Thai Chicken Meatballs are a versatile recipe perfect for an appetizer with dipping sauces, on rice (or zucchini noodle) pasta, in soups and sandwiches. Loaded with familiar Thai flavors of cilantro, basil, ginger, garlic, lemongrass and more, the recipe is simple and easy to make. These made with a quick trick for homemade gluten-free breadcrumbs too!
This post is sponsored as part of Boulder Locavore’s ongoing partnership with Udi’s Gluten Free. All opinions are my own.
At this time of year having versatile recipes that can be used in multiple ways is always welcome in my kitchen. Thai Chicken Meatballs are a great example of that. This simple recipe is packed with familiar Thai food flavors and are perfect for many dishes.
Thai Chicken Meatballs are great to serve as cocktail meatballs with a wonderful tangy sweet-spicy dipping sauce (I’ll be sharing my favorite). They can be added to your favorite pasta or zucchini noodles (‘zoodles’). Drop them in a delicious homemade chicken soup recipe or let them star in sandwiches (as in the case of these Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken Meatball Mini Sandwiches) on a dinner roll, hot dog bun or regular bread. The sky is the limit!
Meatballs always need a binding agent which is usually breadcrumbs. This can be tricky for those gluten-free but it’s super easy to make homemade breadcrumbs with either gluten-free or gluten bread. For these meatballs I used one of my favorite gluten-free breads, Udi’s Gluten Free White Sandwich Bread. It has a flavor that works wonderfully in all recipes.
How To Make Homemade Breadcrumbs Fast!
There are multiple ways to make homemade bread crumbs. Stale bread can be used and processed through a mini chopper or food processor to the desired size breadcrumb. We generally gobble up all our Udi’s Gluten Free bread (sometimes I save the heels in the freezer and then make crumbs from them later) so my usual method includes toasting fresh bread, processing it in to crumbs then flash broiling it to ensure it’s fully toasted and dry. Here are the details of how to make homemade breadcrumbs. For these meatballs I processed the crumbs twice to ensure they were very fine as shown in the photo above.
A Quick Recipe Prep Trick
As I was making this recipe it struck me that I’m a lazy food prepper. I have had a mini chopper for years (in fact I’m on my second one) and I use it for everything I can. If you aren’t familiar with them they are like a mini food processor and are great for smaller tasks. Anything I need to chop or dice I put in the mini chopper versus doing it by hand; and again it’s perfect for making these breadcrumbs. For a recipe like Thai Chicken Meatballs, with all ingredients being combined in the end, there is no reason to even clean it out between ingredients. It saves a huge amount of time!
These Thai Chicken Meatballs are light but full of flavor. Cilantro, basil, lemongrass, lime, Thai curry, and more. They are not spicy on their own making a slightly spicy dipping sauce a perfect partner when serving them as an appetizer.
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How to Make Thai Chicken Meatballs:
Ingredients
- 2 pounds ground Chicken
- 1 cup Gluten-Free Breadcrumbs made with Udi's Gluten-Free White Sandwich Bread (4-5 slices)
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh Cilantro
- 1/3 cup chopped fresh Basil
- 4 Scallions diced (white and green portions)
- 2 Garlic Cloves diced
- 2 inch piece fresh Ginger Root peeled and diced
- 1 tablespoon Lemongrass Powder
- 2 tablespoons Lime Juice
- 1/2 teaspoon Kosher Salt
- 1 tablespoon Fish Sauce
- 1 tablespoon Thai Red Curry Paste
Suggested Dipping Sauces:
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Fit a large (17 inch by 13-inch) rimmed baking sheet with foil (dull side up) and a cooling rack sprayed with non-stick spray. Note: recipe may be adapted to use a smaller baking sheet/rack combination.
- In a large bowl combine all ingredients. Work together with hands until all ingredients are incorporated (be sure to wash hands afterwards). Scoop heaping tablespoon and roll between the palms of your hands into balls. Place on the prepared rack leaving space between all the meatballs.
- Cook for 20-25 minutes, until the internal temperature of the meatballs registers 165 degrees with an instant read thermometer. Allow to rest for a few minutes before serving.
amanda goodenough says
I love meatballs. these look like a great option and I love the Buddha stickers
Stacie says
These would be devoured in no time at my house. I have to get a mini chopper. I’m all about saving time.
Tara says
These meatballs look scrumptious. I will have to make your sweet-spicy dipping sauce to go with them.
Kiwi says
This sounds so delicious. I would like to try these on a bun and the dipping sauce.
reesa says
Oh these look like a great game day appetizer! I need to give this one a try, your recipes are always a hit!
Carol Cassara says
Thai meatballs? That sounds amazing, I already love Thai flavors so this is something that I’d love to try. It’s awesome that you got a gluten free bread for the recipe too.
Hali says
Sounds delicious, and your photos are great too! Never tried making bread crumbs before, we just skip the bread crumbs but love this.
Jocelyn @ Hip Mama's Place says
My boys love meatballs and it would be nice to make this for them. I can’t believe you found a way to make it gluten free! Thanks for the recipe!
Crystal says
Those sound ahh-mazing! My daughter is my meatball master. She’s always a great helper in the kitchen, but especially when it’s making meatballs. She’s going to love making these with DIY breadcrumbs for a few extra minutes in the kitchen.
Kristi says
YUM! My family would love these!!!
krystal says
MMMM yum! I have never made chicken meatballs before but you have inspired me. A fun party appetizer.