more spices next time.
Hi Sarah,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try, sorry to hear about the chicken. xTieghan
Omg! Teighan you outdid yourself with this recipe! I made it for my family tonight and everyone couldn’t stop gushing at how delicious it was. My parents said it was their new favorite soup (and I think it’s mine too)!! So yummy, thanks so much for sharing! 🙂
Hi Kelly,
Awesome! Love to hear that you liked the recipe, thanks a bunch for trying it out! Happy Holidays! xx
Such a great idea!
Thanks so much Annika!
I just made this tonight for the first time and it was delicious. I would definitely do it again.
Hey Stephanie! Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try, I’m so glad you enjoyed it! 🙂 xxTieghan
Different from Kao Soi?
Hello! Am I Missing the Nutitional information on the Half Bajed Recipes or is it not provided? It could be lost in all of the inserted ads!!?
Hey Lynn! The nutritional information is just below the prep time of the recipe 🙂 xxTieghan
I make this at least once a month if not more. My curry hating boyfriend loves this recipe and cleans his bowl every time. I sub unsweetened coconut milk from the shelf stable section of the store to make it much more macro friendly, and then just don’t add water. I also add red bell pepper instead of sweet potato for less carbs. When I made it last night I added basil and squeezed an entire lime into it, and it was soo perfect. I will say that my boyfriend and I usually finish this by ourselves, but we are both big eaters… highly recommend!
Hey Sarah,
Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am delighted to hear that it was enjoyed! Have the best weekend:) xTieghan
I made this tonight and my family really enjoyed it. It was rich, creamy, and oh so flavorful. I didn’t thin it out with water or chicken broth but it coated the rice noodles so well. We decided it’s a keeper so into the family favorites recipe book it goes.
Hey Kelly,
Awesome! Thanks a lot for making this recipe and sharing your feedback. I’m glad it was enjoyed! xTieghan
Hi Teaghan! I made this tonight and it was delicious but sooo much food for one person. Would you recommend freezing any leftovers to reheat at a later day?
Hey Natasha,
Thanks for giving the recipe a try, if you want to freeze I would remove the noodles. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
I’m making this for dinner tonite. My family and I have loved each and every recipe of yours that I’ve made
Regarding this recipe, I cannot see where I’m to add the 1/2 cup of the chopped cilantro. I’m probably completely overlooking it, but I can’t find it.
Please help ?
Looking forward to enjoying another fabulous “HMH” meal tonite.
Hey Debbie,
Thanks so much! The cilantro is used in step 5. I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
I used cubed chicken breast and puréed butternut squash. Family loved it, have repeated the recipe 3 times!
Hey Ana,
Awesome! I am thrilled this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for making it! xTieghan
I doubled the dry ingredients and replaced the butternut squash with a chopped red bell pepper and one whole bok choy (and omitted the spinach). I also only used one can of coconut milk after reading through the reviews , but doubled the peanut butter, fish sauce and coconut aminos (which I subbed in for soy sauce). I liked the thickness of the sauce, but next time I will cut back on the coconut aminos because it was a bit too salty. Overall a yummy and versatile dish!
Hey Jess,
I am delighted that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it! xxTieghan
Adventures of trying to make my favorite recipes (I def. own your cookbooks and frequent your website) into keto ?. I subbed pumpkin (lower carb) in for the squash and ate mine over spiraled zucchini. You have such wonderful flavors that I can’t abandon your recipes. My family would also be highly disappointed. Now to avoid nibbling on your chai icing cinnamon rolls. Impossible!
Delicious! Next time, I’d add salt to the meat for the meatballs or more soy sauce…. Easy to make and loaded with flavor.
Hey there,
Fantastic!! I am thrilled that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it! Happy Friday:) xTieghan