Thai Red Chicken Meatballs Meal Prep
These chicken meatballs have grated zucchini worked right into the mix, so they stay moist without needing much fat. They get browned first, then finished in a Thai red curry coconut sauce loaded with red pepper and broccolini.
The pan does double duty — meatballs brown in it first, then the curry paste and aromatics go in straight after, picking up everything left behind in the pan. Rice cooks alongside while all of that comes together.
It’s a proper meal prep too — this one freezes for up to 3 months, so it’s worth doubling if you’ve got the container space.
Thai Red Chicken Meatballs Meal Prep
CHICKEN · MEAL PREP · MEDIUM
One Pan, Built in Layers
The meatballs only need to brown, not cook through, before they come out of the pan — they finish properly later, simmering in the sauce, which keeps them tender rather than dried out from two full cooks.
Frying the curry paste in the same pan picks up everything left behind from browning the meatballs, so that flavour doesn't go to waste. The coconut milk and stock build a sauce around it rather than just diluting the paste.
Broccolini goes in last and only gets 4 minutes, so it stays with some bite through the week rather than turning to mush by the time you reheat it on day three.
Thai Coconut Chicken Meatballs Meal Prep
Ingredients
Meatballs
- 700 g Chicken Mince Ground
- 190 g Zucchini (Courgette) Grated
- 1 Red Chilli diced
- 20 g Ginger Grated
- 3 Garlic Cloves Grated
- 10 g Coriander (Cilantro) Chopped
- 3 Spring Onions (Scallions) Sliced
- 1 Large Egg
- 40 ml Soy Sauce
- Salt & Pepper
Sauce
- 45 g Thai Red Curry Paste
- 400 ml Coconut Milk
- 3 Spring Onions (Scallions) Sliced
- 20 g Ginger Grated
- 3 Garlic Cloves Grated
- 190 g Red Bell Pepper (Capsicum) Sliced
- 250 ml Chicken Stock
- 22 ml Fish Sauce
- 22 ml Soy Sauce
- 250 g Broccolini Trimmed
- 1 Lime Juiced
- Fresh Coriander (Cilantro) Garnish
- Salt & Pepper To Taste
Jasmine Rice
- 300 g Jasmine Rice Washed
- 550 ml Cold Water
- Salt To Taste
Method
- Grate the zucchini and squeeze out excess moisture with a paper towel — skipping this makes the mix too wet to hold shape. Combine with the mince, chilli, ginger, garlic, coriander, spring onion, egg, soy sauce, lime zest, salt and pepper. Mix gently; don't overwork it.
- Heat a pan over medium heat with a little oil. Shape golf ball-sized meatballs and brown in batches on all sides — they don't need to be cooked through yet. Set aside.
- Cook the rice: rinse, add to a pot with the water and a pinch of salt, boil, cover, low heat for 12 minutes, then 4 minutes off the heat with the lid on.
- In the same pan, add a little oil if needed, then the curry paste, spring onion, ginger and garlic. Fry for 1-2 minutes until fragrant, scraping up any browned bits left from the meatballs as you go.
- Add the coconut milk, red pepper, chicken stock, fish sauce and soy sauce. Bring to a gentle simmer and reduce for 5 minutes.
- Add the meatballs back in and simmer for 6 minutes. Add the broccolini and simmer for a further 4 minutes, until the broccolini is just tender but still has bite and the meatballs are cooked through, reaching an internal temperature of 74°C (165°F). Season with salt and pepper, then finish with lime juice and extra coriander.
- Divide the rice between 5 x 750ml containers, then top with the meatballs, sauce and broccolini. Cool before sealing.
