Sweet and sour meatballs! These aren’t your typical sweet meatballs (no grape jelly!). We have juicy, tender chicken balls in a fresh twist on the sweet and sour combination in a perfectly balanced, mouthwatering sweet and sour sauce made with a can of coconut milk, lime, ginger and brown sugar.
Honestly, I absorbed into these Asian-style meatballs with that amazing sweet and sour sauce, which was cooked until it was thick and shiny, coated with meatballs. them Great, it’s hard not to steal them out of the potBut if you can resist these are especially served on rice (I love this coconut rice) and are combined with a lot of incredible sauce.
You will use full fat coconut milk and slightly off-fat on top of the can to add to the meatballs themselves. This is our secret Making meatballs Juicy and soft inside. The rest of the cans turned into our cream sauce and wiped with a little soup, brown sugar and lime for a perfect sweet and sour flavor.
Key Ingredients
- Ground chicken: Look for ground chicken with some fat (92/8 or close to it is perfect). Skip the thin option. It will only give you hard, dry meatballs. I used the same trick for my classic meatballs too! Ground pork or Türkiye is also great.
- Coconut milk: You need whole fat coconut milk as this recipe. When you are in the store, flip the can and listen. You shouldn’t hear too much width liquid; this means you have a lot of thick coconut cream inside, which is exactly what we want! Once you get home, don’t shake it. We need to separate the cream and milk. We will “steal” 2 tablespoons of thick cream as the meatball mixture and the rest of the can will make our sweet and sour sauce.
- Ginger, Garlic and Lemongrass Paste: These are our fragrances (I love the combination). Fresh lemongrass can be a little picky, so I usually buy lemongrass paste in the tube (also great for our red curry paste). If you can’t find the paste, rest assured, I have instructions on how to prepare fresh lemongrass in the “Tips” below the recipe.
- Green onion, basil, mint: Finally, we add these fresh herbs to the final meatballs and sauce. It makes this dish super bright and fresh. I love Thai basil, but any variety will be made!
- brown sugar: This is what brings “sweet” into our sweet and sour sauce and balances the sourness. Brown sugar with aromatics and fish sauce is very good. Coconut sugar will also be a great alternative here if you prefer.
- Lime and Rice Vinegar: These are the “sour” elements of our sauce! Use unsweetened rice wine vinegar and fresh lime (you can use both skin and juice for maximum sourness).
- 5 Chinese spices: We only add a little bit (1/4 teaspoon) to the meatball mixture. I love it, but if you don’t want to buy a brand new spice jar with just a quarter teaspoon, you can use an equal amount of Garam Masala. Alternatively, try grinding the greens, but reduce them to 1/8 teaspoon.
- Fish sauce: Oh, how much I love fish sauce! As you might see in our Vietnamese pho, sesame ginger shrimp marinated or Thai chicken salad recipes, it adds an incredible savory, umami and slightly funky flavor that nothing else can replicate. My pantry always has Red Boat and three crabs (all great choices for this dish).
- chicken soup: Pick up your favorite store-buy or homemade chicken soup. Vegetable soup is also very good here. We only need a small amount to mix with coconut milk and make our sauce.
Find the complete recipe in the measurements below.
How to Make Our Coconut Sweet and Sour Meatballs
The secret to these meatballs starts with a can of Unshakable whole fat coconut milk. We will scoop a few tablespoons of thick coconut cream from the top of the can and add it to our meatball mixture. The rest of the coconut milk will then form the basis of our incredibly sweet sauce.
I like to form meatballs, and then Keep them in the refrigerator for 5 to 10 minutes. This little trick helps them firmly so they stay beautifully as you cook.
After the brown meatballs, you will Build a sweet and sour sauce in the same pot. Then, cook the meatballs in the sauce until cooked.
At this point, the sauce will be a little thin. So we will take out the meatballs and let the sauce continue to cook, then Reduce to a thicker, brighter consistency (Usually about 10 minutes).
Finished with a final squeeze of lime and then topped with sweet meatballs filled with many incredible flavored sauces.
Sweet and sour meatballs
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These Asian-inspired sweet and sour meats are happy foods filled with incredible flavors. They do wake up your flavors, and once I try them I’ll bet you’ll definitely add this recipe to your rotation! Remember, we need coconut cream and coconut milk separated in the jar, so don’t shivering! You will use cream as the meatball mixture and the rest of the jar as the sauce.
Try these stacked on top of coconut rice, coriander lime rice, rice flour or cooked quinoa.
6 servings
You will need
2 lbs (907g) ground chicken, 92/8
1 (15 oz) full-fat coconut milk, don’t shake
1½ tablespoons chopped fresh ginger
2 teaspoons lemongrass sauce, see tips
3 cloves and garlic, chopped
1 green onion, chopped
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
5 tablespoons (66g) brown sugar (1 tablespoon meatballs, 4 tablespoon sauce)
1/4 teaspoon 5 spices in Chinese
1 teaspoon fish sauce
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
1 tablespoon avocado oil
3/4 cup (177 ml) chicken soup
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 lime, zest, and cut in half
Fine sea salt
Optional toppings: sliced shallots, coriander leaves, chopped basil, chopped mint
direction
1Make the meatballs mixed: In a large mixing bowl, mix ginger, lemongrass paste, garlic, green onion, basil, mint, 1 tablespoon brown sugar, 1/4 teaspoon Chinese 5 spices, 1 teaspoon fish sauce and 1.5 teaspoon salt. Make everything good.
2Add chicken and coconut butter: Now, add the ground chicken. Open the canned coconut milk and use a tablespoon of 2 tablespoons thick coconut cream from the top. Add this cream to the chicken, Save the rest of the jars as sauce. Mix the chicken and coconut cream into the remaining meatball mixture until combined.
3Rolled meatballs: Roll the mixture into about 1 ounce (30 grams) meatballs. Refrigerate them for 5 to 10 minutes to help them firmly.
4Brown Meatballs: Use a wide, deep skillet to heat sesame oil and avocado oil over medium heat. Carefully place the meatballs in hot oil to space them evenly, and then brown them on one side.
5Build a sweet and sour sauce: Flip each meatball over. Now, add the chicken broth, coconut milk, rice vinegar, remaining 4 tablespoons of brown sugar, peeled from 1 lime, half of the juice in the lime, and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Gently rotate the pan to combine all the ingredients. Cover the frying pan with a lid and cook gently until the meatballs are cooked, about 10 minutes. When inserted in the middle of the meatball, the internal thermometer should read 165°F.
6Reduce sauce: After cooking the meatballs, remove them from the skillet and place them on a plate. Keep the lid, keep the heat high, and then reduce the seasoning. You want to reduce it until it thickens and is barely coated on the bottom of the skillet, which takes about 10 minutes.
7Serve: Squeeze the juice from the second half of the lime and rotate to mix to finish the sauce. Then, pour the sauce over the meatballs and garnish with fresh green onions and herbs.
Adam and Joanne’s Tips
- storage: Transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 4 days or freeze for up to 1 month. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight before reheating.
- Lemongrass sauce: I buy refrigerated lemongrass sauce using squeezeable tubes sold near fresh herbs.
- Using fresh lemongrass: Cut the top and bottom of the stem. Then, peel off the solid outer layer until it reaches the tender pale yellow core. Finally, slice the stems and chop them as much as possible, or use a food processor to chop them. If you make a larger homemade lemongrass paste, store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for a few days, or freeze it in an ice cube tray, transfer it to a freezing bag, and freeze it for up to 3 months.
- The best pot to use: We like this dish of Rondeau or braiser pan because it’s big, wide, high, side high, lid. Dutch ovens work too. If you don’t have a lid, you can cover the frying pan with aluminum foil.
- Leftover ginger, garlic and green herbs: If you need another way to consume the aromatics you bought for this recipe, try making homemade chili sauces, such as our yellow curry paste or green curry paste (the upcoming recipe).
- The nutrition facts provided are estimates.
Nutrition per serving
Service size
1/6 of the recipe
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Calories
415
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Total fat
29.1g
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Saturated fat
14.8 grams
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cholesterol
130mg
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sodium
817mg
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carbohydrate
11.1g
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Dietary fiber
0.3g
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Total sugar
7.6 g
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protein
28.4g
We are Adam and Joanne, a couple who are passionate about cooking and sharing delicious, reliable recipes since 2009. Our goal? Inspire you to enter the kitchen and cook fresh and delicious meals confidently.
