Thai Chicken Meatballs with Zucchini Noodles
Try this Thai Chicken Meatballs with Zucchini Noodles recipe, or contribute your own.
Try this Thai Chicken Meatballs with Zucchini Noodles recipe, or contribute your own.
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 2 tablespoons chia seeds
- for the glaze:
- 1 tablespoon sriracha sauce
- 1 pound ground chicken breast
- juice of 1/2 lime
- 3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
- 3 garlic cloves grated or finely minced
- 11/2 teaspoons peeled and grated fresh ginger
- 3 scallions whites and light green parts only, finely chopped
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves finely chopped
- 11/2 teaspoons low-sodium soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons dark sesame oil
- 3 medium zucchinis (this makes 3 servings with 3 meatballs
- Carbohydrate 105.018606757222 g
- Cholesterol 130.029812733333 mg
- Fat 21.2987800925057 g
- Fiber 32.451823185554 g
- Protein 41.8525007451547 g
- Saturated Fat 4.61513381010702 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (1227g)
- Sodium 1377.5968896956 mg
- Sugar 72.5667835716685 g
- Trans Fat 3.00623153822233 g
- Calories 617 calories
Step-by-step
- Put all the ingredients for the meatballs in a medium bowl. Using your hands, mix all the ingredients until well combined. (This is a little gross, but also kinda fun.) Cover and refrigerate the meatball mixture for 30 minutes to allow the chia seeds to work their gelling magic.
- Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- With damp hands, very gently roll heaping tablespoons of the chicken mixture into balls. (Try not to squeeze the meat too much, dudes. It will make the meatballs tough.) Arrange them on the prepared baking sheet, making sure they’re not touching. You should have approximately 18 balls.
- Transfer the meatballs to the preheated oven and bake for 10 minutes. Turn the meatballs over and bake for another 10 minutes until lightly browned and cooked through.
- While meatballs cook, spiralize the zucchinis with Blade D and trim the noodles.
- In a large skillet, whisk together the ingredients for the glaze. Bring it to a boil over medium-high heat and cook for about 1 minute until it thickens slightly. Add the meatballs to the pan and shake gently to coat them with the glaze. Set the meatballs aside and add in the zucchini noodles. Cook until al dente, about 5 minutes. Divide the zucchini into three plates and top with 3 meatballs per plate. Freeze the rest of the meatballs for future use.
Ground chicken breast lacks the high fat content of beef or pork, which means it requires structural assistance to hold shape and retain moisture during baking at 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Chia seeds fulfill this structural role by absorbing liquid and forming a viscous gel during the mandatory 30-minute refrigeration window. Handle the chilled mixture with damp hands, rolling the portions gently without compacting them to avoid a dense texture. Baking the formed spheres for 10 minutes per side produces an exterior crust while keeping the interior tender.
Accompaniments and Texture Management
Pairing these glazed meatballs with spiralized zucchini noodles requires careful moisture management, as raw zucchini releases significant water when heated. Cook the noodles briefly for about 5 minutes until just al dente in the same skillet used for the glaze reduction. Dried ginger and bottled lime juice work in a pinch when fresh produce is unavailable, though fresh roots and fruits yield a brighter aroma due to volatile oils that degrade during preservation. Serve the assembled dish immediately to prevent the zucchini from softening past its ideal bite.
- Meatballs turning out tough: Reduce handling pressure during the rolling phase and ensure the chicken is not over-baked past the 20-minute total threshold.
- Zucchini releasing excess liquid: Salt the spiralized noodles 15 minutes before cooking and blot them dry with paper towels to draw out surplus water.
- Glaze burning too quickly: Lower the heat under the skillet during reduction, as honey and sriracha contain sugars that caramelize rapidly.
