When Tony and I first met he ate completely different than he does now. He was into red meat, burgers, fried food, Papa John’s pizza, tater tots and anything that was cheap and easy.
He’s learned a lot through cooking with me and being exposed to a variety of healthy foods that he never really included in his diet before, such as: avocados, grain free tortillas, more whole grains, grain free granola, salmon, spinach, pears, cherries, tahini, almond butter, dark chocolate, cabbage, broccoli, squash, mangos, etc. I’m incredibly proud of how far he’s come when it come to his every day food choices.
The best part about inspiring someone to change their eating habits is that they generally FEEL better and are happier, too.
That’s exactly what I try to do here at Ambitious Kitchen: inspire you to live a healthy life that feels right for YOU.
When it comes to achieving a healthy lifestyle, we try and have a mindset that’s both approachable and attainable. We eat to feel good and nourish our bodies, but also eat for pleasure and experiences, knowing that food can bring people together and memories are often made around the table with people you love.
These ginger chicken meatballs are the most perfect combination of feel-good eating and nourishing. Plus, they’re absolutely delicious — what more could you want?!
What you’ll need to make ginger chicken meatballs
Because my husband is a big meat eater, I’m always experimenting with how to jazz up lean proteins like chicken, turkey or fish. That’s exactly where the inspiration for these ginger chicken meatballs came in. The meatballs are infused with herbs & spices and then simmered in a creamy Thai-inspired peanut sauce. YUM. Here’s what you’ll need to make them:
- For the meatballs: these ginger chicken meatballs are made with lean ground chicken (or sub ground turkey), an egg, panko breadcrumbs, green onion, cilantro, jalapeño, garlic, fresh ginger, cayenne, salt & pepper.
- For the peanut sauce: you’ll simmer the meatballs in a delicious sauce made from light coconut milk (from the can), creamy natural peanut butter, gluten free soy sauce and a little chili paste or sriracha for a kick of heat.
- Veggies: this one pan meal is also packing in plenty of veggies like carrots, red bell pepper and peas.
- Top it off: make this meal extra special by topping it with honey roasted peanuts, scallions, more fresh cilantro and a little hot sauce.
Simple ingredient swaps & tips
Low or out of a few of the ingredients in these ginger chicken meatballs? Here’s what I suggest for swaps:
- You can use either ground chicken or ground turkey. Do not use extra lean or the meatballs will be dry. I recommend using right around 93% lean for best results.
- Feel free to switch up the veggies based on what you have in your fridge. Spinach or broccoli would be a delicious add-in, and so would edamame!
- To keep this recipe gluten free, you can also use coconut flour in place of the breadcrumbs. See below for instructions!
How to make ginger chicken meatballs without breadcrumbs
To keep this recipe gluten free (or if you don’t have any breadcrumbs) you can simply use 2-3 tablespoons of coconut flour in the meatball mixture. I recommend starting with 2 tablespoons and adding from there if needed to shape the meatballs. Two tablespoons always seems to be enough though. If you don’t want to use coconut flour, then I suggest gluten free breadcrumbs.
Can I use a different nut butter?
While the sauce will work texture-wise with almond or cashew butter, I’d highly recommend sticking with a good peanut butter that has lots of flavor and salt so that you maintain that rich, peanutty flavor. The dish will likely be a bit bland with almond or cashew butter.
Prep these meatballs ahead of time
These flavorful ginger chicken meatballs can easily be prepped ahead of time!
- Mix and form the meatballs as directed in the recipe.
- Place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, and then tightly cover the meatballs with plastic wrap.
- Put the meatballs in the fridge until you are ready to cook them. You can prep these meatballs up to one, or even two days ahead of time.
- Once ready to cook, simply follow the recipe as-written.
Freezer-friendly ginger chicken meatballs
Bake first, then freeze: simply place your meatballs and peanut sauce in a freezer safe, airtight container or bag and freeze it all for up to 3 months. When you’re ready to enjoy, let your container of meatballs + sauce thaw in the refrigerator for a few hours or overnight, and then empty the contents into a pan on the stovetop. Heat them in your pan until they’re nice and warm, and then serve!
Freeze before baking: you can also freeze these meatballs before cooking them! Form your meatballs as instructed, place them on a baking sheet, and put them in the freezer for 1-2 hours. This is called a flash freeze. Then, transfer your frozen meatballs to an airtight, freezer-friendly bag or container and place in the freezer for up to 3 months. To thaw them, simply place them in the refrigerator for a few hours or overnight and then cook them in the peanut sauce as directed in the recipe.
What to serve with ginger chicken meatballs
Serve them with any of the following to soak up all the extra sauce:
- Brown rice or forbidden rice (aka black rice)
- Quinoa
- Sweet potato noodles or zucchini noodles
- Rice or ramen noodles
- Cauliflower rice
- Or some garlic naan!
More healthy meatball recipes to try
Creamy Tomato Orzo Soup with Mini Turkey Meatballs
Firecracker Chicken Meatballs with Cilantro Coconut Pineapple Rice
Sheet Pan Zucchini Chicken Meatballs with Coconut Curry Sauce
Paleo Turmeric Chicken Meatballs with Green Tahini Sauce
Turkey Meatballs in Spicy Tomato Basil Sauce with Burrata
I hope you love these incredible one pan ginger chicken meatballs with peanut sauce! If you make them be sure to leave a comment and a rating so I know how you liked them. Enjoy, xo!
One Pan Ginger Chicken Meatballs with Peanut Sauce
Incredible one pan ginger chicken meatballs with a Thai inspired peanut sauce. This easy weeknight dinner is loaded with veggies & protein and is perfect for meal prep! Serve with brown rice, cauliflower rice, quinoa, or your favorite spiralized veggie noodles.
Ingredients
- For the meatballs:
- 1 pound 93% lean ground chicken (or lean ground turkey)
- 1 egg
- ½ cup panko breadcrumbs (or if GF sub 2 tablespoons coconut flour)
- 1/4 cup finely chopped green onion
- ¼ cup finely diced cilantro
- 1 jalapeño, seeded and finely diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil (can also use avocado oil, coconut oil or olive oil)
- For the peanut sauce:
- 1 (15 ounce) can light coconut milk
- 1/2 cup creamy natural peanut butter (just peanuts + salt)
- 2 tablespoons gluten free soy sauce (or coconut aminos)
- 1 tablespoon chili paste or sriracha
- Add-ins:
- 2 large carrots, thinly sliced
- 1 red bell pepper, julienned
- 2/3 cup frozen peas (or edamame)
- To garnish:
- Chopped honey roasted peanuts
- Diced scallions
- Fresh cilantro
- Hot sauce, if desired
Instructions
-
In a large bowl, add the ground chicken, egg, breadcrumbs, green onion, cilantro, jalapeño, garlic, ginger, cayenne, salt and pepper. Use clean hands to mix and form into 16 golf ball sized meatballs.
-
Place a large deep skillet over medium-high heat and add in sesame oil. Add the meatballs and brown on all sides, about 5-6 minutes total. You may need to do this in batches, depending on how many meatballs you can fit in your skillet without overcrowding them. When meatballs are done browning, transfer to a plate and set aside.
-
Reduce the heat to medium-low and add in the coconut milk, peanut butter, soy sauce and chili paste to the same skillet. Whisk together until well combined. Add in carrots, then add the meatballs back in and bring to a simmer. Cover the pan, reduce heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes.
-
After 15 minutes, remove lid and gently stir in the peas and red bell pepper. Simmer for 5 more minutes uncovered. Serve with brown rice, quinoa or with spiralized zucchini or sweet potato. There will be lots of sauce, which makes it delicious! Garnish with chopped honey-roasted peanuts, scallions, cilantro. Serves 4.
Recipe Notes
How to bake then freeze: place your meatballs and peanut sauce in a freezer safe, airtight container or bag and freeze it all for up to 3 months. When you’re ready to enjoy, let your container of meatballs + sauce thaw in the refrigerator for a few hours or overnight, and then empty the contents into a pan on the stovetop. Heat them in your pan until they’re nice and warm, and then serve!
How to freeze before baking: form your meatballs as instructed, place them on a baking sheet, and put them in the freezer for 1-2 hours. Then, transfer your frozen meatballs to an airtight, freezer-friendly bag or container and place in the freezer for up to 3 months. To thaw them, simply place them in the refrigerator for a few hours or overnight and then cook them in the peanut sauce as directed in the recipe.
Nutrition
Recipe by: Monique Volz of Ambitious Kitchen | Photography by: Eat Love Eat
429 comments
I am always looking for an excuse to put peanut butter in something. I have never seen Asian inspired meatballs before and am definitely going to have to try them out!
SAME. Always. You’ll love these!
Hi!! What could I sub for the egg? Thanks!
I would recommend a flaxegg!
Hi!! What could I sub for the egg? Thanks!
I would recommend a flaxegg!
My mouth is watering watching the video. I am for sure going to put this on next weeks menu. Just was wondering what size Le Creuset pan you were using? I am ion the hunt for a good universal size and also think it would work perfect for all the one pot meals of yours that my bae and I enjoy. Thanks.
I have the LeCreuset pan she used. It is a covered casserole pan….One of my most used!
These meatballs sound so flavorful and I love that there is a gluten free option! I’m dying to make this peanut sauce too!
So much flavor in here. Hope you get a chance to try them!
These meatballs sound so flavorful and I love that there is a gluten free option! I’m dying to make this peanut sauce too!
So much flavor in here. Hope you get a chance to try them!
I made this for my husband’s birthday dinner tonight. It was a huge hit! It will be in the regular rotation. The meatballs are fantastic! Thanks so much!
Amazing!! So happy to hear that. Happy birthday to your husband!
Hello. This one is in my meal plans for today. I bet it is going to taste as good as it looks here on your images. At first, I had an impression that the recipe is a bit difficult, but we all have made meatballs in the past so here are some clever tips and tricks added and the taste is a hundred times better (hopefully). Thank you for the recipe.
It might look tricky but it’s actually easy! Check out the how-to video, too 🙂
Made this last night but didn’t have all the ingredients for the meatballs so I subbed chicken breast cut into meatball-size pieces and it was delicious, will definitely be making this again!
Perfect! A yummy stir fry 🙂
I used the peanut butter I had on hand – Adams all natural – crunchy. I think this is what caused my sauce to separate … I see the oil in bottom of pan and the sauce isn’t silky (as it usually would be if I made a peanut sauce). thoughts?
It’s most likely because your pan was too hot when you added all the ingredients. I haven’t had this happen to me, but sounds like it wasn’t emulsified enough.
I made this for our weekly lunche meal prep (I doubled the recipe for both my husband and I… it made 8 meals) and I was actually sad that we weren’t eating it for dinner tonight!!! I can’t WAIT to eat lunch tomorrow!!! This tastes AMAZING!! Thank you!!!
LOVE this for meal prep. Glad you guys did too!!
Absolutely incredible! Made these tonight for dinner. Me and my husband were blown away with how good it taste. My two year old and 1 year old loved them too. Thanks for sharing!!
Absolutely incredible! Made these tonight for dinner. Me and my husband were blown away with how good it taste. My two year old and 1 year old loved them too. Thanks for sharing!!
So happy to hear that Emmaleigh! Such a great weeknight dinner.
My boyfriend cannot consume coconut. Do you have any suggestions as a coconut milk replacement?
Cashew milk would be good but likely less creamy.
My boyfriend cannot consume coconut. Do you have any suggestions as a coconut milk replacement?
Cashew milk would be good but likely less creamy.
That looks delicious! Comfort food recipes will always find a way to me eventually, I love trying new things. I love easy dinner recipes, especially when they turn out to be something my whole family loves!. This one also looks tasty,This is literally one of the most delicious things I have made! thank you for the sharing a great recipe!!
https://www.puro.pk/
Comfort foods are the best! Glad you loved this one 🙂
Followed your recipe to the letter for dinner last night. Everyone complimented the chef. Thank you for a deliciousnew favorite to add the family recipe box.
So happy to hear that Molly!
I made these for my boyfriend, he loves brownies, and loves being healthy. I was super skeptical at first because brownies are sacred food and they should stay just as they are, and black bean avocado brownies just dont sound appetizing. But oh my gosh are these delicious, I made a second batch just for myself. Highly recommend this recipe, not even just as a healthy alternative, but just as a normal go to brownie recipe.
Oh my gosh. This dish was absolutely delicious! I cut back on the spice, but the flavor did not suffer. Our guests loved it and asked for the recipe. I will make this again and double amounts. Three meatballs/person was not enough! I served it with chicken potstickers, which really complimented the dish. No need for rice or any other side.
Happy to hear that everyone loved it! Sounds like you’ll need a double batch next time 🙂
Made your receipe so delicious😘 i am in Australia on Weight Watchers was blown away when I calculated the points. Have to save to when I have list my weight.
Glad you enjoyed!!
Made your receipe so delicious😘 i am in Australia on Weight Watchers was blown away when I calculated the points. Have to save to when I have list my weight.
Glad you enjoyed!!
Yum! So much yum. And it makes good leftovers for lunch. Will definitely make again.
Absolutely! Best leftovers 🙂
YUM!! Thanks for sharing – made this last night and the whole family loved. I doubled the recipe and have plenty of leftover sauce – can it be frozen?
YUM!! Thanks for sharing – made this last night and the whole family loved. I doubled the recipe and have plenty of leftover sauce – can it be frozen?
So happy to hear that! I haven’t tried to freeze the sauce, but I imagine it would work.
Delicious!! My stove runs hot (Verona, aka my temperamental Italian boyfriend) so it was a little thicker than it should have been. Added some homemade stock to compensate. I thought the texture of the meatballs was kind of weird. A little mushy? Maybe too much panko? I’m not sure but what I CAN tell you is my sweetie requested I keep this in rotation. I used almond butter due to allergies, and served it on rainbow quinoa, but next time maybe on sweet potato! Delicious, thanks for sharing it.
I’m not sure how meatballs would get mushy? They are very moist thanks to being simmered in sauce, so maybe that was it. Glad your sweetie loved it.
How do you think this would be with ground beef?
How do you think this would be with ground beef?
That will work well! I would just not use a super lean ground beef as the texture can get a little bit tough.
I made this dish tonight for dinner. My picky son just loved it as well as the rest of the family. I made the meatball mixture a day ahead using a 50/50 mix of ground beef and chicken. Instead of peas I added thinly sliced carrots and onions along with the bell pepper. We had it over white rice but next time I’m going to serve it over rice noodles. Thank you for this easy delicious dish.
I made this dish tonight for dinner. My picky son just loved it as well as the rest of the family. I made the meatball mixture a day ahead using a 50/50 mix of ground beef and chicken. Instead of peas I added thinly sliced carrots and onions along with the bell pepper. We had it over white rice but next time I’m going to serve it over rice noodles. Thank you for this easy delicious dish.
Amazing! So happy to hear that. Great additions, too 🙂
Beautiful, tasty recipe! Next time I think I’ll add a teaspoon of Chinese five spice powder to the meatballs, as they were a little bit bland. Overall wonderful!
Glad you enjoyed! Sorry to hear you found the meatballs bland – I always find them super flavorful with all of the spices. But adding your own is the perfect option!
Hi Dear your all recipes are awesome I try at home good simple tasty recipes.
Thanks for sharing these recipes. you are my favorite chef.
Hi! Thank you so much!
Hi Monique,
Just discovered your web site and made your chicken soup last night, really good! This chicken meatball recipe looks fabulous, will make it tomorrow night. Just thought I would mention that I will be using organic peanut butter since peanuts are extremely high in pesticides. I always use organic chicken as well.
Hi Gail! Glad you loved the chicken soup 🙂 Feel free to use organic peanut butter in this. Enjoy!
Anyone tried these in a slow cooker and had success? Would love to have these cooking during work!
These look awesome, but my husband is allergic to nuts! Any ideas for a substitute sauce that might be good? Maybe I could come up with some kind of ginger-soy something…
Yes I was wondering the same thing
I’m sorry, I have only made this as is! Let us know if you come up with something yummy and nut free.
I haven’t made this yet, but I would imagine that miso might be a good substitute for peanut butter?
Omg, this completely changed how I think about meatballs! I had just done more traditional turkey meatballs and pasta with marinara for meal prep last week so I was worried it might be a bit similar, but it’s not at all, such an interesting flavor. I mean, I love coconut and I love peanut butter so pretty hard to steer wrong there. Thanks for another great recipe!
So glad you found these ones! They’re a great alternative to traditional ones with marinara 🙂
New family favorite. I buy ground chicken, prep it for meatballs and store in the freezer. Pull out and defrost to form meatballs, prep the sauce while they are cooking, as well as the rice. Dinner on the table in no time. Sublime flavors and tummy warming. Love this recipe. Thank you
Perfect!! So happy to hear that.
ooh this sounds smart. I’m always a fan of dividing up cooking tasks so when you actually want to cook it’s ready in no time. How do you freeze the meatball mixture? Cling wrap? And then defrost in fridge overnight and make the sauce in separate pan?
Very, very good. My 1-year-old enthusiastically ate it up (we won’t talk about my picky older two…). I added extra peppers to get them out of the fridge and there was still plenty of sauce. I threw in a bit of brown sugar too. Reminded me of pad thai from one of my favorite restaurants. 5 stars!
Love it! Glad these were kiddo-approved (even for one of the kiddos 🙂 ).
Love this recipe ! How many WW smartpoints would it be on the blue plan?
I’m not familiar with WW so I’m not sure – sorry!
The combination and well balanced ingredients is this dish look great, I will be making this soon with black rice.
I am wondering to ensure the meatball do not dry out to increase the fat content to 80- 85 via bacon fat or pork?
Also for the sauce, would be redundant to add some garlic and ginger in there as well or would this take the recipe of its main course, [could not resist the pun 😉 ] .
I’ve found that the meatballs stay nice and juicy even with 93% lean ground turkey, but feel free to use another ground meat that you like! And feel free to add in some garlic & ginger, too, if you like 🙂
I LOVE all of your recipes (especially your love for asian flavors!) but found this one to contain too much peanut butter. It seemed to be a bit thick and overpowering. Won’t stop me from cooking your recipes but this one wasn’t my favorite.
Interesting! I wonder if it might be the type of peanut butter you used? The all-natural kind that’s “drippy” is usually pretty mild in recipes like this one. Hope you find some new ones that you love!
I agree with you on the too much peanut butter. The meatballs are delicious, but the sauce thickened up and was too overwhelmingly peanut butter flavored and off putting for me. I took the meatballs out of the sauce and just ate those that were lightly covered and ended up discarding the rest of the sauce. I like peanut butter but this could have been halved. I used all natural peanut butter too and stirred it up to make it drippy before using it.
Sorry to hear you didn’t love it, Christine! Thanks for sharing your thoughts 🙂
This was so delicious!!
I usually dislike the taste of chicken meatballs but these were a game changer!! This will definitely become my go to recipe for minced chicken!
Love it!! The sauce and all of the spices really make it 🙂 You can also use ground turkey if you like.
While eating this meal over cauliflower rice, my 4yr old declared that this dinner was the best part of his day. 🙌🏻And watching him gobble it up was the highlight of mine!! So delicious and a real crowd pleaser at my house. Thank you, Monique!
Amazing!! So happy to hear that Emma 🙂
Made this the other night for my bestie, it was delish! Added a bit more chilli sauce as she likes food hot and spicy. Yummy
Amazing!! So happy to hear that.
omg omg omg!! You are a legit genius! I made this and its so so good!!! I’m obsessed with Thai food so this really hit the spot! Plus hubby loved it!
Love all your recipes, you are such an inspiration in my kitchen!
Amazing!! So happy to hear that Nicole 🙂
Any whole30 recommendations? TIA 🙂
Great question! I’d suggest clicking the “Paleo” tab under recipes and adjusting any as needed to fit whole30 🙂
What do you think about ground ginger powder in place of the grated ginger? Our local grocery store was out of fresh ginger.
We had this for dinner tonight. I couldn’t find fresh ginger, so substituted 1/2 tsp of ginger powder for the grated ginger. It was pretty good, even I (not a big fan of peanut butter) enjoyed it.
Great! Glad you enjoyed 🙂
Can I cook Meatballs in oven??
Sure! You can bake them (without the sauce) at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes.
my toddler and I loved this recipe! it tastes so good!!
thanks
So happy to hear that!
It’s okay, worth the effort but not worthy of the 4.9 rating at the time I’m cooked it.
Sorry to hear that, Paul! This is one of my most popular dinner recipes, but everyone’s taste preference is different.
Made this for the 2nd time tonight and loved loved loved it! So simple and adaptable. I was craving some extra veggies so added zucchini, broccoli, bok choy, and lacinato kale—really easy to toss them in and let steam for an extra few minutes at the end. Thanks for the inspiration! It’s officially in the rotation 🙂
Amazing! Love those veggie additions – this one is perfect for customizing. Glad you liked this one, Caroline!
Made this last night and it was so incredibly good and the husband basically licked the bowl clean, haha! It was flavorful without being spicy and all the steps were really easy to follow. Thank you so much for sharing!!
Amazing! Glad you both enjoyed 🙂 Thanks for your note, Larissa!
Dear Monique
These meatballs were amazing!!!! OMG 😮!!! My two teens and husband couldn’t get enough! Good thing I doubled the recipe! I used ground turkey, doubled the carrots, and cut the peanut butter in half. My mother tried it today and she is demanding the recipe! I just found you on Instagram and I am so glad I did!!
Hi Nadia! So happy you found AK and this recipe! One of my fav one pan dinners 🙂 Hope you find some more delicious recipes for the whole family here.
Absolutely loved these meatballs! I will be keeping this recipe to make over and over again. I next plan to serve them at a family (30 people) appie afternoon and I know they will be a hit with young and old. Thanks so much for sharing your wonderful recipes with all of us!
So happy to hear that! I hope everyone loves these 🙂
Made these last night with ground turkey and they were delicious. Because I don’t like spicy food I omitted the jalapeño. I also omitted the chili paste from the sauce and used about 1/2 tsp of chili power instead – but the sauce was still a little more peanut buttery than I’d like without heat to dilute it. Any suggestions for the sauce for those who don’t like spice? Next time I’ll try less peanut butter and I wondered about using some Thai red curry paste instead of the chili?
You could reduce to 1/3 cup peanut butter, but since these are meatballs in a peanut sauce, peanut butter is a huge part of what makes the recipe flavorful and peanut buttery 🙂 reducing the peanut butter is your best bet! I wouldn’t really worry about the heat component.
Made this for dinner tonight – delicious! I used almond milk instead of coconut milk, and used coconut flour instead of bread crumbs. Would definitely make again! Thank you !
Perfect! Glad you enjoyed!
This recipe is delicious! I used ground turkey and was a little worried that the turkey flavour would come through too much. I was wrong! The flavour of the meatball was wonderful, and the sauce was a perfect compliment. Will definitely be making this again!
Perfect! So happy you loved this one!
The whole family loved it! I used almond butter instead of peanut butter because a couple of my kids have peanut allergies. Deliciously different than the standard chicken breasts we usually have.
Amazing! So happy to hear that.
This was absolutely delicious! My husband and I loved it and will definitely add this to our “favorite” meal list.
Love it! One of my favs, too.
This was delicious! My husband and I absolutely loved it. I used half beef and half pork as I usually do with meatballs and it was perfect. Lived all the flavors. Make sure to take the seeds out of the jalepeno (my hubby was al…but babe I want it spicy. Well came out a bit too spicy lmao). So good you guys dont hesitate to make. Easily customizable with what you have on hand as well.
Love that! Yes, I recommend de-seeding the jalapeño if you’re a bit sensitive to spice 🙂 glad you two enjoyed!
This recipe was so amazing and delicious! We ended up using jiffy peanut butter because it was on hand and it gave the sauce a really strong peanut butter flavor. We added more sriracha and coconut aminos to cut the flavor which helped. We also added a tad more ginger because we love the ginger flavor. We just can’t get over how delicious the meatballs were!
Perfect! Such a great dinner. Glad you enjoyed!
I love this recipe. Could you make the meatballs ahead and put them in the fridge or freezer?
Absolutely! Glad you love this one!
This is fabulous!!!! I served mine over steamed cauliflower, and made Thai noodles for the kids. Delicious. I used ground chicken and followed the recipe.
Perfect! Sounds delicious 🙂
Just made them tonight and….. holy crap. Wowowow. I see why they were on your best of 2019 list. My husband and are obsessed. Next time I’ll definitely make in a bigger pan as my cast iron was bursting at the seems (not that I minded…. still so good). We made with turkey and the GF substitute and it was out of this world!
Love it!! So happy you both enjoyed!
Tasty meal but felt the sauce was a little bland. Think next time we will try putting the garlic and ginger in the sauce instead of the meatballs!
Sorry to hear that! I find the sauce to be quite flavorful, especially with the bites of meatball. Feel free to add some garlic and ginger in there, too, if you’d like!
Excellent recipe. I made it with ground turkey and subbed 1/2 tsp crushed red chilies for jalapeno. We will enjoy this again!
Perfect! Glad you enjoyed!
This is one of my favorite recipes. The sauce is amazing! I’m thinking about other things can cook with it. Ive made it for my husband, and I’ve brought it to parties and everyone loves it! I even had a friend ask me to make it for her as a gift during the holidays instead of a traditional gift haha!
So happy to hear that! One of my favorite dinners, too 🙂
I ADORE this recipe! I’ve made it a few times and have subbed different meat based on what I have. I also like to add spinach and usually add fresh ginger and garlic to the peanut sauce. So easy to customize based on what veggies are in the fridge! Great to eat throughout the week too!
Amazing! So happy to hear that.
This was great. I used light coconut milk instead of regular but otherwise made the recipe as written. The meatballs were excellent and the peanut sauce was really tasty. I had the following in small bowls for people to add in themselves: chopped carrots, bell pepper, peanuts, cilantro and peas. Served with brown rice. Overall, it was a hit!
Perfect! Love the idea of doing DIY add-ins, too 🙂 yum!
Amazing!! One of my favorite dinners now! Made it once with chicken and once with turkey (both times using coconut flour instead of breadcrumbs) and both were so good!! The meatballs are super tender and flavorful, and the coconut peanut sauce is sooooo good
Perfect! So happy you love these!
I’ve been wanting to try this recipe for months, but my boyfriend has been so hesitant and he was never interested. After reading your blurb about how your husband’s food habits have changed, slowly but surely, I was inspired and decided to go for it! Easily the best meatballs I’ve ever had (and I’m italian…) and the sauce is SO dreamy and yummy! My boyfriend took one bite, looked at me, and said it was the best meal he’s ever had. THANK YOU!!! Adding this to the regular rotation, and excited to try more of your meatball recipes!!!
Amazing!! So happy you two gave this one a try 🙂 it’s one of our favorites, too!
This was an extremely flavorful dish! We followed the recipe exactly but also added spinach and mushrooms. We will definitely be making this dish again! Very good as leftovers as well!
Perfect! Great idea to add spinach and mushrooms. Glad you guys enjoyed!
These were delicious! The recipe was easy to follow, there was so much flavor and we love that ambitiouskitchens recipes are healthier than the average recipes we see! We will be making these again soon!
Absolutely! I’m glad you loved this one!
So good. So good. So f%#king good!
My fav!! So happy you loved it 🙂
This looks good. Could I put regular milk or almond milk instead of coconut milk for the sauce? It’s the only thing I don’t have.
You could try it but I wouldn’t recommend, sorry!
This was a very easy, quick and tasty meal. I prepared as written except to double everything because I have two teenage boys. This was a welcome change to our usual beef/pork meatball recipes.
The perfect dinner! I hope they loved it!
One of my favourite AK dinner recipes! I make this all the time.
I’m so glad! It’s one of mine, too 🙂
I made this tonight for my husband and I and it was so delicious that he was licking the pan after dinner! I was intimidated at first by all of the ingredients but it was super easy to make! I could only find 99% lean ground chicken and it did come out a little dry so next time I’ll be sure to make with 93%. Thanks for a great recipe!
Holy buckets this is outstanding! We made it with beef because that’s what we had and served it over brown rice. I also didn’t have a jalapeño so threw a bunch of red pepper flakes into the meatballs and the heat is super nice. Ohmygoshhhhh I could eat this all day every day.
I am not usually a recipe commenter but this was SO good. I subbed in broccoli instead of using peas. I added the broccoli into my pan after the carrots and meatballs had been simmering covered for about 12 mins, re-covered for the remaining 3 then added the red pepper and cooked uncovered for the remaining 5 mins – broccoli was cooked through perfectly! I served with zoodles that I just heated for a couple of minutes in a bit of olive oil in a separate pan. I also didn’t include cilantro due to personal preference and the meatballs were still fantastic. Only other difference is that I used full fat coconut milk because it’s what I had. If you’re thinking about making this recipe – do it!
Perfect! This one’s great for customizing 🙂 glad you loved it!
I’ve made this countless times but tonight I didn’t have coconut milk so subbed unsweetened plain almond milk and it was as delicious as ever (just in case anyone was wondering!)
I’m glad that worked out well! One of my favs 🙂
I just made this for the fourth time and it is one of mine and my family’s FAVORITE recipes! I just can’t get over how amazing all the flavors taste together and I get so excited to make it. Thank you thank you!
So happy to hear that! One of my fav dinner recipes 🙂
So delicious. Everyone loved these meatballs. And the sauce! The sauce can make anything super yummy. I made a couple of changes only because I didn’t have the ingredients (life during a pandemic!) – instead of jalapeño I used a few shakes of crushed red pepper, instead of peas I used fresh spinach, and I didn’t have any green onions at all. Oh, I used chili paste in the sauce. Every single recipe from Ambitious Kitchen has been superb!
So glad everyone loves this! This recipe is great for customizing with what you have on-hand, too 🙂
Delicious recipe, feels like you’re being transported to another country… the flavours are incredible! I had it with wholewheat basmati rice and was the perfect dinner.
Absolutely! So glad you enjoyed 🙂
oh well this looks super delish! What are your thoughts on adding shredded zucchini to these meatballs to get in some extra veggies, as you did in zucchini chicken meatball recipe?
thanks!!
Fabulous idea! Just make sure you squeeze the zucchini of all excess moisture before adding to the meatball mixture 🙂
Tastes to me like something is missing from this recipe. The overall flavour of the meal is very mellow. It tastes like it needs a pop – maybe rice vinegar to brighten up the sauce, or perhaps something sweet to contrast the savoury flavour of the peanut butter, tamari and Coconut milk? Meatballs were very moist though! It also took much longer to make than the 1 hr time listed here.
Feel free to add whatever you’d like to help balance it to your preferences. The gingery meatballs and the savory peanut sauce were perfect to me, but maybe a little brown sugar in the sauce would be nice too. Glad you liked the meatballs 🙂
I am addict of peanut butter sauce, definitely gonna try this dish for dinner
Omg, this recipe is easy and phenomenal!! I cannot get over how delicious this meal was. My picky family gobbled it up! Thank you!!
So happy you loved it!
LOVED them! Just the right amount of spice with the sriracha and jalapeño My whole family loved them-said I need to make them again. That’s always the best – when I get that reaction 😊 thanks for another winner!!
These are SO GOOD and have become one of our fave recipes. The sauce is unreal! 10/10 recommend.
I love how you have simplified the overall recipe. Chicken meatballs are my absolute favorite after beef meatballs.
Absolutely! Glad you enjoyed 🙂
The meatballs were decent. That’s the one star. I felt i like I was eating peanut butter soap. Ohh Gosh it was so gross. I feel bad for all that food wasted.
Sorry to hear that! This one is meant to be full of peanut butter flavor so if you’re not a big fan of that I would not recommend it.
Delicious, easy, and healthy for a work night dinner – yes please! Sooooo much flavor and so creamy! Taste rich but healthy!
Absolutely! Glad you loved it!
Tasty and healthy – freezes well and works fantastically got leftovers so I do tend to d’où le up when I make it. The only tricky part can be getting the peanut butter to melt in with no lumps. Worth trying with cashew butter too (or a blend).
Absolutely! An all natural peanut butter (just peanuts + salt) should melt pretty well, in case you’re using one with some more ingredients.
This recipe is delicious and super easy. I used turkey for the meatballs, and will definitely make this dish again
I love this recipe! It’s one of the first recipes I made for my boyfriend and the reason we are together a year and half later. This is definitely my go-to recipe!
So happy to hear that! Love a good recipe story 🙂
Amazingly delicious!
Glad you enjoyed!
Delicious! The meatballs were really flavorful, and I opted out of the jalapenos. I ended up doing a flax egg instead of an actual egg and had GF panko breadcrumbs, and they held together well! I actually baked them for 25 minutes instead of fried them, which was great (although you probably miss out on the sesame flavor from the pan frying). I also added a bit more water to make it less creamy/thick (just a preference). Worked out great — super colorful and flavorful dish — I will definitely be making this again!
Perfect! I’m glad that worked out well 🙂 such a great dinner!
I made these with egg noodles and they were wonderful!!! So fresh and tasty!
Perfect! That sounds delicious!
Delicious! Omitted the peas because it’s not our thing and served it with a side of basmati rice. It was comforting like a stew but didn’t leave you feeling heavy. Definitely adding it to our dinner rotation!
Perfect! So glad it was a hit 🙂
Hello! Any chance this would work with falafel or eggplant “meat” balls?
I haven’t tried it, but let me know you do!
This recipe is incredible! I love the ginger flavor in the meatballs and the creamy peanut sauce. I used ground turkey for the meatballs, and served it with brown rice with a little coconut milk and soy sauce mixed in to the rice. I drizzled some sriracha on top along with the honey roasted peanuts and YUM! I’ll definitely be making it again! Plenty of leftovers for workweek lunches too 🙂 Thank you for this awesome recipe!
Amazing! So happy you loved this one!
i made this recipe over the weekend and it was soooo good! My hubby loved it too!!
thank you!
Amazing! So happy to hear that 🙂
I can’t believe how delicious and simple these were. I was able to prep the meatballs in the morning so making them that night was really quick and easy. I felt so fancy preparing these and they were a big hit with my husband. We made them over brown rice and the combo was great. We had plenty of leftover and they tasted just as great the next day. Definitely making this recipe again.
Love that prep idea! So glad they were a hit 🙂
We made this for dinner last night and it was so good! We definitely should have used a more natural peanut butter like the recipe says (all we had was regular old Jif), but it still turned out very tasty.
Perfect! I’m glad it still worked out well 🙂
Another one that you’ve knocked out of the park. The meatballs are so flavorful and so good! 100% will make again and again.
So glad you loved them!
This dish is wonderful! Healthy comfort food at it very best!
Absolutely! Glad you enjoyed 🙂
Super delicious! My husband isn’t a fan of coconut and he still liked it! Sauce was so creamy and delicious. Meatballs had SO much flavor. We put it over rice and edamame. Two thumbs up!
Love it! So happy to hear that 🙂
These are insane! My husband said he could eat them at least once a week and my super picky kids were asking for seconds!
Amazing! So happy to hear that!
So tasty! It’s in my regular rotation of dinners.
Love that!!
Amazing!! Took a complete trust fall and without ever making this recipe, we TRIPLED it and got 4 prepped meals for 2 people! (8 meals total – about 36 meatballs?) I’m drooling thinking about having this for lunch later.
Used almond milk instead of coconut (for my partner’s personal taste preference) and it turned out tasting great! Garnished with a wedge of lime 🙂 Thank you for another winning recipe!
Amazing! So glad you loved this one!
I’ve made these several times now and they are amazing! I use ground turkey mostly because it’s easier to find at the grocery store than ground chicken.
Perfect! Such a great dinner 🙂
Ok so the meatballs themselves turned out so juicy and flavorful! I only had full fat coconut milk so my sauce came out a little thick. But adding some water helped to thin it out. It didn’t end up that lovely red/brown color like in the recipe photos. (Kind of a grey brown color instead) but I guess as long as it tastes good (which it does) then I can look past that. There was just A LOT of ingredients in this recipe. I felt like I overestimated how much work went into this. I might make the meatballs with a different sauce next time to mix things up a bit because they really stood out here.
So glad you enjoyed! The color can really depend on your spices, peanut butter, etc. but taste is all that matters 🙂 If you’re crunched for time you can always make the meatballs ahead of time and freeze for a few months or keep in the fridge for a day or so!
I had the same sad brown sauce color and went right to the comments to see if anyone else mentioned it! It really reminded me of the Swedish Meatballs from IKEA haha. I was wondering if I should add turmeric or something to change the color but decided to stay the course. I found the sauce to be really rich and heavy, so I added some lime juice and rice vinegar to lighten it up. This was delicious, but the color was not appetizing.
Hi, Jess! Thanks for the feedback. I haven’t had mine turn brown like that; might depend on the brands of some of the ingredients used, but not sure. So glad it was tasty, though!
This recipe was delicious and super fun to make! Thank you!
Absolutely! Glad you enjoyed 🙂
Excellent recipe! Was an absolute hit with hubby who, while not a picky eater, isn’t terribly adventurous. I think the key was getting him to help make it. Will definitely again. Great wintertime meal. Easy to make with everything prepped in advance.
Love it! Perfect dinner for winter 🙂
Made these tonight and they are SO good! So much flavor and once you prep all the ingredients, it’s quick and easy. I’m curious, similar to your firecracker meatballs, do you think we could put Basmati Rice (3/4 cup) directly into the sauce to cook that way? I didn’t try it because I wasn’t sure if the PB would mess up the cooking of the rice, but I was curious if I could do that next time. Thank you for another amazing dinner 🙂
So glad you love this one! I think it could definitely work! 🙂 let me know if you give it a try.
Adding peanut butter to meatballs is always a win. My family loved this.
Agreed! Glad this one is a hit 🙂
Loved this recipe and have made it at least four times now. I even served it once as an appie for a buffet and put it all in the slow cooker to stay warm and it was hit with everyone. I used ground turkey but kept the recipe the same otherwise.
Thanks for sharing another great recipe. 🥰
Amazing! Love that idea!
This is a great week night recipe! Besides chopping the veggies and making the meatballs, not too labor intensive. End product was absolutely delicious with jasmine rice. The only thing I had to do differently was cook the red bell pepper for about 10-15 minutes instead of 5 minutes, otherwise it would have still been crunchy!
Perfect! Glad you enjoyed 🙂
This recipe is TOTALLY delicious!!! We all enjoy it so very much. It has just the right amount of spice, not too spicy. I wanted extra liquid since the sauce is so amazing so I added coconut unsweetened creamer at the end. I was out of sesame oil so cooked in olive oil and it was still fab. Served over riced cauliflower. Thank you! Ambitious Kitchen is the best.
Perfect! Such a great dinner!
Holy crap these are delicious!!! My family wants more “Asian meals” but I just don’t get excited about stir fry… so I came across this recipe and thought I’d give it a try. Minor mods: ground turkey instead of chicken, popped the meatballs in the air fryer (brushed them w/sesame oil to ensure they still picked up that flavor… yum) and added zucchini along with the carrots (no red peppers or edamame). AMAZINGLY GOOD. Highly recommended! Nuked a bag of TJ’s frozen brown rice and dinner was done!
Do you have any ideas of how to make this vegan? It sounds SO good, but I am mainly plant-based.
This recipe is amazing. I didn’t have the cilantro or the jalapeño. And I used a bit of yellow onion instead of the green onion (which I didn’t have). But it doesn’t matter for us. My family loves loves this dish! And the carrots, sliced thin, “melt” into the sauce. Oh my this is a WINNER!
This is an easy and super flavorful recipe! Yummy!
This is always my go to when I have ground chicken. The meatballs are awesome on their own but the peanut sauce is so good! I don’t usually have coconut milk so I sub almond milk and it works just as well, probably not as creamy. I usually serve it with brown rice or sometimes rice noodles.
Super flavourful meatballs!
We eat these at least once a month! I couldn’t NOT have these in the first few months after our latest baby came, so we actually prepped and froze them. It worked wonderfully and we heated them up in pan after thawing.
This recipe is so incredibly amazing!! Full of awesome flavor and definitely a great change up from a typical one-pan meal.
Delicious, Healthy and easy!
So fast and delicious!! My husband LOVES when I make this! We eat it over rice noodles which I highly recommend trying! I usually thin it out a bit more with coconut milk, but other than that it is perfection!
Really yummy. I’ve tried so many dinner dishes from Ambitious Kitchen and have yet to find one I don’t like. They are all really delicious and not difficult to make.
This recipe is one of my favorites! You rock, Monique!
So yummy! We had to substitute with sun butter due to a severe peanut allergy, but they were still so delicious (and this peanut loving mom imagines they are equally tasty with pb)!
This is a family favorite. I like that the veggies are easily adaptable to what we have on hand and I can dial up or down the spice for the little ones.
Wow. 5/5! I made this last week almost exactly as written (used edamame instead of peas) and it was delicious! Smelled incredible as I was cooking and tasted even better. Will definitely be making this again!
Super quick, easy dinner. The flavor of the sauce is AMAZING! I would maybe add some chicken broth to it next time to help thin it out and make it go even further. Also, my meatballs totally fell apart (I used ground turkey). Not sure if that’s because I was so impatient to eat the meal or what. But it ended up working out just fine–we had some meatballs, and some ground turkey with the sauce. Highly recommend!!
This was easy and delicious!
You cannot go wrong with this recipe. The flavors are amazing!! Kitchen smells amazing as you’re cooking, and leftovers reheat just as well! Will def be making this again!
Seriously delicious. I use cashew better because I have a mild peanut allergy. I serve mine with jasmine rice or chickpea rice. Even my husband, who is not the biggest fan of nutty flavors/asian inspired dishes loves this meal!
This is a favorite recipe for my family. I made it using coconut flour as recommended to make it gluten free, and I agree that 2 tbsp is perfect. I always serve over brown rice. Even my 3 and 5 year old love this recipe, so, needless to say, I make it every 2 weeks!
Perfect! Such a great dinner 🙂
If you are a peanut butter lover this recipe is perfect for you! We loved this and it has become a regular in our house.
Absolutely! Glad you love it!
This recipe has been a staple in my go-to recipe inventory for the past year and a half when I first found it! The peanut sauce is TO DIE FOR. I always tell people that if I had to choose my last meal on Earth this would be it! Everyone I make it for raves about it and are just as obsessed with it as I am. Makes great leftovers to continue enjoying throughout the week!
Amazing! I’m so glad!
One of my favorite recipes! So flavorful and easy.
The best! Glad you enjoyed 🙂
Like all of her recipes, this is a banger! Super easy and SO.MUCH.FLAVOR! I could easily make this once a week – my husband and kids really enjoy it.
So glad it was a hit!!
Yummy, fast and with most ingredients you have on hand love it
Absolutely! Perfect dinner.
I made this recipe for my parents who are not always the most adventurous eaters and even they loved it! Also I love anything that has a meatball in the recipe because you can add so much flavor to it. AK does it again with a great recipe.
Amazing! So happy to hear that!
Love this – one of my favourites from a long list on this website. It’s easy to mix it up with more veggies in the sauce but is really tasty as it is.
One of our favs, too! Glad you love it 🙂
Really yummy and even my kids 1, 6 and 8 liked! I went a little lighter on the spice
This recipe was a huge hit with my hubby and three girls. Followed the recipe to a T but left out the chili paste for the kids. I added some on top for mine and so did my hubby and it was perfect still.. Will make again very soon.
One of my favorite weeknight dinners! Amazing flavor, packed full of veggies, and ready in under an hour!
This was very tasty! I left out the jalapeño, because I didn’t have one, still had great flavor. It made great leftovers too.!
This is seriously my all time favorite recipe! I serve it with broccoli and quinoa and could eat it every, single. day.
Love this dish. It’s easy and colorful and delicious. I also love how you can throw in whatever veggies and make the sauce spicier if you want – which I always do. Every time I make this it’s a hit!
This was sooooo delicious and so easy to make! Will definitely be a staple recipe in our household.
Loved this recipe. The flavors blend so well together. So yummy!
So easy. Packed with great flavor. I happened to have all the ingredients on hand too! Served over pad Thai noodles. Absolutely delicious. Husband approved. Will make again very soon!
I don’t even know how many times I’ve made this recipe – always turns out amazing! Love this for my whole family, we usually have it with some jasmine rice (and hold the cilantro for me) thank you!!!!!
Made this multiple times… I love the nutty sauce! Makes the perfect comfort food on a weekday night. 🥰
Delicious!! My hubby loved the meatballs so much!
I love this meal, it’s become regular firm favourite in our house! So tasty!
LOVE this recipe! I usually leave out the jalapeño (can be a little hard to find in Singapore supermarkets) and use half the amount of coconut milk plus switch to a low fat coconut milk to lower the fat content and it’s the perfect consistency for me xx
Made this for the first time last night and my partner & I absolutely loved it!! He commented it was even better than then Thai take-out we had a few nights before (which was delicious).
We ended up subbing in ground turkey thigh meat and putting over zucchini noodles & kale.
All the flavors together were magic! This is easily a new favorite we will make again and again.
Yum
Made this for the family tonight and it was DIVINE! My one year old even ate it (I had to omit the jalapeño and go easy on the sriracha though..)!! I’ve made this before but didn’t have sesame oil and let me tell you, that really makes a difference! Way different flavor and made it irresistible! We added rice noodles to it and it was so yummy! I added corn as that was all I had in my freezer and it tasted great! Totally was just eating leftovers out of the fridge for a nighttime snack. 🙈 Thanks for the great recipe!
Holy cow this meal is so good! The sauce is to die for. Definitely recommend.
I’ve made this with the spicy ingredients and without (for my 3 yr old) and both are delicious, super easy to make and prep beforehand!
Delicious! Easily doubled – total hit. Served with rice noodles. Would definitely make again.
Love that! Glad you enjoyed 🙂
This dish is my go-to when I’m craving an Asian inspired dish. I used half the amount of peanut butter and added in 1/4 c. of peanut butter powder and it did not disappoint (per the AK usual).
This recipe was so delicious and easy to follow. It was came out exactly like the photos, and the sauce was to die for.
I’m so glad!
Monique, these meatballs knocked it out of the park! The flavor blend of ginger, garlic, cilantro, green onion was perfection with just the right amount of heat from the jalapeno. While we did enjoy the peanut, coconut creamy sauce, we were wondering if you had any suggestions for a more savory broth that these delectable meatballs could be served in? Maybe a chicken based soup with the same carrots, red bell pepper and edamame/peas, mushrooms but more more of a savory broth possibly with rice noodles or spiralized “zoodles”? Many thanks for ALL your recipes!!!
So glad you loved them! Check out my one pan meals here with some more inspo 🙂
This is wonderful! So much flavor – a staple for us!
So glad you loved this one!
Would it be as good with almond butter?
They won’t be as flavorful so I wouldn’t really suggest it!
I was super excited to make this. It’s good and a very beautiful dish but I was surprised to find it a little on the bland side for all the different ingredients used.
Very strange! Did you follow the recipe exactly? I’ve always found this one to be well-spiced and full of peanut butter flavor.
This is so tasty! The perfect warming, flavorful meal for the winter. Will definitely make again!
Absolutely! Glad you enjoyed 🙂
The meatballs alone were very good, but the peanut sauce was too heavy/ thick. If we make these again, I will use less peanut butter in the sauce. I also doubled the sriracha.
Glad you enjoyed the meatballs! And yes, feel free to use a bit less peanut butter (especially if the brand you’re using is thicker).
This recipe was good and easy! We used TJ cauliflower rice and the sauce was great. Definitely good to add some peanuts and scallions after for a little crunch!
Perfect! Love that.
One of my go-to recipes. It is easy and so flavorful!
This was delicious! Does anyone know how many SP for WW this would be on the Blue Plan?
One of mine, too!!
Made this twice, was a huge hit!
Meatballs taste amazing. The only thing is I needed to make more sauce, one and half quantity for this amount of meatballs, but that’s just personal preference, we love things saucy 😄
Love it! And yes feel free to make them extra saucy. Yum!
Ok I was mildly skeptical of peanut butter and meat (I used ground turkey), but in Monique I trust. I forgot to buy green onions and I never buy fresh ginger, so I just subbed a few teaspoons of ground ginger and ground onion powder. Meatballs came together really well and stayed together while cooking. I used a cookie scoop and ended up with about 20 meatballs, which is fine.
Peanut sauce was also super simple to make. I added in a few extra dashes of soy sauce and I also added fish sauce for some added depth of flavor. I didn’t have all-natural peanut butter, but it still came out tasting great. Definitely bookmarking this recipe as a make-again.
Perfect! Love that. Glad you enjoyed!
These meatballs – woooow! So good. A few bites in and my husband said, “oh yeah, this one is a keeper.” I’d already decided it was, but I appreciate his input, ha! Added some sriracha right on top and it was such perfection!
The best! So glad you both enjoyed!
This was such a flavorful recipe! I subbed quick oats for the breadcrumbs and added a little maple syrup to the sauce, but otherwise followed the recipe as written. I loved how much sauce there was! Thanks for another great recipe!
I’m glad that worked out well! Such a great dinner 🙂
i really haven’t come across a recipe on here that isn’t 5 stars. as usual, Monique’s recipes are pantry friendly and easy to sub what you have. i used ground turkey and served over quinoa. yum yum. slurping up the leftover sauce right now.
Amazing! So happy to hear that, Joy. This is one of our fav dinners 🙂
This was delicious! So easy to make. It served three adults (incl. 2 men who had just worked out) so my only suggestion would be to double it for more than three adults, especially if you want leftovers.
Love it! Such a great dinner.
This recipe juuuust fell short for me, but could be down to chef’s error. The sauce was not as rich as I had hoped, but I have a feeling that’s due to the PB I used being insufficiently salty and my decision to add an extra 1/4 water to the sauce to boost its volume. I did that because of my second frustration: there wasn’t as much sauce as a hoped – I halved the recipe and used 7.5oz of light coconut milk, but still didn’t end up with much. That said, I took inspiration from another AK fan featured on Monique’s Instagram story who served this recipe over spaghetti squash – highly recommend! I also used 99% lean turkey because I (correctly) anticipated that the sauce would do enough to moisten the meatballs.
Stick with the recipe next time! If you halved the recipe, there definitely won’t be enough sauce.
Loved this recipe and so did my husband! I used a bit less cayenne and sriracha than the recipe called for cause I know Monique likes spicier than I do, but I think I can hang this time, so I’ll use full amounts next time. 😆 will definitely make this again soon!
Haha love it! Glad you enjoyed 🙂
I’m not even done making this yet, and I already know it will be 5 stars! Another fantastic twist on an easy dinner.
Absolutely! Hope you loved them!
Thanks for sharing your nice and delicious recipie with us.
I just wanted to add that I used a lot more salt than the recipe called for and it made it a lot more flavorful in my onion. Loved it!
Absolutely!
Amazing. So so yummy. I love that it’s packed with veggies and protein.
Absolutely! Glad you loved it!
Love this recipe! Wondering if you could bake the meatballs then add them to the sauce?
Sure, you could!
Absolutely delicious! Sauce reminded me of a satay sauce. So good with the chicken meatballs. Can’t wait to make again.
Absolutely! Glad you enjoyed!
This was better than I even imagined. My husband and I were raving about it as we ate it and already plan to make it again soon. I prepped and cooking the meatballs in advance which helped me with getting dinner on the table with a 2.5 year old. The only thing I didn’t include was the red pepper! We served ours with jasmine rice.
Loveeeee this recipe so much!
Amazing! So happy to hear that!!
Delicious!
Glad you enjoyed!
Holy SMOKES – this is soooo good! I made it exactly as suggested and it was amazing. Added extra veg – because why not?!
Served with quino and basically licked the bowl. 🙂
Another perfect recipe, thank you!!!
Love it!! So glad it’s a favorite!
So, so good! We gobbled this up. Used edamame but next time might just do both peas and edamame, the veggies in the sauce are bomb. So glad I doubled it so we have leftovers. Served it over brown rice, definitely top with honey roasted peanuts. Thank you!
Love that! Glad you enjoyed!
Tried this tonight and it’s so delicious! Will 100% be making this again.
So glad you loved it!
I almost never cook meat, but this looked good and I am so glad I tried it!! This is now one of my favorite recipes I have ever made and I won’t stop recommending it to people. You have to try it!!
Amazing! So glad you loved it!
Incredibly easy to make and delicious. I love making this for dinner and then using the leftovers for dinner.
Love that! This one’s perfect for meal prep 🙂
3 1/2 stars as written – 4 stars with my changes. =)
I left out the jalapeño from the meatballs (didn’t seem to match the Asian flavors) and added the sesame oil to the meatball mixture. These were super tender and very flavorful. I would make them again.
The sauce was what was lacking. It was too one note. I added 1 Tbs. rice vinegar and 1/2 tsp. garlic powder. I would add a bit of fresh grated ginger if I made it again.
I used snow peas instead of frozen and only cooked the carrots/meatballs for 10 min. and the peas/red pepper for 3. This left everything a bit more crisp tender.
Here’s the best addition: fresh squeezed lime juice. I served it with lime wedges and that really made it pop for me. I’m a lime juice girl.
Hi, Anna. These additions all sound amazing, glad to hear you enjoyed it. And YES to the lime juice!!
These are on a regular rotation in our house! I serve them over quinoa or white rice depending on what I have on hand and the whole family devours them. Great recipe!
Yay, so happy you guys are loving it!!
So tasty! My husband and I are religious meal preppers so we don’t need to think about meals during the week or spend much time getting food together. Like most meatballs, these are perfect for meal prep. Unlike many other recipes, they’re *packed* with flavor and compliment so many great veggies. Fresh peas are in season so we loaded ours with peas, onion, bell pepper and broccoli. Served with brown rice and some blanched asparagus (also in season) and we’ve got simple, delicious dinner prepped for the week!
I’m so happy you guys are loving this one, Ellen! Great idea to add those veggies, yummm 🙂
Delicious! I used turkey because it’s what I had. Also didn’t have chili paste so I just threw in some red pepper flakes. So much flavor and comes together easy.
Great idea to use turkey and red pepper flakes in here. Glad you loved it, Andrea! 🙂
This was THE most delicious new recipe I’ve tried all year. Such a good flavor from the onions and ginger, and perfect textures. I added chopped peanuts on top like suggested and I highly recommend it. Will be part of our regular dinner rotation!
WOW! Best compliment ever. Thanks so much. I’m thrilled you’re loving it! 🙂
This idea was amazing. Perfect for a winter’s Sunday.
So happy you’re loving it, Alexandra!
Anything with ginger is a winner in my book! I will try this!
Right?! Love it so much 🙂 Enjoy!
LOVE this recipe!! Very easy to make and super delicious
So good!!! This is a great recipe for a quick dinner that’s also great leftovers!
Love this recipe, I make it all the time!
Everyone in my family liked these! They were skeptical the entire time I was cooking but everyone agreed they were yummy and we will make again! Happy to have success with a non-beef meatball recipe.
Really delicious. The meatballs were very flavorful although I had to omit the jalapeño and cilantro because of my 4 1/2 year old. I felt like something was missing from the sauce however and probably should’ve added a squeeze of lime juice. Overall it was very easy and I baked my meatballs instead of frying but I would definitely make this again.
I’ve never been disappointed with an ambitious kitchen recipe! This was excellent. I served it over rice noodles. Everyone loved it!
Oh that’s amazing to hear! Thank you so much, Laura ❤️
Love this dish! The ginger flavor really comes through and makes for such a unique balance of flavors.
Yay!! I’m so glad you tried and loved it 🙂
This was amazing! I love to cook and always read countless reviews to decide what to cook but have never actually left my own review. I added a little dash of fish sauce and a pinch of brown sugar to the sauce. Only added half the chilli sauce as I was worried it might be to spicy for my Daughter but will add the whole amount next time, also put a sprinkle of curry powder in the meatball mix instead of jalapeno. Thankyou it was so yummy!
Aw thank you SO much for leaving a review, it means a lot! I’m so happy to hear you loved these 🙂 Great call on the fish sauce + brown sugar!
I’ve been wanting to make this recipe for quite some time, and I’m so thrilled I finally did. I doubled the recipe to make leftovers, and the whole family loved it. Amazing!!
Oh, yay! I’m so glad that you finally got the chance to try it and that you loved it!!
I love these!!! So good!
I have been wanting to try this recipe for so long. It is excellent! I love the nutty flavors from the peanut butter and the toasted sesame oil. This will become a staple recipe in my meal planning rotations!
Awesome!! I’m so happy you finally had the chance to try it 🙂 Thanks so much for the review!
Another home run recipe! The meatballs are delicious – I kept snacking on them before adding them to the sauce. Doubled the recipe and used green beans because that’s what I had. Perfection and easily customizable!
Haha love that!! So happy you enjoyed this one!
Fantastic recipe. Modified a bit due to food intolerances (ie no garlic) but flavours were still delicious. I will definitely be making this again.
So glad it still tasted great! Thanks so much for the review 🙂
OMG!! Sooo good! Can’t go wrong with peanut butter and coconut milk! Will be making this again soon!
Right?! Some of my fav flavors ever! Happy you loved it 🙂
Scrumptious! I made this for the first time and doubled the recipe to ensure plenty of leftovers. I didn’t have any peanut butter so substituted Tahini – seemed to work just fine.
This dish has a great blend of flavors and is very, very satisfying. I served mine with risotto.
Bravo!
This recipe was fantastic. The meatballs were melt in your mouth juicy . Sauce was amazing . Simple to make .Definitely going to make again.
Woohoooo! So happy to hear you loved it, Donna! Thanks for leaving a review 🙂
I’ve made this recipe three times now and it is sooo dang good. I made a lot of recipes from AK and this has to be in the top 3 category! I did have to swap the chicken for turkey this last time but I don’t think I could even tell a difference. It is my boyfriend’s favorite dinner now!
Ahh I’m so happy you both loved it so much! Totally fine to use ground turkey in here 🙂
The meatballs were excellent – so flavorful! I had a large jalapeno that seemed extra hot, so I cut the amount down to about 2 tsp. I had problems with them breaking apart in the process of browning, so next time I’ll bake them at 400 degrees instead.
The sauce was too thick for my liking, and a little bland. Next time (and to reheat tonight) I’ll add a little chicken broth to thin it out. A little garlic and ginger would perk up the sauce, and maybe a squeeze of lime juice?
Definitely a ‘keeper’ recipe, so thanks. I just need to customize a little.
Thanks for all your feedback! Those are all great adjustments 🙂 Happy you enjoyed them!
I followed this recipe to the tee at least ingredient-wise. I par baked the meatballs on a sheet pan first. Then added them to a large covered pot. I covered the meatballs with the ingredients for the sauce and baked, covered, for about an. hour. In that way, I avoided standing in front of the stove! It was delicious. Plenty of vegetables in the sauce. Next time I might amp up the heat via more chili paste or such. I served with rice noodles but can see using rice as well. My family enjoyed it enough that I will put this on my rotation. It’s always difficult to find a variety of recipes using chicken! Thank you very much.
Btw, I doubled the recipe! Had enough for leftovers for lunches. Easy peasy. Thank you
Thanks so much for sharing, Barbara! I’m so glad you loved these and that they made great leftovers!
Just made this for dinner and my boyfriend said it may have been his favorite thing I have made. SO GOOD! I threw in whatever veggies I had left in the fridge and it was such a good clean out the fridge meal!
No way! I’m so thrilled you both loved it! Thanks, Kelsey 🙂
Delicious! Monique absolutely nailed the flavor on this dish! I made recipe as listed in a large cast-iron skillet and served with rice. Only substitute was ground turkey. Tbh I was nervous if I would like the coconut milk and peanut sauce as sometimes I find coconut milk and/or peanut butter in recipes can overpower the other ingredients, but the sauce turned out great. Creamy, smooth texture, taste not too coconut or peanut buttery – seriously the perfect blend!
I’m SO glad you loved it and that the flavors didn’t feel overpowering! YAY, can’t wait for you to make it again 🙂
Our family absolutely LOVES these meatballs! The best part is that my 10 month old son enjoys them too 🙂
This dish is delicious and super simple to make!
I’m so happy you loved it, Erin!
This is my family’s favorite meal. That’s it. That’s the review. We eat it at least once a month. Perfection.
Haha LOVE IT. Thank you!!
This meal was seriously so good. I used turkey instead of chicken cause it’s what I had. Also garnished with extra jalapeño and fresh lime. It was saucy, scrumptious and I’ll for sure make this one again.
I’m SO happy you loved it, Heidi! Yay!!
The meatballs and sauce were restaurant quality. My husband and I loved this meal!
Hi! Does the calorie count include rice/quinoa, or is it just for the meatballs? Thanks!
Hi, Maggie! Nope, it doesn’t include that. It’s just for the meatballs, veggies and sauce 🙂
This recipe is AMAZING!! I prepped the meatballs and cut up the veggies and stuck all of it in a freezer bag in the last week of my pregnancy. This made the perfect, easy postpartum meal. We loved it so much I just made it again last night, only a few weeks after first trying it. It’s delicious both fresh and from the freezer. I have shared this recipe with multiple people already. Everyone should make this! And bonus, it’s SO easy!
I. Am. In love. These are incredible and my husband loved them too!! I used ground turkey since it’s what I had but definitely want to try again with chicken. We’re gluten free so I tried the coconut flour trick for the first time instead of using GF bread crumbs and the meatballs didn’t hold together quite as well as I’m used to but I made it work. Served over brown rice with Sriracha for my husband and with riced cauliflower for me. New favorite meatball recipe!!
YAY I’m so glad you loved this one, Melissa!! Turkey’s a great sub 🙂 And good to know about the coconut flour; maybe try Gf breadcrumbs next time!
Could I use cubed chicken breast or ground pork instead of the ground poultry?
Hi, Ethel! Yes ground pork would definitely work well, or cubed chicken instead of making the meatballs!
SO SO GOOD! I doubled the recipe so I can freeze and have a batch for postpartum – so glad I’ll have such an easy, delicious, and filling meal at the ready.
Such a great one to freeze & enjoy later! Happy you loved it 🙂 Good luck with everything, mama ❤️
So good! This is one of our staples. Only adjustment we do is use half the recommended amount of peanut butter so the sauce is a little less thick
SO delicious! Just like every single one of your recipes! Thank you.
This has been a top 5 fave dinner in our house for literal years now… my husband requests regularly and we prob eat it at least twice a month! I pretty much have it memorized at this point, lol! So much flavor and the leftovers are awesome. I started baking the meatballs and then prep/cook veggies and sauce while they’re in the oven, which just feels easier to me personally, then add them to the sauce at the end.
Ahhh this is amazing! I’m SO thrilled you both love this one ❤️ Love the idea of baking the meatballs separately!
Yum! very flavorful and simple to make, would definitely make again
So glad you loved it, Chelsey!! Thanks so much for the review 🙂