Chicken Meatball Curry

 

I really liked this chicken meatball curry! It’s not entirely unlike the turkey coconut curry meatballs I made recently, but if I had to choose between the two, I think I would pick this one. There’s zucchini in the meatballs, and I added an extra red bell pepper to the dish. As a matter of fact, I used the turkey meatball recipe to change this one a bit: I doubled the quantities for the meatballs and baked them in the oven instead of cooking them in a pan, but I left the amount of liquid in the sauce the same, and I really liked the results. I recommend the oven method because not only is it much more hands-off and easier to clean up, but since the meatballs were very soft, I suspect that some would fall apart if cooked in a pan, so this way is less frustrating.

The quantities below are what I used in order to have leftovers for a second night (a total of 40 meatballs). I served this with steamed carrots and cilantro-garlic Right Rice.

2 lbs. ground chicken
1 cup shredded zucchini (about 1 medium)
4 green onions, chopped
2 large shallots, chopped, divided
2 Tbsp. grated ginger, divided
3 cloves garlic, grated, divided
¼ tsp. cayenne pepper
black pepper
1 Tbsp. tamari/soy sauce
3 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil, divided (see note below)
2 red bell peppers, sliced (I chopped mine)
2 Tbsp. lactose-free butter
1-3 Tbsp. Thai red curry paste
1 (14-oz.) can of coconut milk
3 Tbsp. tamari/soy sauce
¼ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
basil and limes, for serving

Put the chicken, zucchini, green onions, 1 shallot, 1 tablespoon ginger, 2 garlic cloves, cayenne, a pinch of pepper, and 1 tablespoon tamari/soy sauce in a bowl. Mix to combine. Coat your hands with oil (I didn’t, I just used my small scoop), and roll the meat into tablespoon-size balls (I got 40 meatballs).

Heat a large skillet with sides over medium-high heat. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and the meatballs. Sear until crisp, 4-5 minutes, turning them 2-3 times. Move to a plate. (I did this in the oven instead: Line a baking sheet with tin foil and spray with oil. Bake for 25 minutes at 350 °F.)

To the same skillet, add the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil, 1 shallot, 1 garlic clove, 1 tablespoon of ginger, the bell peppers, butter, and curry paste. Cook until fragrant, 2 minutes. Stir in the coconut milk and 3 tablespoons of tamari or soy sauce. Slide the meatballs into the curry sauce. Simmer over medium heat until the meatballs are cooked through, 5 minutes. Stir in the cilantro.

Serve the meatballs and sauce over rice with a squeeze of fresh lime, some fresh basil, and/or green onions.