Juicy flavourful chicken meatballs in a creamy red Thai curry sauce. The sauce is packed fully of flavour, with a nice kick of heat.
It’s easy to make it into a mild curry too – see my suggestions in the notes section.
The way that the slightly sweet, creamy and tangy sauce coats the juicy meatballs and absorbs into the rice is so mouthwatering. I love a curry where you can adjust the spice level because sometimes I feel like having a milder curry with no heat at all!
While it does take a little bit longer to prep meatballs (rather than using chunks of meat), the method is quite simple and the flavour will have you hooked! 😋
📋 Ingredients
Meatballs
Thai Chilli – I love a little kick in my curries, so I use a red Thai chilli in this recipe, but if you like less spice, you can use a Fresno or Serrano chilli or just leave the chilli out.
Curry Sauce
Thai Red Curry Paste – I like the Blue Dragon Red Thai curry paste for a bit of a spicy kick. If you’re looking form something with less heat, Waitrose (own brand) do a nice red Thai curry paste that’s mild in heat, but still very flavourful.
Coconut Milk – Use full-fat coconut milk – so it doesn’t split during the cooking process (as can sometimes happen with low fat).
Thai Basil – Thai basil is a variety of basil I love adding to curries. It has a very unique flavour profile which is more peppery with hints of mint and aniseed and is more spicy than sweet. You can usually find it in larger supermarkets with the other fresh herbs.
📺 Watch how to make it
***Full recipe with detailed steps in the recipe card at the end of this post***
- Start off by mixing all the meatball ingredients together in a large bowl with your hands before covering and refrigerating. Then, take it out of the fridge and roll it into walnut-sized meatballs.
- Cook the meatballs in a large frying pan until browned, then move them over to one side of the pan.
- On the other side of the pan, add the sauce ingredients and stir together until the meatballs are coated.
- Simmer for a few minutes to thicken, and that’s it! Serve over rice and top with coriander (cilantro), chopped chillies and a wedge of lime.
Pro Tip
The meatball mixture is quite sticky, so I like to coat my hands in a little oil when I’m forming the meatballs. If you do this, then mixture won’t stick to your hands and fill form into neat meatballs.
Personally, my favourite way to serve this is with a large portion of coconut rice and a handsome drizzle of sweet chilli sauce!
Pin this now to find it later
Pin It🍽️ What to serve it with
- I love it with coconut rice or Boiled Rice.
- A large drizzle of Sweet Chilli Sauce adds a brilliant sweet and spicy kick.
- I don’t want to leave any of that creamy, aromatic sauce behind so a Homemade Flatbread is a great way to mop it all up!
That sauce is an absolute show stopper and an amazing weeknight dinner!
🍲 More fantastic Thai-inspired recipes
Yes! you can make this curry, then cool, cover and refrigerate for up to two days. Reheat in a pan until piping hot throughout. You might need to add a splash of water to loosen the sauce when reheating.
Yes, any leftovers of this curry can be cooled, covered and frozen. Then defrost overnight in the refrigerator and reheat in a pan (stirring often) or microwave until piping hot throughout. You might need to add a splash of water to loosen the sauce when reheating.
I often use Blue Dragon Red Thai curry paste, which is a little on the spicy side (Thai-brands of red Thai pastes are usually fairly hot too).
If I want a milder red Thai curry that the kids will enjoy, I use Waitrose own brand of Thai red curry paste. It’s still got a good flavour, but is actually quite mild.
If you don’t want to use a Thai curry paste, a mild Indian paste (such as Korma paste) will also work well.
You can leave the chopped Thai chilli out of the meatballs too.
Coconut Milk – The coconut milk is quite important for a more authentic Thai flavour, but you can replace the coconut milk with 250ml (about 1 cup) of chicken stock and 150ml (about 1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp) of double(heavy) cream.
You may need to thicken the sauce slightly with a cornstarch slurry made of 2 tbsp cornflour/cornstarch, mixed with 5 tbsp of cold water. Stir it in slowly to the hot curry before serving – until you achieve the desired thickness.
Lemongrass Paste – Swap out the lemongrass paste for one lemongrass stalk. Remove the outer leaves and chop very finely.
If you can’t find lemongrass stalks, add 2 tsp lemon zest instead. It’s not quite the same, but it will add a nice citrussy flavour that comes pretty close.
You can double up to serve a crowd or halve to serve a few, as long as you stick to the same ingredient ratios. If you are doubling up, you may have to cook the meatballs in two batches.
Stay updated with new recipes!
Subscribe to the newsletter to hear when I post a new recipe. I’m also on YouTube (new videos every week) and Instagram (behind-the-scenes stories & beautiful food photos).
Chicken Meatball Curry
Ingredients
Chicken Meatballs:
- 500 g (1lb 2oz) minced (ground) chicken
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 1 medium egg
- 5 tbsp panko breadcrumbs
- 2 garlic cloves peeled and minced
- 1 tsp minced ginger
- 2 tsp lemongrass paste
- 1 red Thai chilli finely chopped (or for less heat use a Fresno or serrano chilli or leave out)
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp white pepper
- 2 tbsp finely chopped coriander (cilantro)
Sauce:
- 1 tbsp oil
- 2 garlic cloves peeled and minced
- 1 tsp minced ginger
- 1 chicken stock cube crumbled
- 4 tbsp red Thai curry paste
- 400 ml (14oz) tin full fat coconut milk
- 2 tsp fish sauce
- 1 tbsp light brown sugar
- 10 Thai basil leaves torn in half
- 1 tbsp fresh lime juice approx. the juice from half a lime
To Serve:
- boiled/steamed rice or coconut rice
- fresh Thai basil leaves and/or fresh coriander (cilantro) I like a bit of both
- thinly sliced Thai chillies only use if you like it HOT
- lime wedges
Instructions
- Place all the meatball ingredients into a large bowl and mix together with your hands. Place in the refrigerator for 20 minutes to allow the panko to absorb some of the moisture – as this is quite a sticky mixture. If you're putting in the fridge for more than 20-30 mins (make it up to one day ahead), cover the bowl with clingfilm too).500 g (1lb 2oz) minced (ground) chicken, 1 tbsp sesame oil, 1 medium egg, 5 tbsp panko breadcrumbs, 2 garlic cloves, 1 tsp minced ginger, 2 tsp lemongrass paste, 1 red Thai chilli, ¼ tsp salt, ¼ tsp white pepper, 2 tbsp finely chopped coriander (cilantro)
- Remove the mixture from the fridge and form the mixture into walnut-size meatballs – you should get about 20-22 meatballs. The mixture will still be fairly sticky, so I like to oil my hands first as this helps to prevent the mixture from sticking to hands.
- Heat the oil in a large frying pan (skillet) over a medium–high heat. Add the meatballs and brown on all sides – this should take 6–8 minutes.1 tbsp oil
- Move the meatballs to one side of the pan and add the garlic, ginger, crumbled stock cube and curry paste to the space in the pan. Cook, whilst stirring, for one minute.2 garlic cloves, 1 tsp minced ginger, 1 chicken stock cube, 4 tbsp red Thai curry paste
- Pour in the coconut milk, then add the fish sauce, sugar, Thai basil leaves and lime juice.400 ml (14oz) tin full fat coconut milk, 2 tsp fish sauce, 1 tbsp light brown sugar, 10 Thai basil leaves, 1 tbsp fresh lime juice
- Stir together to coat the meatballs, turn down the heat and simmer for 5-6 minutes, until the sauce thickens slightly.
- Serve with rice and top with Thai basil leaves or fresh coriander, sliced chillies and lime wedges.boiled/steamed rice or coconut rice, fresh Thai basil leaves and/or fresh coriander (cilantro), thinly sliced Thai chillies, lime wedges
Video
Notes
Can I make this curry ahead?
Yes! you can make this curry, then cool, cover and refrigerate for up to two days. Reheat in a pan until piping hot throughout. You might need to add a splash of water to loosen the sauce when reheating.Can I freeze this curry?
Yes, any leftovers of this curry can be cooled, covered and frozen. Then defrost overnight in the refrigerator and reheat in a pan (stirring often) or microwave until piping hot throughout. You might need to add a splash of water to loosen the sauce when reheating.How to make this a mild curry
I often use Blue Dragon Red Thai curry paste, which is a little on the spicy side (Thai-brands of red Thai pastes usually are fairly hot too). If I want a milder red Thai curry that the kids will enjoy, I use Waitrose own brand of Thai red curry paste. It’s still got a good flavour but is actually quite mild. If you don’t want to use a Thai curry paste, a mild Indian paste (such as Korma paste) will also work well.You can leave the chopped Thai chilli out of the meatballs too.
Can I swap out the coconut milk?
The coconut milk is quite important for a more authentic Thai flavour, but you can replace the coconut milk with 250ml (about 1 cup) of chicken stock and 150ml (about 1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp) of double(heavy) cream.You may need to thicken the sauce slightly with a cornstarch slurry made of 2 tbsp cornflour/cornstarch, mixed with 5 tbsp of cold water. Stir it in slowly to the hot curry before serving – until you achieve the desired thickness.
I can’t find lemongrass paste
Swap out the lemongrass paste for one lemongrass stalk. Remove the outer leaves and chop very finely. If you can’t find lemongrass stalks, add 2 tsp lemon zest instead. It’s not quite the same, but it will add a nice citrussy flavour that comes pretty close.How to scale up and down this recipe:
You can double up to serve a crowd or halve to serve a few, as long as you stick to the same ingredient ratios. If you are doubling up, you may have to cook the meatballs in two batches. Nutritional information is per serving NOT including rice and toppings.Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links – which means if you buy the product I get a small commission (at no extra cost to you). If you do buy, then thank you! That’s what helps us to keep Kitchen Sanctuary running. The nutritional information provided is approximate and can vary depending on several factors. For more information please see our Terms & Conditions.
I just made this, its absolutely BANGING!!! so glad l made enough for the freezer.