Meatballs make every meal more fun, and this twist on Thai-style chicken curry uses tender, flavorful meatballs in place of chopped chicken. The rich curry is somewhere between a soup and stew, perfect to serve over rice with roasted peanuts, lime juice, and fresh herbs.
0 Combine panko breadcrumbs, milk, onion, fish sauce, salt, ground coriander, ground ginger, garlic powder, and black pepper in a large mixing bowl until even. Add chicken. Use your hands to gently combine all of the ingredients. Form into meatballs that are about 1.5-inches in diameter (these should be fairly small; if the mixture sticks to your hands, wet your hands with a small amount of oil or water). Set aside.
1 Heat a Dutch oven, wok, or saute pan over medium heat. Add 1/2 cup coconut milk (if using canned coconut milk that has separated, use the top, thicker portion of the milk) to the pan. Simmer coconut milk, stirring constantly, until it has reduced by half and you can see oil separating from the milk, 5 to 6 minutes. (Note: This step to “break” the coconut milk is part of the traditional process, but don’t worry if your coconut milk doesn’t show signs of separating after this initial cook time - just proceed with the recipe.)
2 Add curry paste and saute until fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes.
3 Add meatballs to the pan and then pour chicken stock and remaining 1 cup coconut milk over top.
4 When liquids begin to simmer, stir in bell peppers, fish sauce, and brown sugar.
5 Let curry simmer gently, stirring occasionally, until meatballs are cooked through, 10 to 15 minutes.
6 Remove curry from heat and stir in lime juice. Taste and season with some more sugar if you’d like a bit more sweetness or more fish sauce if you’d like it more salty.
7 Serve curry and meatballs over cooked rice. Top with peanuts and cilantro or basil leaves.
