Flavor-packed bites of Curry Chicken-Zucchini Meatballs coated in a delicious Coconut Curry Sauce! Held together with almond flour, these spiced, juicy and nutritious meatballs are Paleo and Keto-friendly too!
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SO MUCH FLAVOR in here, I just cannot!
After realizing how easy homemade meatballs are (from making those Smoky Hot Ketchup Chicken Meatballs a short while ago), I’ve been hooked. This time I wanted to go for a curry flavor though since I’ve really been digging the whole spiced-everything recently.
But I wanted to keep it a little healthy – aka no breadcrumbs – so that’s where the Almond Flour comes in. I have a huge stock of Nature’s Eats’ goodness, so this really was quite the perfect recipe.
What makes these ground chicken meatballs low carb and paleo?
There’s the basics in there like a good old meatballs recipe – ground chicken(or chicken breast pulsed in the food processor), onion, paprika, salt and pepper – , but:
Almond flour!
Instead of bread crumbs, this recipe uses almond flour to bind the meat. So other than low carb and Paleo, this also makes the ground chicken meatballs keto-friendly and gluten-free!
Moreover. these chicken meatballs have no flour (aka no boat-load of carbs), no egg and no parmesan like the usuals.
How to make the perfect healthy chicken meatballs?
Add some shredded zucchini in the mix for some secret hidden veggie chicken meatballs and then bake those bites to healthfulness!
- Shred the zucchini – use a food processor or grater – and then squeeze out ALL (as much as possible) moisture out of it or the meatballs will be way soggy
- Use your hands to mix the chicken, zucchini, almond flour, mined garlic and spices (curry powder, turmeric, cumin, cayenne pepper), salt and pepper
- Grease a baking sheet with olive oil or spray
- Use a tablespoon measure to scoop out the mixture (about 16 portions), your hands to shape them into balls and then and place them on the sheet
Then, bake those chicken meatballs in the oven at 350°F for 23 minutes.
If you don’t want to do the whole baking in the oven thing, you can also cook these chicken meatballs in an air fryer for about 17-18 minutes. Work in batches if you need to.
Side note: The meatballs part of these chicken zucchini meatballs were inspired by Ambitious Kitchen’s recipe!
The Sauce!
Now the meatballs are juicy and absolutely delicious as is, but to bring this dish to perfection, try this quick, easy (and kinda still healthy) coconut curry sauce.
Inspiration for this Indian-style chicken meatball curry came from Wild on Rice Couple, since this recipe calls for a blend of spices and no curry paste.
(Half Baked Harvest’s Thai-style coconut curry sauce for the chicken meatballs was another option, but that needed the paste).
It’s a 10-minute sauce that you can prep while the meatballs are getting done:
- Fry the garlic in olive oil until you get that iconic fragrance
- Pour in the broth, add the spices (curry powder, cumin, cayenne pepper), salt and pepper and let it simmer for about 3-4 mins until it starts to get thick
- Then pour in the light coconut milk and maple syrup, stir and let it simmer some more (3-4 mins)
- Stir in some cilantro for that richness
Pour this beautiful sauce over the meatballs and DIG IN!
How to store meatballs long-term?
Meal prep these pretty little chicken meatballs with zucchini and the delicious coconut curry sauce, and keep them in the fridge for about 3-4 days in an airtight container.
If you prefer, you can even keep the sauce in a separate container (that’s what I do).
You can also make the meatballs (not the sauce) in bulk and stash them away in the freezer – cooked or raw. Place them on a baking sheet, and let them freeze on the sheet itself. Then transfer them to freezer-safe zipper bags or an airtight container and freeze.
To cook raw meatballs, bake them for about 3-4 minutes longer, and to reheat cooked meatballs (after letting them thaw) just microwave them.
As for the sauce, it really doesn’t take that long to whip up, so you can just prep it when you’re ready.
Substitutes?
- Chicken: Ground turkey works great too
- Zucchini: You can also use zucchini noodles for these chicken meatballs, but chop them up finely and then squeeze all the moisture out.
- Almond flour: Use about 1-1½ Tbsp coconut flour or just bread crumbs if you don’t have dietary restrictions.
P.S. You can also make ground chicken from scratch using chicken breast by pulsing it in the food processor (pulse not process, or you end up with mush).
What goes with these?
- Rice (or Cauliflower Rice for a Keto/Paleo option)
- Naan (try my 3-Ingredient Whole Wheat Garlic Naan if you don’t have the restrictions)
- Steamed Veggies (Broccoli is a good one)
Curry Chicken-Zucchini Meatballs with Coconut Curry Sauce (Paleo & Keto)
Ingredients
Meatballs:
- 1 lb Chicken Breast, Ground or Whole, 454g
- 1 cup Zucchini, Shredded (Moisture intact), 1 medium, 176g
- ¼ cup Almond Flour, 20g, see notes for sub
- 1 Tbsp Minced Garlic, about 3 cloves
- 1½ tsp Curry Powder
- ½ tsp Cumin
- ½ tsp Turmeric
- ½ tsp Cayenne Pepper
- ½ tsp Salt
- ¼ tsp Black Pepper
Sauce:
- ½ tsp Olive Oil
- 1½ tsp Minced Garlic, 1-2 cloves
- ½ cup Chicken Broth
- 1 tsp Curry Powder
- ½ tsp Cumin
- ¼ tsp Black Pepper
- ⅛ tsp Cayenne Pepper
- ⅛ tsp Salt
- ½ cup Light Coconut Milk
- ½ tsp Maple Syrup, Stevia Sweetened
- 1-2 Tbsp Cilantro, Chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F and lightly grease a baking sheet.
Prepare Chicken and Zucchini:
- If using whole chicken breast, cut into large chunks and place in a food processor.
- Pulse (do not process, use the pulse option, or the chicken will form mush) about 10-15 times until it turns into a ground chicken.
- Work in batches if needed.
- Finely shred zucchini using food processor and squeeze out as much moisture as possible.
Make Meatballs:
- In a large bowl combine chicken, zucchini, almond flour, garlic, curry powder, cumin, turmeric, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper, and mix well until uniform. Use clean hands!
- Spoon out a heaping tablespoon worth of the mix and use hands to shape into meatballs (about 16) and transfer to baking sheet.
- Bake for 23 minutes.
Cook Sauce:
- While meatballs cook, heat a nonstick skillet over medium and fry garlic in oil until fragrant.
- Add broth and stir in curry powder, cumin, cayenne pepper, black pepper, and salt. Simmer for 3-4 minutes until it starts to thicken.
- Pour in coconut milk and maple syrup and mix. Allow to simmer for another 3-4 minutes until thickened.
- Stir in 1 Tbsp cilantro.
Serve:
- Transfer meatballs to a serving dish, top with sauce and garnish with more cilantro.
- Serve with your choice of side. Rice or Cauliflower Rice go well!
Notes
- To replace almond flour use ¼ cup breadcrumbs or 1 Tbsp Coconut Flour.
- Make sure to use “pulse” and not the regular “process” option on the food processor, or it will turn the chicken into a soft mush.
- Fridge: 3-4 days in an airtight glass container. Microwave on high for 1 minute until warmed through.
- Freeze raw: Cook curry when serving, or freeze cooked curry separately. Place baking sheet in freezer and allow meatballs to freeze. When frozen, transfer to a freezer-safe bag and freeze. Thaw before cooking, and increase cook time by 3-4 minutes.
- Freeze cooked: Cook curry when serving, or freeze cooked curry separately. Cook patties and cool. Transfer to parchment paper lined baking sheet and freeze. When frozen, transfer to a freezer-safe bag and freeze. Thaw and reheat in microwave to serve.
- Nature’s Eats Superfine Almond Flour
- SweetLeaf Stevia Sugar-Free Syrup in Maple
- Servings: 16 2” meatballs + ½ cup sauce | Serving size: 4 meatballs + 2 Tbsp sauce
- Calories: 214kcal
- Fat: 8.2g | Saturated fat: 2.5g
- Carbohydrates: 6.2g | Fiber: 1.9g | Sugar: 1.5g
- Protein: 27.5g
Hey! I'm Haylee
Google Software Engineer
I use my passion for baking (and eating) to create healthy, high-protein, good-for-you and diet-friendly desserts and sweet treats that are actually delicious.
Come join me in Hayl's Kitchen and let's eat high protein, sweet and guilt free!