Healthy oven baked Thai chicken meatballs that are tender, juicy and packed full of flavour! Made from scratch and ready to eat in just 30 minutes, these chicken meatballs are perfect for a light dinner, a tasty snack or bite-sized party food appetisers.
There's a whole LOT to love about these ahh-maaazing Thai Chicken Meatballs!
Not only do they taste so delicious (thanks to the flavour combo of soy, sweet chilli, garlic, ginger and lime), they're perfect for almost any occasion.
Whether you're after a simple bite-sized appetiser for a party, a tasty snack to have at lunch or a light midweek dinner, these meatballs are a winner!
And best of all, they're kid-approved too!
Even the fussiest of toddlers will love these tasty little chicken balls (... and this I know from personal experience!)
Why You're Going To Love This Recipe
Say hello to your newest meatball obsession!
- Packed full of flavour - the soy sauce, sweet chilli sauce, garlic, ginger and lime juice give these meatballs a subtle yet delicious Thai inspired flavour.
- Time saver - these Thai Chicken Meatballs take only minutes to prepare, and as they're baked in the oven, you're 'hands-free'!
- Great for parties - this is one of my favourite party food recipes. Serve with toothpicks and a simple dipping sauce for a great finger food option.
- Healthy and delicious - baking these Thai chicken meatballs in the oven with just a light spray of olive oil, keeps these meatballs light and healthy (just 57 calories per serve!)
- Freezer-friendly - Make these ahead of time and freeze uncooked, or freeze any leftover cooked meatballs for a quick 'grab and reheat' snack.
What You Need
The best part about these Thai Chicken Meatballs that that they're made from just 7 basic and low cost ingredients:
Note: Please scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of the post for ingredient quantities and the full detailed method.
- chicken mince - also known as ground chicken. You can use minced chicken breast or a combination of minced breast and thigh meat.
- panko crumbs - the panko bread crumbs help to hold the chicken meatballs together. Panko crumbs are a Japanese-style breadcrumb that are larger and lighter than regular breadcrumbs. You can buy them from the international/Asian section of any major supermarket. If panko crumbs are unavailable, you can use regular breadcrumbs.
- garlic and ginger - these give the Thai chicken meatballs the most amazing flavour! You can use store-bought minced garlic and ginger (like I do!) or crush your own fresh garlic and ginger.
- sauces - a combination of soy sauce, sweet chilli sauce and lime juice gives the meatballs a Thai-inspired flavour while still keeping them mild enough in flavour to be loved by the kids!
- sesame seeds - these are optional but are delicious sprinkled over the top of the meatballs.
Step By Step Instructions
It takes just 10 minutes and one bowl to prepare these tasty little meatball appetisers.
Note: Please scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of the post for ingredient quantities and the full detailed method.
Step 1 - Place Ingredients Into A Bowl
Preheat oven to 210 degrees celcius (fan forced).
Place all of the ingredients (except for the additional sweet chilli sauce and lime juice to make the dipping sauce with) into a large bowl.
Step 2 - Mix
Mix together until well combined.
Note: There's no need to over-mix (and doing so will make your meatballs tough), so simply mix together with a spoon or your hand until just combined.
Step 3 - Roll Into Balls
Take heaped tablespoons of the chicken mixture and roll into balls.
Tip: Wet your hands before rolling as it will make it far easier and the mixture wont stick to your hands.
Step 4 - Bake
Place the rolled meatballs into a lightly greased mini muffin tin (or onto a flat baking tray).
Lightly spray with olive oil cooking spray and bake in oven for 15 minutes.
After 15 minutes, brush extra sweet chilli sauce over the top and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Continue to bake for a further 2 minutes.
Note: I recommend using a silicone cooking brush or pastry brush to spread the extra sweet chilli sauce over the top.
Step 5. Make The Dipping Sauce
Combine additional sweet chilli sauce and lime juice in a small serving bowl for dipping.
Expert Tips and FAQ's
These tasty little chicken bites are so simple to make, but here's a few tips for making them extra delicious every time!
You can use ground chicken mince made entirely from breast meat or a combination of breast and thigh meat.
No problem! Simply use regular breadcrumbs instead.
The mixture will be very sticky so wet your hands with water before rolling the mixture to stop the mixture sticking to your hands and will ensure your meatballs are perfectly round in shape. You can also add more panko crumbs if the mixture is too wet.
When making meatballs, I like to use a lightly greased mini muffin tin. This allows you to put one meatball in each hole. If you don't have a mini muffin tin, you can simply use a lightly oiled flat baking tray.
For the last 2 minutes of cooking, I like to brush sweet chilli sauce over the top of the meatballs. This gives them a juicy, sticky, glossy and delicious flavour and also helps the sesame seeds to stick.
I recommend using a silicone cooking brush or pastry brush to spread the extra sweet chilli sauce over the top.
Absolutely! Each meatball is just 57 calories - plus baking them in the oven means that there's no need for any excess oil.
Baking Meatballs In The Oven
Baking meatballs in the oven rather than in a frying pan/skillet on the stove-top is a much healthier option.
There's no need for adding any excess oil (apart from a very light spray of olive oil).
Plus, you can pop them into the oven and leave them to bake rather than standing over the stove-top constantly flipping and turning! And who doesn't love that!
Storing & Freezing Meatballs
These Thai Chicken Meatballs are a great option for getting ready ahead of time (especially when prepping party food!)
Storing Meatballs
Store any leftover cooked meatballs in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days. Reheat thoroughly before consuming (or you can serve these cold if you like).
Freezing Uncooked Meatballs
You can prepare the chicken meatball mixture, roll into balls and freeze uncooked in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
Allow to defrost in the fridge before baking in the oven as per the recipe instructions.
Freezing Cooked Meatballs
You can also freeze any leftover cooked meatballs in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
You can either allow the meatballs to defrost in the fridge before reheating or you can reheat directly from frozen. Ensure the meatballs are hot all the way through before consuming though.
Related Recipes
We all know that bite-sized appetisers are always a great hit!
Whether you're catering a fabulous party for a crowd, feeding a fussy toddler, prepping some snacks to eat while watching a game on TV or making a light dinner, these are great options:
- Healthy Vegetable & Turkey Meatballs - a light, tasty and nutritious batch of meatballs that are great served on their own or as part of a main meal with a salad and fries.
- Ham & Cheese Pinwheels - the perfect party food! All you need is puff pastry, ham and cheese to make these deliciously flaky bite size pastries.
- Homemade Chicken Nuggets - forget about store-bought frozen nuggets, these are SO easy to make and taste a zillion times better!
- Chicken, Bacon & Cheese Sausage Rolls - the flaky pastry and yummy filling will make this recipe your go-to sausage roll recipe in no time!
- Mini Egg & Bacon Quiches - everyone loves the classic combination of crispy bacon and a soft egg filling all encased in puff pastry!
WANT EVEN MORE DELICIOUS RECIPES? Subscribe to my newsletter or follow along on Facebook or Instagram. And if you love baking, then please come and join my Facebook cooking club group or subscribe to my YouTube channel.
Oven Baked Thai Chicken Meatballs
Ingredients
- 500 g chicken mince ground chicken
- ½ cup (45 g) panko crumbs or breadcrumbs
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- 1 tsp minced ginger
- 2 tbs (30 g) soy sauce
- 2 tbs (30 g) sweet chilli sauce
- 1 tbs (15 g) lime juice
- 2 tbs (30 g) extra sweet chilli sauce for brushing
- sesame seeds for sprinkling
For the sauce
- ⅓ cup (75 g) sweet chilli sauce
- 1 ½ tbs (22.5 g) lime juice
Instructions
Conventional Method
- Preheat oven to 210 degrees celsius (fan forced).
- Lightly spray a non-stick mini-muffin tray with cooking spray and set aside (if you don't have a mini-muffin tray, lightly spray a non-stick baking tray).
- Place the chicken mince, panko crumbs, garlic, ginger, soy, sweet chilli sauce and lime juice into a bowl.
- Mix to combine.
- Roll mixture into heaped tablespoon sized balls using wet hands (see Notes)
- Place one ball into each hole of the mini-muffin tin.
- Bake in the oven for 15 minutes, then brush with 2 tbs sweet chilli sauce and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
- Bake for a further 2 minutes or until cooked through.
- To make the dipping sauce, mix the extra ⅓ cup of sweet chilli sauce and 1 & ½ tbs lime juice in a small serving bowl.
Thermomix Method
- Preheat oven to 210 degrees celsius (fan forced).
- Lightly spray a non-stick mini-muffin tray with cooking spray and set aside (if you don't have a mini-muffin tray, lightly spray a non-stick baking tray).
- Place the chicken mince, panko crumbs, garlic, ginger, soy, sweet chilli sauce and lime juice into the Thermomix bowl. Mix for 5 seconds, Reverse, Speed 4. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and repeat once more or until combined.
- Roll mixture into heaped tablespoon sized balls using wet hands (see Notes).
- Place one ball into each hole of the mini-muffin tin.
- Bake in the oven for 15 minutes, then brush with 2 tbs sweet chilli sauce and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
- Bake for a further 2 minutes or until cooked through.
- To make the dipping sauce, mix the extra ⅓ cup of sweet chilli sauce and 1 & ½ tbs lime juice in a small serving bowl.
Notes
- chicken mince - also known as ground chicken. You can use minced chicken breast or a combination of minced breast and thigh meat.
- panko crumbs - the panko bread crumbs help to hold the chicken meatballs together. Panko crumbs are a Japanese-style breadcrumb that are larger and lighter than regular breadcrumbs. You can buy them from the international/Asian section of any major supermarket. If panko crumbs are unavailable, you can use regular breadcrumbs.
Carol
Hi Lucy,
Made these tonight for dinner served with boiled rice and stir fried veggies,
they were delicious, made 24, only cooked half as only 2 of us, stashed the rest in the freezer for one of those nights when I don't feel like cooking. Also made your Slow Cooker Mexican Chicken soup also delicious, made it vegetarian, omitted the chicken, added capsicum, celery and carrots. It was supposed to be for a vegetarian friend who was coming to visit but unfortunately unable to because of Covid, oh well more for me.
Lucy
Oh I'm so sorry your friend couldn't come to visit!!! I'm thrilled you liked the recipes though! Thank you for your lovely feedback xx