These Sticky Baked Thai Chicken Meatballs are juicy, tender and bursting with savory flavor.  Baked for convenience and coated in a sticky, slightly sweet Thai sauce, these meatballs are perfect for game day, as an appetizer when entertaining, or for dinner!

Hey there lovelies!

How ’bout we skip the (in)formalities today?

Instead, let’s talk about what has people’s eyeballs GLUED to their television screens this month.

March Madness.

Are you guys into NCAA basketball, yay or nay?

Like, do you absolutely LIVE for the Madness of March?

Or, are you more like me – just in it for the food?

I’m going to be honest, basketball isn’t really my schtick.  Which is kind of weird considering when I was growing up we had season tickets to the Orlando Magic games.

And I absolutely LOVED going to those games.  I think the little version of me (that rocked uneven pigtails like nobodies business) just liked dressing in team colors, the rowdiness of the crowd, stuffing my face with soft pretzels, the half time show and cheering for Shaq with my sparkly pom-poms.

Anyways, somewhere down the line I grew out of loving to watch basketball, but I will absolutely pretend to watch it if there is good food around. 😇

So I’m going to use March as an excuse to showcase my mad skills in the eating department.  🍴

And it is going to be EPIC.

Because sometimes you just want an entire skillet of meatballs all to yourself.

And having an actual, justifiable reason to eat ALL the meatballs humanly possible makes me feel less bad about it.

I mean, ‘oh hey, I’m eating an absurd amount of meatballs, for the love of basketball’, sounds SO much better than, ‘I’m eating an absurd amount of meatballs because I’m fat and hangry.’

Amirite?

So there is a new rule at the SuBourbon Country Cottage:

Basketball = it is perfectly acceptable to eat approximately 26 meatballs in one sitting.

For breakfast, lunch or dinner. On repeat.

Skillet Baked Thai Chicken Meatballs

Otherwise known as amaze-little-balls-a-meat.

That just so happen to be BAKED for easy convenience.

Juicy, tender, succulent chicken meatballs loaded with savory flavors such as garlic, ginger, curry and jalapenos.

Tossed and glistening in a sticky, semi-sweet Thai glaze.

Lovingly garnished with chopped salty peanuts, herbaceous cilantro, fresh scallions and spicy red pepper flakes.

These meat-a-ball-ahhhs are sticky, spicy, sweet and seriously sublime!

Sticky Thai Chicken Meatballs FOR LIFE, y’all.

How to Make Thai Chicken Meatballs:

Aside from the unavoidable, slightly tedious part of forming the meatballs, these bad boys are super easy to make.

Chop some scallions, jalapenos and cilantro; mince some garlic, ginger and lemongrass, and toss it all into a large bowl.  Add in your ground chicken, a splash of fish sauce and a large scoop of curry paste.

Dive right in with your hands and gently mix everything until it is JUST combined.

Form the mixture into little golf ball-sized balls and transfer them to a parchment paper lined pan.

Toss ‘em in the oven and bake for 20 minutes, or until the meatballs are cooked through.

Meanwhile, make the sticky Thai sauce.  Combine all the sauce ingredients, plus few cloves of garlic and a bit of ginger, in a skillet.  Whisk it real good and cook the sauce over medium heat.  Let it simmer and do its thing until the sauce looks like sticky, thickened goodness.  Turn off the heat, but leave the skillet on the burner so it stays warm.

When the Thai meatballs are done baking, transfer them to the sauce and toss gently to coat.

Generously scatter some crushed peanuts, cilantro, green onions and red chili flakes on top and serve with plenty of lime wedges on the side.

Tuck a napkin into the top of your shirt and FACE PLANT right into this sticky meatball skillet sitch.

Can you bake meatballs in the oven?

While cooking meatballs can sometimes be tedious (all that batch cooking!  And, flipping!), baking them in the oven is super simple and easy!

Baking meatballs saves you a ton of time, because you don’t have to worry about over-crowding the pan and you can bake a lot of meatballs at the same time.

As well, when you bake meatballs it is easier to ensure they are cooked evenly, all the way through.

What temperature do you cook meatballs in the oven?

While you can bake your meatballs in the oven at any temperature, normally between 350-425 degrees F, the recipe for these Thai meatballs bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes.

Notes, Tips & Tricks for the best Sticky Baked Thai Chicken Meatballs recipe:

1. The recipe calls for ground chicken, but make sure you do NOT use all ground chicken breast or the meatballs won’t be as juicy and flavorful.  Purchase ground chicken that is made with both white and dark meat.  Bonus, ground chicken that is a mixture of both is cheaper to buy!
2. The recipe calls for fish sauce.  Fish sauce adds a wonderful umami flavor and there is no great substitution.  However, if you are in a pinch, or don’t like fish sauce, you can substitute soy sauce.
3. When mixing the ingredients for the meatballs, make sure you do NOT overmix!!  Mix everything until the ingredients are JUST combined.  Overmixing the ingredients will cause your meatballs to be less tender.
4. To keep the Thai meatballs from sticking to your skin when rolling them into balls, lightly oil your hands.  This trick works like a charm!  Also make sure you DON’T roll your meatballs into a tight ball.  When meatballs are packed too tight they will end up tough and chewy after being cooked.
5. Make sure you form your meatballs into roughly the same size.  You don’t need to be overly obsessive, just make sure they are around the same size.  If you want to be precise, you can use an ice cream scoop (it is what I use).
6. You can make the meatballs mini sized or jumbo sized if you want, just see the above note (#5), and scale down or up the baking time accordingly.

Perfect for March Madness, your next soirée, or simply for the weeknight dinner win, these Baked Sticky Thai Chicken Meatballs belong in your belleh.

Until next week friends, cheers – to sticky balls of cluckin’ deliciousness.

XOXO

Cheyanne

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Sticky Baked Thai Chicken Meatballs recipe👇

5 from 12 votes

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Sticky Baked Thai Chicken Meatballs

Prep Time

20 mins

Cook Time

25 mins

Total Time

45 mins

 

These Sticky Baked Thai Chicken Meatballs are juicy, tender and bursting with savory flavor. Baked for convenience and coated in a sticky, slightly sweet Thai sauce, these meatballs are perfect for game day, as an appetizer when entertaining, or for dinner!

Course: Appetizer, entree, Snack

Cuisine: American, Thai

Keyword: baked, chicken, Easy, meatballs, skillet, sticky

Servings: 6

Calories: 218 kcal

Author: Cheyanne Holzworth

Ingredients

• Meatballs:
• 1 ½ pounds Ground Chicken *
• ½ Cup + 2 TBS Panko Breadcrumbs (or more if needed)
• 4 Cloves Garlic - minced and divided
• 2 TBS Ginger – grated and divided
• 2 Scallions – finely chopped
• 1 large Jalapeno – seeded and finely chopped
• 2 tsp Lemongrass , white part only – finely chopped
• 1 TBS Cilantro – roughly chopped
• 1 TBS Fish Sauce
• 1 TBS Thai Red Curry Paste
• Kosher Salt and Pepper , to taste
• Sauce:
• ¾ Cup Sweet Thai Chili Sauce
• 3 TBS Reduced Sodium Soy Sauce
• 3 TBS Light Brown Sugar
• 2 TBS Rice Wine Vinegar
• 2 TBS Lime Juice
• Optional Garnishes & Serving Options: Crushed Peanuts, Chopped Cilantro, Sliced Green Onions, Red Chili Flakes, Lime Wedges, White Rice

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper for easy cleanup.
2. Make the meatballs: In a large bowl combine the chicken, panko, 2 cloves of garlic, 1 tablespoon of ginger, scallions, jalapeno, lemongrass, cilantro, fish sauce and curry paste. Season with ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Use your hands or a rubber spatula to gently mix until just combined. Do NOT overmix.
3. Using wet hands to prevent sticking, roll the chicken mixture into golf ball-sized balls (about 2 tablespoons mixture each). If the mixture is too wet, add 1 tablespoon of panko, at a time, to the mix until it is easier to shape. Transfer meatballs to prepared baking sheet.
4. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until an instant read thermometer inserted into a meatball reads 165 degrees F.
5. MEANWHILE, make the sauce: In a skillet, or wok, combine all the sauce ingredients, plus remaining 2 cloves of garlic and tablespoon of ginger. Whisk to combine. Place pan over medium heat and bring to a gentle simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook for about 5-7 minutes, or until sauce is thickened. Turn heat off, but keep pan on burner to keep warm.
6. To serve: When meatballs are done cooking, transfer them to the skillet and gently toss to coat. Serve immediately with optional garnishes. Enjoy!

Recipe Notes

*YIELD: approximately 26-28 meatballs
1. The recipe calls for ground chicken, but make sure you do NOT use all ground chicken breast or the meatballs won’t be as juicy and flavorful. Purchase ground chicken that is made with both white and dark meat. Bonus, ground chicken that is a mixture of both is cheaper to buy!

2. The recipe calls for fish sauce. Fish sauce adds a wonderful umami flavor and there is no great substitution. However, if you are in a pinch, or don’t like fish sauce, you can substitute soy sauce.

3. When mixing the ingredients for the meatballs, make sure you do NOT overmix!! Mix everything until the ingredients are JUST combined. Overmixing the ingredients will cause your meatballs to be less tender.

4. To keep the meatballs from sticking to your skin when rolling them into balls, lightly oil your hands. This trick works like a charm! Also make sure you DON’T roll your meatballs into a tight ball. When meatballs are packed too tight they will end up tough and chewy after being cooked.

5. Make sure you form your meatballs into roughly the same size. You don’t need to be overly obsessive, just make sure they are around the same size. If you want to be precise, you can use an ice cream scoop (it is what I use).

6. You can make the meatballs mini sized or jumbo sized if you want, just see the above note (#5), and scale down or up the baking time accordingly.

Nutrition Facts

Sticky Baked Thai Chicken Meatballs

Amount Per Serving

Calories 218 Calories from Fat 81

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 9g 14%

Saturated Fat 2g 10%

Cholesterol 97mg 32%

Sodium 868mg 36%

Potassium 643mg 18%

Total Carbohydrates 11g 4%

Sugars 7g

Protein 21g 42%

Vitamin A 9.2%

Vitamin C 6.3%

Calcium 2.7%

Iron 8.3%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.