Oh So Good Chicken Meatballs in Pumpkin Coconut Curry Sauce
Oh so good one pan chicken meatballs simmered in a wonderful pumpkin curry sauce. You'll LOVE the amazing flavors from coconut milk, pumpkin puree, cozy spices, and a little natural creamy peanut butter. The perfect weeknight dinner that's delicious with coconut rice, brown rice, or rice noodles!
Servings 4 servings
Calories 380cal
Ingredients
- For the meatballs:
- 1 pound lean ground chicken or turkey
- 1 egg
- ½ cup panko breadcrumbs, gluten free if desired
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar or coconut sugar
- ½ tablespoon red chili paste
- ⅓ cup finely diced cilantro
- ¼ cup finely diced green onion (or sub red onion)
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ tablespoon fresh grated ginger (or sub ½ teaspoon ground ginger)
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- ½ teaspoon salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- For the sauce:
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 (15 ounce) can lite coconut milk
- ¾ cup pumpkin puree
- 2 tablespoons natural creamy peanut butter
- 1 tablespoon low sodium soy sauce (or coconut aminos)
- 1 tablespoon yellow curry powder
- 1 large carrot, sliced
- 1 red bell pepper, cut into chunks or julienned
- ½ cup frozen peas
- To garnish:
- Cilantro
- Chopped peanuts
- Scallions
- Optional for serving:
- Coconut rice
- Brown rice
- Or rice noodles
Instructions
- In a large bowl, add the ground chicken, egg, breadcrumbs, brown sugar, red chili paste, cilantro, green onion, garlic, ginger, turmeric, 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 the meatballs are done browning, transfer them to a plate and set aside.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low and add in the coconut milk, pumpkin puree, peanut butter, soy sauce and yellow curry powder; 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 15-20 minutes.
- After 15 minutes, remove the lid and gently stir in the red bell pepper and peas. Simmer for 5 more minutes uncovered. Serve with my coconut rice or brown rice, rice noodles, 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, and cilantro. Serves 4.
Notes
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. If you don’t want to use coconut flour, then I suggest gluten free breadcrumbs.
To store: if you’re going to meal prep these chicken meatballs in pumpkin curry sauce, I recommend storing them in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. Yes, you can store them with the sauce and even with rice if you'd like! To reheat simply place your meatballs and sauce in the microwave for 30-60 seconds.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving (without rice) | Calories: 380cal | Carbohydrates: 22.4g | Protein: 29.7g | Fat: 20.1g | Saturated Fat: 8.5g | Fiber: 5.1g | Sugar: 8.3g