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Keeping things simple with a warming weeknight style Creamy Coconut Chicken Meatball and Noodle Curry. This southeast Asian inspired noodle curry is the simplest weeknight dinner. Made with flavorful Thai curry paste, coconut milk, creamy peanut butter, and a sprinkling of cilantro. Toss in seared chicken meatballs and plenty of delicious egg noodles and it’s hard to beat this easy creamy curry. It’s the perfect any night of the week dinner that’s made in just about 30 minutes…hearty, cozy, and healthy too.
Hey, hi! We made it to Thursday, which means the weekend is almost here! Trust me, I know it’s been a long week, but thankfully we have good food to share, upcoming holiday excitement, and tomorrow…chocolate. Everything is better with a good dinner and a night that ends on a sweet note. And that is just the truth.
You guys, I am very excited about today’s recipe. It’s inspired by a Southeast Asian soup called Laksa. It’s spicy, creamy, and the most flavorful dish. And I love all the color throughout.
With fall in full force, and Thanksgiving planning and prep underway, I tend to get into a dinner rut of making casserole after casserole and pasta after pasta. In my mind, there isn’t anything wrong with that. I love these foods! But it’s always nice to switch it up. I was feeling like I needed to break away from all my cozy, cheesy pasta and Thanksgiving recipes and share something completely fresh and different, but yet still warming for fall.
The Thanksgiving recipes will return tomorrow and throughout next week, but when in the midst of Thanksgiving planning and prep, we also need good dinners!
The background.
Laksa is one of the most popular southeast Asian dishes. It’s a spicy noodle soup that usually consists of either rice or wheat noodles with chicken or fish. The broth is a spicy, rich curried coconut milk. Laksa can most commonly be found in Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and southern Thailand. It varies from place to place in exact flavor, but the two things Laksa always has is a creamy, spicy coconut broth and lots of noodles. It’s not hard to prepare, but it does require a handful of ingredients that I can’t easily find.
So this is my simplified version of Laksa. It’s creamy, heavy on the noodles, and made with chicken meatballs. It’s a little different than a classic Laksa, but similar in flavor profiles. Most importantly, it’s easy to make and so delicious.
Here are the details.
Aside from cooking the noodles, you can make this dish entirely in one pot. The meatballs are simply a mix of ground chicken, green onions, soy sauce, and black pepper. Very simple, but yet so flavorful. The combination of green onions and salty soy is key here.
To make the meatballs, roll them out and then pan-fry them in a bit of oil to get them nice and crispy on the outside. I really like using avocado oil for this since it’s a high heat cooking oil, but olive oil works nicely too.
Once the meatballs are seared, remove them from the pot to ensure they don’t end up overcooking or losing their crispness. Once the meatballs are out, add everything else right to that very same pot. Starting with lots of shallots, ginger, and garlic, then toss in the cubed butternut squash or sweet potatoes.
Next, you’ll want to sauté the Thai red curry paste for a minute or two before adding in the liquids. This will activate the flavors in the curry paste and give you a richer tasting broth. Now, just add in all the coconut milk, stir back in the meatballs and simmer everything together for a few minutes.
While that’s happening, boil some egg noodles (or use rice noodles if you’re gluten-free). By the time the noodles are ready, the curry should be thick and ready to toss with the noodles and serve.
To serve, just add the noodles to bowls and then ladle both the veggies and meatballs overtop.
Finish with lots of fresh cilantro and pomegranate arils. Simple, but yet so complex with flavor, and so colorful too!
The broth, the crispy meatballs, the noodles, the toppings…everything all together? It’s delicious. Creamy, gingery, and garlicky, a touch spicy, salty, and truly so perfect. Loving this for busy weeknights, but yet it feels special enough for a cold Sunday night. Either night you end up serving this, it’s going to be perfect.
Looking for other warming curry recipes? Here are my favorites:
Slow Cooker Saucy Thai Butternut Squash Curry
30 Minute Coconut Milk Braised Chicken with Sweet Potatoes and Rice
Saucy Coconut Braised Chicken with Rice Noodles and Broccoli
Sweet Potato Lentil Curry with Crispy Sesame Chickpeas
Lastly, if you make this Creamy Coconut Chicken Meatball and Noodle Curry, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Creamy Coconut Chicken Meatball and Noodle Curry
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 725 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground chicken
- 2 green onions, finely chopped, plus more for serving
- 1/4 cup + 2 teaspoons low sodium soy sauce
- black pepper
- 5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil or avocado oil
- 1 cup cubed butternut squash or sweet potato
- 2-3 medium shallots, thinly sliced
- 1 inch fresh ginger, grated
- 4 cloves garlic, minced or grated
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped, plus more for serving
- 1/4 cup Thai red curry paste
- 2 (14-ounce) cans full-fat coconut milk
- 2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce (or low sodium soy sauce)
- 2 cups baby spinach
- 8 ounces egg or rice noodles
- pomegranate arils, for serving (optional)
Instructions
- 1. Add the chicken, green onions, 2 teaspoons soy sauce, and a pinch of pepper to a bowl. Mix until just combined. Coat your hands with a bit of oil, and roll the meat into tablespoon-size balls (will make 15-20 meatballs).2. Heat a large pot over medium-high heat and add 2 tablespoons oil. When the oil shimmers, add the meatballs and sear until crisp, about 4-5 minutes, turning them 2-3 times until cooked through. Transfer to a plate.3. To the same pot, add 3 tablespoon oil, the shallots, ginger, and garlic. Cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the butternut squash and curry paste. Cook another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the coconut milk, 1/2 cup water, 1/4 cup soy sauce, fish sauce, and peanut butter. Slide the meatballs back into the curry. Simmer over medium heat until the meatballs are cooked through, 5-8 minutes. Stir in the spinach. Thin as desired with additional water or broth.4. Meanwhile, cook noodles according to package directions.5. Divide the noodles between bowls and ladle the curry over. Top each bowl with pomegranate, cilantro, and green onions.
This post was originally published on November 5, 2020
Loved it. Fragrant and easy to make. Will make it again and again and again and again….
Thank you so much Terri! I am really glad this turned out so well for you! xTieghan
This was absolutely delicious! We had leftovers for 3 days which was a good thing! Thank you for your goodness! ??
Thank you Stacey! I am really glad this turned out so well for you! xTieghan
So yummy!!! So cozy!!! So good!!! one bite and you know it’s comfort food forever. I will agree with some of the other comments regarding flavor; if your red curry paste isn’t a really good one the dish can be kind of lacking in flavor. I would highly recommend using chicken broth or some other kind of broth as your base, I had to thin out a lot as my coconut milk was very thick so it ended up with quite a bit of broth which gave so much more flavor than just soy, coconut and peanut butter. I also cooked my egg noodle in the broth. Also, add the juice of a lemon or lime in there, the pomegranate seeds add an acid boost, but it needs a little bit more to bring out all the flavors. And use more ginger than the recipe says!
Hi Julia! I am so happy this recipe turned out so amazing for you!! Thank you so much for trying it! xTieghan
This was DELICIOUS – I read a comment that it wasn’t flavorful? It was very flavorful – I only used one can of coconut milk, but could have used the second or added water. I only would suggest something to keep the meatballs together, but it works out as is. Will make again, really good!
Thank you for trying this one, Natalie! I am really glad this turned out so amazing for you! xTieghan
So! Good! As always, sweet potatoes take a bit longer for me to get to soften up, but this recipe was loved all around! Definitely will be repeating. Thank you for continually putting out all of these recipes, free of charge, for our families to come together around, we appreciate it so much!
You are so sweet! I am really glad you have been loving this and others of mine! Thank you! xTieghan
Such a lovely flavour profile! Delicate yet a little spicy! Perfect for this fall evening! Will make again. And the noodles really do sop up the sauce nicely!
Love that! Thank you so much Kristine! xTieghan
So we are doing low carb – and your recipes always inspire! I made thin sliced sweet onion & white cabbage as our noddle & it was splendid ❤️
Thank you so much Diane! xTieghan
Ok this was SOOO good. I have some picky eaters at my house and they loved it. I served it over rice because I didn’t have any noodles.
I am really happy this turned out so well for you, Kathryn! Thank you! xTieghan
I think I need to try this recipe again to get it right! Used Trader Joe’s cubed squash, and should have cut them in smaller pieces to cook faster! had a hard time getting the chicken to bind and roll into balls-so just added some breadcrumbs. Next time I might use less coconut milk to amp up the flavor?? Or I might have not put in as much garlic as I should! Anyway- I will work on this one because I love the idea and the picture is an inspiration for sure! Love all your recipes and am trying to master one a week to improve my cooking game! Thanks for the creative ideas and beautiful photography-it helps to be visually inspired! xo
Hi Jen! I am really happy you liked this one! If there are any questions I can help with, I would love to! Thank you for trying this! xTieghan
Is the butternut squash to be added in a raw state not cooked, correct?
Hey Sarah,
Yes, that is correct. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Overall very delicious and very satisfying! Being pescatarian I added meatless meatballs from Trader Joe’s instead of the chicken. I increased the butter nut squash by a half a cup, and added extra cilantro and green onions right into the dish. The heat factor was a bit low for me so I would change that up next time around with some Sriracha or jalapeño. I added chopped salted peanuts to the top for some texture. Yummy!
Thank you so much Jill! I am really glad this recipe turned out so well for you! xTieghan
Great recipe! Do you have any tips to thicken the sauce? Also it wasn’t spicy, maybe it was the brand of curry paste I was using
Hey Lily,
You could simmer longer, although this is not meant to be a thick sauce, but more of a soup. You can add more red pepper flakes for additional spice. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Made this last night for my family of 6 and doubled everything. My two pickiest eaters passed on everything but the meatballs and the rest of us thought it was delicious but needed more of the red curry flavor (after I double-checked that I had correctly doubled each ingredient). We all agreed even if 1/2 cup of the curry paste per batch would be better for those who want more flavor.
As per the directions, I followed the first step re the meatballs that says to turn them 2-3 times until cooked through. But then at the end it also says to simmer until meatballs are cooked through. Perhaps initially they’re only supposed to be browned? Lastly, even though I had to allow extra time bc of doubling the ingredients it took way more than 30 mins to prep everything – esp the rolling of the meatballs. I would say the total tome is far longer than an hour for even experienced cooks (esp if you’re using butternut squash which always takes a while to peel and cube). Overall delicious meal just needed a bigger flavor punch for our tastes and the first I have tried from your site, but I will be making more soon!
Hey Heather,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try, I am glad your family enjoyed! Please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Great flavour, I truly really enjoyed the recipe. Made a few adjustments as we like a thicker sauce. I omitted the water and reduced the coconut milk in half. Not only thicker but made the sauce richer.
Changed up the side from noodles to spiralized sweet potato. Simply pan-fried in a tablespoon of olive oil.
I am really glad you enjoyed this recipe, Don! Thank you!! xTieghan
Does this taste like coconut? Your recipes always look so good, but I am not the biggest coconut fan.
Hey Becca,
This recipe has a slight coconut taste, you could use another milk that you enjoy though. I hope you enjoy the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan