Thai Meatballs with Satay Sauce have to be the tastiest meatballs you ever tried. Made with chicken and pork for extra flavour and smothered in tasty satay (peanut) sauce. Make them small and have them as a snack at your next get-together, or make them larger and serve them with rice and broccoli as a quick and easy supper.
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Thai Meatballs with Satay Sauce
Did I mention this before? I love Thai flavours and these little chicken and pork Thai meatballs really pack a punch. They are full of the taste of Thailand – lemongrass, garlic, ginger, chilli, coriander. Pair them with a creamy homemade satay sauce for a taste sensation you’ll want to experience over and over again.
They are super-easy to make too. Just plonk all the ingredients into a bowl, mix through, form into balls and bake in the oven. Oh yes, these Thai meatballs are oven-baked too so they are not only super-tasty and super-easy, but they are super-healthy as well. Winner all round!
These Thai meatballs are ideal for making mid-week when you don’t have much time. Just serve them with steamed pak choi or broccoli and a bowl of white rice for a quick and easy supper. They also make a great starter served with the bowl of dipping sauce. You could even make smaller meatballs and put them on cocktail sticks for the perfect plate of party nibbles.
How to make Thai Meatballs with Satay Sauce
You can get the complete list of ingredients and full instructions on how to make Thai meatballs with satay sauce on the printable recipe card at the end of this post.
Ingredients
Whenever I read a recipe I like to have a look at the ingredients to see whether I have everything I need. To make it easy for you – I’ve listed the ingredients below.
For the Thai meatballs
- Minced pork
- Minced chicken
- 1 large egg
- Breadcrumbs
- Lemon grass paste
- Ginger paste
- Garlic paste
- Chilli paste
- Small bunch fresh coriander
- White sugar
- Fish sauce
- Salt to taste
For the satay sauce
- Coconut milk
- Thai Red Curry Paste
- Peanut Butter (smooth or crunchy)
- White sugar
- Soy sauce
- White wine vinegar
Timing
Prep time is only about 10 minutes (if you mince your own chicken) – less if you buy ready-minced chicken.
Rolling the meatballs – this takes about 15 minutes. It is a good idea to keep a bowl of cold water nearby for dipping your hands. The mince will not stick to wet hands.
Actual cooking time is only 15 minutes.
Steps to make Thai meatballs
Prepare the meat
For this recipe I have used equal quantities of pork and chicken mince. I use ready minced pork from the butcher, but I like to mince fresh chicken breasts myself in the food processor. If you can get it, you can use ready made chicken mince.
Mix the meatball ingredients together
Put the meat and the rest of the ingredients for the meatballs into a mixing bowl and mix thoroughly to combine (image 1 above). The mixture will be quite soft.
Test for flavour
Before rolling the meatballs, I like to test for flavour.
Take a marble-sized piece of meat and flatten into a small patty. Fry in a little oil until brown on both sides (image 2 above). Allow it to cool and then taste. If you need more heat, add chilli to the mince mixture. For more saltiness, either add more fish sauce or a little salt. If you need more sweetness, add a little sugar.
Roll the Thai meatballs
Once you are happy with the flavour, you can form the meat into balls.
If you are making them as a party snack then make them the size of large marbles. For serving as a main meal then a golf-ball sized ball is ideal.
Tip: keep a bowl of clean cold water next to you while you are rolling the meatballs, so you can dip your hands into it. The meatballs will not stick to wet hands.
Arrange the meatballs on a baking tray (image 3 above). You can spray your tray with oil or line it with baking paper if your tray sticks. I have a very old tray that doesn’t stick so I don’t bother oiling or lining it.
Bake
Bake the meatballs in a pre-heated over (200C / 400F) for 15 minutes.
Make the satay sauce
Place all the ingredients for the satay sauce into a saucepan and bring to the boil. Turn down the heat and simmer for 5 minutes stirring occasionally.
Other Thai recipes
If you enjoyed these Thai meatballs, why not try some of my other Thai recipes.
FAQ
You can freeze these meatballs either before or after cooking. Freeze the sauce and meatballs separately.
To freeze raw:
Roll into balls and place on an baking sheet in the freezer. Once the meatballs have frozen place them in a Ziploc bag in the freezer. Freezing before placing them in a Ziploc bag will prevent them sticking together.
To cook:
Defrost in the fridge and cook as per the recipe instructions.
To freeze cooked:
Place the cooled cooked meatballs in a Ziploc bag and freeze
To cook:
Defrost and then either heat in the microwave or place in a hot oven for a few minutes. Be careful not to overcook.
Freeze the sauce in a plastic container. To use, just defrost in the fridge and then heat gently in a saucepan.
You can, but the texture will be different. I would also serve beef meatballs with a sweet chilli sauce rather than a satay sauce. Just my preference.
Yes, you can fry them in a little olive oil, or sunflower oil until golden brown. Be careful when frying though, as these meatballs are very soft and will break up easily.
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Recipe – Thai Meatballs with Satay Sauce
Thai Meatballs with Satay Sauce
(Click the stars to rate this recipe)
Ingredients
For the Meatballs
- ½ lb (225g) Minced Pork
- ½ lb (225g) Minced Chicken
- 1 large Egg
- 1 cup Breadcrumbs
- 1 teaspoon Lemon Grass Paste
- 1 teaspoon Ginger Paste
- 3 cloves Garlic minced or use 1 teaspoon garlic paste
- 3 teaspoons Chilli Paste adjust to your own taste
- 1 small bunch Fresh Coriander finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon White Sugar
- 2 Tablespoons Fish Sauce
- Salt to taste optional
For the Satay Sauce
- 5 ounce (165ml) can Coconut Milk (small tin)
- 2 level Tablespoons Thai Red Curry Paste
- 1 large heaped Tablespoon Peanut Butter
- 1 level Tablespoon White Sugar
- 1 Tablespoon Soy Sauce
- 1 Tablespoon White Wine Vinegar
Instructions
For the Meatballs
- Pre-heat oven to 200°C/400°F
- Mince the chicken
- Place all ingredients in a mixing bowl and mix thoroughly until well-combined
- Test for flavour
- Roll into small balls and place on a baking sheet
- Place the baking sheet in the oven and bake for 12 to 15 minutes until cooked through
For the Satay Sauce
- Place all the ingredients in a saucepan
- Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring ocasionally.
Notes
Nutrition
I am not a nutritionist. The nutrition information has been calculated using an on-line calculator, and is intended for information and guidance purposes only. If the nutrition information is important to you, you should consider calculating it yourself, using your preferred tool.
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I love Thai food, we have it all the time. This is a total winner
Thanks Megan – we love it too!
Such a delicious meal and very easy to make. Thanks VJ
So pleased you enjoyed it. x
I have saved this recipe to try as it is just the type of food we enjoy!
Hope you try it soon Robyn – it is yummy. Graham loves it!!!
I made a batch of these for a get-together I was having and the recipe yielded about 60 smallish meatballs. It’s such an economical recipe, The meatballs are delicious served cold with the satay sauce.