These easy Thai baked chicken meatballs are the perfect flavor-packed dinner or appetizer. They are super easy to put together and bake in under 30 minutes.
If you’re in the mood for a delicious and easy dinner I have you covered! These easy Thai-baked chicken meatballs are PACKED full of Thai-inspired flavor and glazed with sweet chili sauce.
They are sweet, spicy, and sticky.
Which makes them utterly delicious in every. single. way.
Plus, as you all know I’m a true lover of ground chicken so of course, I used them for this baked meatball recipe.
Chicken can easily handle a lot of flavors so that’s why when I figured out I wanted to go with Thai-inspired flavors I went right for ground chicken.
I seasoned it with freshly ground ginger, lemongrass, garlic, and lots of fresh minced herbs.
It was a delicious choice!
Table of Contents
Ingredients for Easy Thai Baked Chicken Meatballs
- Ground chicken
- Egg
- Panko breadcrumbs
- Kosher salt
- Green onion
- Cilantro
- Lime zest
- Grated lemongrass
- Grated ginger
- Grated garlic
- Sweet chili sauce
Can I use ground turkey, ground beef, or ground pork?
If you don’t have ground chicken my 2 favorite options are to instead use ground turkey or ground pork.
Both of those ground meats tend to be on the leaner side and can handle the strong flavors that we put into these meatballs.
While I’m a huge fan of ground beef it’s not my first choice for this recipe. It has a stronger flavor that may mask some of the fresh herb flavors that are incorporated in these meatballs.
In order to really put these meatballs over the top, I decided to glaze them with sweet chili sauce.
If you’re not familiar with sweet chili sauce it’s basically a spicier sweet and sour sauce.
It’s thick and perfect for glazing with a sweet and spicy bite.
Honestly, it’s one of my favorite dipping sauces.
It’s also awesome on nachos! Try my Thai Sweet Chili Chicken Nachos and see for yourself!
What should I serve with these ground chicken meatballs?
While I’m happy to just shovel these delicious meatballs directly into my mouth they are also delicious served over rice, sauteed red cabbage, or riced cauliflower.
If you opt to make these meatballs smaller you can also easily turn them into an appetizer-sized dish.
And, because I have a real love for sweet chili sauce I always opt to drizzle on a little extra sauce after they have baked.
I’m a girl who really likes dipping sauce.
Making these meatballs gluten-free
You could easily make these meatballs gluten-free by adding some almond meal in place of the panko breadcrumbs.
I like almond meal or almond flour better than gluten-free breadcrumbs or GF panko because sometimes GF breadcrumbs/panko can cause a gummy texture in the meatball.
Unless you have a trusted brand of gluten-free breadcrumbs or panko I would try the almond meal/flour first.
For your sweet chili sauce just make sure it is labeled gluten-free.
Doubling this recipe
Meatball recipes are some of the best recipes to double.
You’ll want to make sure to place the meatballs in a larger dish but other than that the recipe should remain the same.
If you’re looking for tips to make this dish even easier you can easily purchase grated ginger and grated lemongrass right in the store.
Often time it’s found in the refrigerated section of the produce department.
Don’t worry if pre-grated isn’t your game. You can grate your own fresh ginger and garlic!
I like to use a Microplane for this task. It works great for zesting citrus too!
More ground chicken recipe
- Craving a delicious and easy dinner? Try my Ground Chicken Stuffed Bell Peppers
- Want something fast and easy? Try my One Pot Ground Chicken Fajita Pasta
- Love a light dinner? Try my Thai Ground Chicken Lettuce Cups
- Need big flavor in your life? Try my Baked Chicken Francese Meatballs
Easy Thai Baked Chicken Meatballs
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground chicken
- 2 green onions end trimmed, finely minced
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 lime zested
- 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh cilantro
- 1 tablespoon grated ginger
- 1 tablespoon grated lemongrass
- 1 tablespoon grated garlic
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 cup sweet chili sauce
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and spray an 8×8 pan with nonstick spray, set aside.
- In a large bowl add ground chicken, green onions, egg, lime zest, panko breadcrumbs, cilantro, ginger, lemongrass, garlic, and salt.
- Using your hands or a large spoon mix together until combined.
- Shape into 2 tablespoon-sized balls and add to the prepared dish.
- Add to the oven and bake for 10 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and baste the top of the meatballs with sweet chili sauce.
- Add back to the oven and cook for another 5-10 minutes or until the meatballs are fully cooked and the sweet chili sauce is sticky.
- When fully cooked, remove from the oven and serve with additional sweet chili sauce for dipping.
Notes
- You can use ground turkey or ground pork instead of ground chicken if desired.
Nutrition
Britt
Saturday 25th of November 2023
I make these all the time and they are so easy and delicious! My husband even loves them and he is picky. Great recipe!
Marg Heisner
Thursday 9th of November 2023
The Easy Thai Baked Chicken Meatballs are just that.....sooo EASY!!!
They are truly delicious!!!!
Judith
Friday 25th of August 2023
Can I make ahead and freeze the Thai Chicken Meatballs
Debra
Saturday 19th of August 2023
Very delish. Just made them. My grown son loves them too. Serving with rice, dumplings and sliced tomato and cucumber
Ty
Thursday 30th of March 2023
Any substitution for the cilantro or just leave out? Both my girlfriend and I dislike that herb.
Nutmeg Nanny
Thursday 30th of March 2023
@Ty, I would just either leave it out or replace with a fresh herb like parsley for color and little taste. Hope you enjoy the meatballs!