While lots of purists would scoff at the idea of using Thai curry pastes from the supermarket, I think they’re one of the most brilliant ingredients. They add a huge flavour punch from a little jar that sits in the pantry waiting patiently for you to use it. Just keep an eye out for curry pastes that aren’t loaded with sugar. There’s a big difference between the different brands in my supermarket so it’s worth while having a little comparison next time you’re shopping.
Thai Chicken Balls
Ingredients
- 450 g ground (minced) chicken (1lb)
- 2-3 tablespoons Thai red curry paste
- 2 makurt lime leaves or zest of 1 lime
- 1-2 limes to serve
- 1 bunch each mint and coriander (cilantro) to serve
Instructions
- Combine chicken mince, curry paste and lime leaves or zest in a medium bowl. Roll the mixture into golf ball sized balls.
- Heat a little oil in a large frying pan. Cook chicken balls on a medium heat for 3-5 minutes each side, or until well browned and just cooked through.
- Serve hot chicken balls with herbs and fresh lime on the side.
Variations
pantry-friendly – serve with steamed frozen veg + roast cashews. lime = rice vinegar. skip lime leaves or use frozen.
no thai curry paste – Substitute 2-3 teaspoons curry powder. Or try to make your own.
vegetarian / vegan – whizz drained firm tofu or chickpeas in the food processor until smooth. Add curry paste and lime leaves or zest and continue as per the recipe.
more substantial (carb lovers) – serve with steamed rice or cooked rice noodles.
more substantial (low carb) – serve with cashews and/or avocado.
more veg – serve on a bed of raw grated caulflower (cauliflower rice). You might like to add chopped raw green beans, red capsicum (bell peppers) or shelled peas to your chicken mince. You could also add salad leaves or bean sprouts to the side salad.
different curry paste – thai green or yellow curry pastes would be lovely. Also consider any Indian curry pastes (and change the name accordingly).
pescetarian – use chopped salmon or white fish fillets for amazing Thai fish cakes.
Waste Avoidance Strategy
minced (ground) chicken – freeze it.
Thai red curry paste – keep it in the pantry.
kaffir lime leaves – I keep mine in a ziplock bag in the freezer.
lime – will keep in a plastic bag in the fridge for months.
mint and coriander (cilantro) – best to use for another meal. leaves can be frozen but will wilt when defrosted so not ideal.
Add to my Old Favourite Recipes
This was really good. I ended up with Thai chicken patties. The ground chicken was a little too fine, I think. Still tasted great!
Glad you enjoyed Diane!
Tried it with firm tofu. Not bad! But I’d like advice on how to drain it better. Mine came out pretty oily. (& tasty all the same)
I just pat it dry with paper towel Ginna. If it was oily draining the cooked balls on paper towel will help.
Glad it was tasty!
Made these for dinner last night and definitely enjoyed them. Since I had to grind my own chicken, I ended up putting the lime zest and curry paste in the food processor with the chicken after it was mostly ground. That saved on clean-up. I should have used up my red curry paste, but didn’t because I didn’t want to overdo it – but they could have used more flavor. I’m thinking that using chicken thighs would also have made them more flavorful.
Glad you enjoyed Susan! Thighs would definitely be more flavoursome. Next time you can make a sauce with any leftover curry paste by mixing it with a little oil and lime or lemon juice and serving it on the side if you need extra flavour 🙂
I’m having a super yummy if weird looking lunch based on this recipe. I tried it with tofu. It formed balls, but they fell apart when I tried turning them to brown a second side. So I’ve got curry seasoned scrambled tofu over my salad of mint, cucumber, lettuce and red onion.
ooh that sounds good! Ilove ugly food Murphy 🙂
Although next time if you want the tofu to stick together roasting in a hot oven so you don’t need to turn them would help
Jx
Could I spread the mix of curry paste and lime zest on bone in chicken thighs and put them in the oven? That’s what I have.
Absolutely Anita! Just be careful the curry paste doesn’t start to burn (some have quite a bit of sugar). Be prepared to cover with foil if they’re browning too quickly
Hi Jules, could this work with lemon or herbs instead of spices? want to make it child friendly. thanks
Absolutely Hannah!
Hi Jules- would this be good with lamb or minced beef? I don’t have ground chicken on hand. I do have chicken breasts. Thank you.
Yes it would be lovely with red meat Rachel – you might like to add a little more curry paste though.
Or you could use finely chopped chicken breast (or mince it in the food processor)
I made these tonight for hubby, but used Thai curry GREEN paste (instead of red), as that’s what I had in the fridge, and I wanted to use it up. I went with the lime zest option too, as it was far cheaper than the leaves. The mixture made 18 small balls. Hubby ate about half of them, and we popped the rest in the fridge for his lunch tomorrow (he could have easily eaten them all though – he really enjoyed them!).
I paired the chicken balls with some steamed zucchini noodles and uncut beans. Served with a big dollop of plain Greek yoghurt on the side, some torn fresh mint and coriander scattered on top, and a drizzle of lime juice squeezed over everything.
Big thumbs up from hubby 🙂
Wonderful Sarah!
And thanks for the reminder.. I haven’t made these in ages and need to remedy that soon!
Jx
Could these be baked as well?
Absolutely Jenny!
I’d try 20 minutes at 200C (400F) but they may not take that long 🙂
Jx
Is the red curry paste spicy? Just wondering how it would go over with my little one. 🙂
Yes they tend to have a bit of heat Jenna
When I’m making something with curry paste I made a really really dilute version for Fergal and then add the regular amount for our dinner.
So far he’s liked it… but I do worry about burning his sensitive taste buds!
Jx
I just read recently that little kids often like spicy things early on but later don’t like them as much (at least for a while). It made me think it’s good for the really little ones to try spicy things early. My 7 yo is the one who objects, so I’m late with him, but I’m going to work on my 8 month old now. 🙂
interesting jenna!
Look forward to hearing how your experiment goes
Jx
Agree with all comments, my idea of a perfect meal.
Glad you liked them Matilda!
OMG Jules! These chicken balls are amazeballs! Thank you! x
Amazeballs… love it!
Thanks Larina
Thai Chicken Balls – awesome!!!!
Great Kitty!