These immensely flavorful Thai chicken meatballs are perfect snacks when you have friends over for casual chit chat or when you want to make a fancy quick bite for your family! These are so good that they will keep your soul mesmerized for a very long time!
Thai food is our favorite among all the Oriental cuisines and that’s the very reason you will find ample number of Thai recipes in our blog! The perfect balance of sweet, salt, tart and spiciness is incredibly maintained in all Thai dishes!
The same goes with these Thai chicken meatballs! These meatballs are crazily addictive thanks to their perfect flavors which will make you fall in love with them instantly!
I had shared my Thai chicken cakes recipe with sweet & spicy mango chutney long back and it was immensely loved by all! To bring in a twist this time, I served these Thai chicken meatballs with a spicy dipping sauce.
This dipping sauce can also be whipped up easily in the kitchen – just take a spicy red hot sauce of your choice and balance it with sweetness, tanginess & a dash of fish sauce for that earthy depth of flavor.
What are Thai chicken meatballs?
Chicken meatball is a globally popular dish and is loved by almost everyone thanks to its delicate texture and melt-in-mouth deliciousness!
A meatball is nothing but a tender & juicy edible ball made of minced chicken. When the minced chicken is flavored with Thai aromatics, you have Thai chicken meatballs and these turn out to be unbelievably delicious & supremely addictive!
The typical Thai ingredients that transform the humble chicken mince into these mouthwatering meatballs are fish sauce, fresh coriander (aka cilantro) and panko breadcrumbs. You can also add very finely chopped lemongrass stalks which is another authentic Thai ingredient.
These Thai chicken meatballs are best served with spicy dipping sauce as it complements the mild taste of the chicken. I used our favorite Schezwan sauce as the base of this spicy dipping sauce and balanced it with sugar, lemon juice and fish sauce.
Ingredients for Thai chicken meatballs
If you are a Thai food lover just like me, I am sure you already have all the ingredients handy!
Chicken thighs: I always recommend using chicken thighs for most of the chicken recipes I make and this one is also no exception. Get boneless & skinless chicken thighs, cut them into small cubes and mince in the grinder. That’s the best chicken mince you can ever get your hands on!
Aromatics: The must have aromatics for any chicken recipe are undoubtedly garlic and ginger. You will need both – minced garlic and grated ginger or paste of both.
Green or red chilli: Thai food is known to be spicy! Add as many or as few hot & spicy fresh green or red chillies as you like!
Egg: Egg does the double duty – it softens the chicken so that you have a tender meatball and also binds the mixture together so that they don’t fall apart while frying.
Fish sauce: This is a very authentic Thai ingredient and is a must if you want to recreate authentic Thai flavor at your home. Word of caution: Don’t try to smell the bottle of fish sauce! But trust me, it enhances the taste incredibly!
Fresh coriander leaves: Thai food uses a lot of fresh herbs and especially coriander. For best results, use the coriander stalks also along with leaves as stalks have more flavor than leaves. Just finely chop them and they will mingle with chicken mince mixture.
Panko breadcrumbs: Panko is a traditional Japanese breadcrumb and widely used in Thai cooking. I love this type of breadcrumbs over the traditional one as it has insane crispiness. You may replace this with regular breadcrumbs but the final result will be somewhat different.
Seasoning: Season your meatballs perfectly with the right amount of salt and freshly crushed black pepper.
Vegetable oil: Use any flavorless vegetable oil for frying the meatballs. Canola or sunflower oil works best.
Schezwan sauce: This is my most favorite spicy sauce and it pairs best with these succulent Thai chicken meatballs. But beware that this is very hot & spicy which is balanced with remaining ingredients that are listed below.
Fish sauce: Gives the right amount of saltiness and a depth of flavor. Also makes it more authentic Thai!
Brown sugar: Again balances the spiciness of Schezwan sauce. If you don’t have brown sugar handy, feel free to use regular white sugar but a little less in quantity as it is sweeter than brown sugar.
Lemon: Finally, to round up the spiciness, saltiness and sweetness, drizzle juice of one lemon on the sauce and make it the perfect companion of these delectable Thai chicken meatballs!
How to make Thai chicken meatballs?
Like most of my recipes, this recipe of Thai chicken meatballs is also a very easy and quick recipe! Let’s check out the step by step process.
Step 1: Take the chicken mince in a bowl and add all the ingredients to it – salt, pepper, minced garlic, ginger paste, egg, chopped coriander leaves, fish sauce and panko breadcrumbs.
Step 2: Now using a spatula, mix all ingredients thoroughly to make a homogeneous dough like mixture. Make sure all ingredients are evenly distributed, so take your time at this stage.
Step 3: Cover and leave the chicken mince mixture for 30 minutes on your kitchen counter allowing the flavors to develop.
Step 4: While the chicken is resting, prepare your dipping sauce by whisking all sauce ingredients in a bowl – Schezwan sauce, fish sauce, brown sugar, and juice of one lemon. Set it aside until serving time.
Step 5: Now you are ready to roll the meatballs. Damp your palms with a tiny amount of oil, take one tablespoon of chicken mince mixture into your palm and roll it out into a ball as shown in the video. Prepare all the meatballs before starting to fry them.
Step 6: Heat oil in a shallow frying pan. Once the oil is hot, reduce the flame to low and drop the meatballs carefully arranging them in a single layer. Do not overcrowd the pan.
Step 7: Fry the chicken meatballs on low for 6 to 8 minutes until they are golden brown. Then flip them over and fry for another 5 minutes.
Step 8: Once the chicken meatballs are golden brown on all sides, take them out using a slotted spoon and place on a plate lined with absorbent kitchen paper to absorb the excess oil.
Step 9: Your Thai chicken meatballs are ready! Serve them warm with the spicy dipping sauce.
Other delicious Thai recipes from Flavor Quotient
- Chicken thighs – 300 gms, boneless & skinless, minced in a food processor
- Salt - ½ tsp
- Black pepper - ½ tsp
- Minced garlic - 2 tbsp
- Ginger paste – 2 tsp
- Green or red chilli – 2 to 3, finely chopped
- Egg - 1
- Fresh coriander leaves – 1 cup, finely chopped
- Fish sauce – 2 tbsp
- Panko breadcrumbs - 1 cup
- Vegetable oil for shallow frying
- Schezwan sauce: ¼ cup
- Fish sauce - 1 tbsp
- Brown sugar - 2 tbsp
- Juice of one lemon
- Take the chicken mince in a bowl and add all the ingredients to it - salt, pepper, minced garlic, ginger paste, egg, coriander leaves, fish sauce and panko breadcrumbs.
- Now using a spatula, mix all ingredients thoroughly to make a homogeneous dough like mixture. Make sure all ingredients are evenly distributed, so take your time at this stage.
- Cover and leave the chicken mince mixture for 30 minutes on your kitchen counter allowing the flavors to develop.
- While the chicken is resting, prepare your dipping sauce by whisking all sauce ingredients in a bowl - Schezwan sauce, fish sauce, brown sugar, and juice of one lemon. Set it aside until serving time.
- Now you are ready to roll the meatballs. Damp your palms with a tiny amount of oil, take one tablespoon of chicken mince mixture into your palm and roll it out into a ball as shown in the video. Prepare all the meatballs before starting to fry them.
- Heat oil in a shallow frying pan. Once the oil is hot, reduce the flame to low and drop the meatballs carefully arranging them in a single layer. Do not overcrowd the pan.
- Fry the chicken meatballs on low for 6 to 8 minutes until they are golden brown. Then flip them over and fry for another 5 minutes.
- Once the chicken meatballs are golden brown on all sides, take them out using a slotted spoon and place on a plate lined with absorbent kitchen paper to absorb the excess oil.
- Your Thai chicken meatballs are ready! Serve them warm with the spicy dipping sauce. Enjoy!
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