Meatballs are my comfort-food go-to, and I am forever creating new sauces that keep things interesting. You might think that my favorite thing about this recipe is the nightshade-free curry sauce, and it’s up there, but what I really love is the broiled chicken meatballs. They take all the fuss out of standing over the stove browning them in batches, and chicken meatballs are notoriously hard to handle. These are packed with fresh ginger, garlic and cilantro, then finished in a sweet coconut milk sauce spiced with turmeric, ginger, cinnamon and just a touch of clove for a warm, fragrant curry that comes together in moments.

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How this Chicken Curry Meatball recipe fits AIP, Paleo and Whole30

These chicken curry meatballs are egg-free and gluten-free, using tapioca starch as my go-to binder to keep the meatballs bouncy and tender. The curry sauce is dairy-free thanks to coconut milk and gets its warm, fragrant flavor from coriander, turmeric, ginger, cinnamon, and clove. As written, the recipe is suitable for Paleo, Whole30, and AIP Modified, which allows seed spices like coriander. If you’re following AIP Core, simply omit the coriander. The remaining spices still give the curry plenty of flavor.

At-a-glance ingredient compatibility

AIP CORE: Omit the coriander
AIP MODIFIED: Fully compatible
PALEO: Fully compatible
WHOLE30: Fully compatible

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To make the chicken meatballs, whisk together the tapioca starch with ginger, garlic and cilantro and add a few splashes of water to create a slurry, then mix the slurry into the meat. Ground chicken is already very wet, and adding more moisture might seem like a bad decision, but turning the tapioca starch into an activated slurry will ensure that it combines evenly through the chicken without leaving clumps of sticky tapioca. I also recommend grating both the garlic and the fresh ginger. Minced garlic and ginger might not have enough time to soften fully in the oven, since these cook very quickly. Grating them also disperses the flavor throughout the meatballs more evenly.

Portion the mixture into two heaping teaspoons meatballs, around one-and-a-quarter inches in diameter. The mixture will be very sticky and wet, so coating your hands with a few drops of olive oil or avocado oil before diving in will help. Arrange them in a single layer on a prepared baking sheet. I used a low-broil setting on my oven, and you can see that the parchment paper is a risky idea, but I tend to use it anyway. Aluminum foil or a bare pan is a better choice. Aim for around two dozen meatballs; you may have more or less. Then, set the pan on a rack close to the broiler, using a low-broil setting if it you have it, for around 10 minutes, or until the meatballs reach 165°, which you can measure with a meat thermometer.

While the meatballs cook, start working on the curry sauce. Warm olive oil or avocado oil in a pan over low heat and add the spices, warming them until they become fragrant, just about 30 seconds to a minute, being careful to not burn them. Then, add the coconut milk and whisk until the spices are combined. Raise the heat to medium and bring the sauce to a simmer.

When the sauce has thickened a bit, add the cooked meatballs to the sauce to coat.

Cook’s Note

The consistency of the sauce will depend on the coconut milk you use. Brands made with thickeners like guar gum will produce a richer, thicker sauce. If you’re using a protocol-compliant coconut milk without stabilizers or thickeners, you may want to add a little arrowroot to tighten it up. Make a slurry with one and a half teaspoons of arrowroot and two tablespoons of additional cold coconut milk, whisk until smooth, then stir it into the sauce and cook briefly until thickened. For an even thicker sauce, you can increase the arrowroot to two teaspoons.

To serve, spoon the chicken curry meatballs and plenty of sauce over cauliflower rice, then finish each bowl with fresh cilantro, sliced cucumber, and lime wedges. Don’t skip the lime—a generous squeeze over each bowl just before eating adds the acidity the rich coconut curry needs and really wakes up all those warm spices.

If you love these Chicken Curry Meatballs, try one of these egg-free, gluten-free meatball recipes next.

Lamb Meatballs with Tahini Sauce
Gluten-Free Swedish Meatballs
Gluten-Free Wonton Soup

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Chicken Curry Meatball FAQ

Yes. You can make the entire dish ahead of time and store the chicken meatballs right in the curry sauce in the refrigerator for several days. They reheat beautifully in the sauce. If you’re planning to freeze them, I recommend making the meatballs in bulk, baking them, and freezing them without the sauce. The curry sauce comes together in moments, so you can make it fresh and warm the frozen meatballs right in the sauce before serving.

Absolutely. I’ve made these meatballs many times with ground turkey and they work just as well. I prefer a less-lean turkey blend for especially juicy, tender meatballs, but use what you have on hand.

Most prepared curry spice blends contain chiles such as cayenne or paprika, which are nightshades because they’re derived from peppers. Fortunately, those aren’t the predominant flavors in most curry blends. Instead, we can build a warm, fragrant curry around turmeric, ginger, cinnamon, and clove. If seed spices are on the menu, coriander or cumin can add another layer of traditional curry flavor. Leaving out the chiles—as well as tomato paste or tomato sauce—gives us a nightshade-free yellow curry with plenty of the flavor and warmth you expect from a traditional curry.

Cauliflower rice is a terrific grain-free option that brings even more vegetables to the meal while soaking up all that coconut curry sauce. For something a little heartier, try the meatballs with roasted or baked sweet potato. If grains are on the menu but gluten is not, serve them over white or brown rice instead. They’re also terrific tucked into lettuce wraps with sliced cucumber, fresh cilantro, and a generous squeeze of lime.

Ingredients

For the Chicken Meatballs

3 tbsp tapioca starch
1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro, plus additional for garnish
3/4 tsp grated garlic, from about 2 small cloves
3/4 tsp grated fresh ginger, from about a 1-inch piece
2 tsp kosher salt
2 tbsp water or chicken stock
2 lb ground chicken

For the Curry Sauce

1 tbsp olive oil or avocado oil
Pinch ground clove
1/16 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground coriander, seed spice, optional
1/8 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground turmeric
2 tsp coconut aminos
1 tsp fish sauce
1 (15-oz) can full-fat coconut milk
Kosher salt, to taste

For Serving

Cauliflower rice
Fresh cilantro
Lime wedges

Instructions

Set an oven rack about 6 inches from the broiler and heat the broiler.
In a large bowl, combine the tapioca starch, cilantro, garlic, ginger, and salt. Whisk in the water or chicken stock to make a slurry, then add the ground chicken and mix until evenly combined.
Shape the mixture into 24 to 28 meatballs, about 1½ inches in diameter, and arrange on a prepared baking sheet. Broil for 7 to 10 minutes, until lightly browned and cooked through to an internal temperature of 165°.
Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the clove, cinnamon, coriander, garlic powder, onion powder, ginger, and turmeric and cook, stirring constantly, for 30 seconds to 1 minute, until fragrant, to bloom the spices.
Whisk in the coconut milk, coconut aminos, and fish sauce and bring to a gentle simmer. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes, until the sauce begins to thicken, then season with salt to taste.
Add the cooked meatballs to the curry sauce and gently toss to coat.
Serve the meatballs and sauce over cauliflower rice with fresh cilantro and lime wedges. Squeeze the lime generously over each bowl just before eating.

Notes

For a thicker sauce, whisk 1½ to 2 teaspoons of arrowroot with 1 to 2 tablespoons of cold coconut milk or chicken stock to make a slurry, then stir into the simmering sauce until thickened.

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: AIP, AIP Modified, Paleo, Whole30

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