Thai Inspired Chicken Meatball Soup

This Thai-inspired chicken meatball soup is flavor-packed and easy to make with a creamy coconut curry broth, shiitake mushrooms, and oven-baked meatballs. Served warm with rice noodles or fluffy jasmine rice, this makes for the perfect cozy meal in under an hour.

There are few meals more cozy than a big bowl of steaming hot curry. This recipe idea came to me one night when I was craving Thai flavors, but all I had in my fridge was some ground chicken. I decided to form it into flavorful meatballs, and the rest is history.

I love creating fusion recipes with Asian flavors, like my blackened miso salmon with creamy coconut cucumber salad. There’s something about combining familiar cooking methods with flavors that are new to me that always creates a winning recipe.

With this Thai-influenced chicken meatball soup, I’ve used aromatics like ginger, garlic, scallions, cilantro, and curry paste, and combined them with noodles and spinach to create a soup that’s totally crave-worthy.

How to Make Thai-Inspired Chicken Meatball Soup

This Thai-inspired chicken meatball soup is simple and easy to make. Instead of pan-frying the meatballs, which is messy and complicated, the meatballs are partially baked in the oven and then finished in the sauce.

1. Combine the ground chicken with all the aromatics and mix until just combined. Tip ⇢  Overworking the mixture will cause the meatballs to be dense, so use a light hand when mixing them. Use a cookie scoop or measuring spoon to form 1 ½ inch balls. If the mixture is too sticky to work with, oil your hands or wet them with water to prevent sticking. Place the meatballs on the sheet pan and bake until they are just cooked through. They’ll finish cooking in the sauce, so don’t worry if they’re still a little pink in the center.
2. While the meatballs are baking, start preparing the broth. Sauté a couple of shallots and shiitake mushrooms until they’re soft and beginning to caramelize. Add the curry paste and let that toast for only a minute or so before pouring in the coconut milk and broth. Once the meatballs are ready, add those to the broth and bring everything up to a simmer, but don’t let it boil. Cook everything until the meatballs are cooked through; this should take about 10 minutes. 
3. Finally, stir in the lime juice and spinach just before serving. Serve this Thai-inspired chicken meatball soup in shallow bowls, accompanied by rice noodles or jasmine rice. Enjoy!

Store, reheat, and freeze

Store: Cool leftovers to room temperature, then store them in a covered container in the fridge for up to 4 days.

Reheat: I like to reheat this soup in a pot over medium-low heat, but a microwave also works well.

Freeze: If you plan to freeze this soup, keep the noodles separate to prevent them from becoming too soggy. It will keep well in your freezer for up to six months

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Thai Inspired Chicken Meatball Soup Recipe

Prep: 15 minutes mins

Cook: 30 minutes mins

Total: 45 minutes mins

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This Thai inspired chicken meatball soup is simple and flavorful with a creamy coconut curry broth, lots of veggies, and easy oven-baked meatballs.

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Ingredients

• ▢ 1 lb ground chicken
• ▢ 2 medium scallions (finely chopped)
• ▢ 2 tablespoons cilantro (chopped)
• ▢ 3 cloves garlic (minced)
• ▢ 1 inch piece of ginger (grated)
• ▢ 2 tablespoons soy sauce (divided)
• ▢ 1 tablespoon cooking oil
• ▢ 2 large shallots (thinly sliced)
• ▢ 6 ounces shiitake mushrooms (sliced)
• ▢ 3 tablespoons Thai red curry paste
• ▢ 15 ounce can full fat, unsweetened coconut milk
• ▢ 4 cups chicken stock
• ▢ 5 ounces baby spinach
• ▢ Juice from 1 lime
• ▢ Cooked rice noodles or jasmine rice for serving (see tip below)

Instructions 

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• In a mixing bowl, combine ground chicken, scallions, cilantro, garlic, ginger, and 1 tablespoon of soy sauce.
  1 lb ground chicken, 2 medium scallions, 2 tablespoons cilantro, 3 cloves garlic, 1 inch piece of ginger
• With oiled hands, form the mixture into 1 ½ inch balls and place on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes or until just cooked through. They will finish cooking in the broth so it’s ok if they are still a little pink in the middle.
• To make the soup, heat a large pot over medium heat. Add the oil. When shimmering, add the shallots and sauté for 3-4 minutes or until translucent. Add the mushrooms and cook for another 2-3 minutes, until softened.
  1 tablespoon cooking oil, 2 large shallots, 6 ounces shiitake mushrooms
• Stir in the red curry paste. Cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the coconut milk, chicken broth, and remaining 1 tablespoon of soy sauce. Place the baked meatballs in the pot and bring them to a bare simmer. Reduce the heat and continue simmering for 5-10 minutes or until the meatballs are cooked through.
  3 tablespoons Thai red curry paste, 15 ounce can full fat, unsweetened coconut milk, 4 cups chicken stock
• Stir in the spinach and lime juice. Taste for salt and add more if needed.  Serve warm with cooked rice noodles or jasmine rice.
  Juice from 1 lime, 5 ounces baby spinach

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Notes

Cook the rice noodles in a separate pot. If they’re cooked with the soup, they will absorb all the liquid and you will be left with no broth. This is also true with storing the soup—leave  any extra noodles separate and add just before serving.

Nutrition

Serving: 2 ½ cups, Calories: 497kcal (25%), Carbohydrates: 15g (5%), Protein: 30g (60%), Fat: 38g (58%), Saturated Fat: 24g (150%), Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g, Monounsaturated Fat: 8g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 98mg (33%), Sodium: 691mg (30%), Potassium: 1455mg (42%), Fiber: 3g (13%), Sugar: 4g (4%), Vitamin A: 5184IU (104%), Vitamin C: 15mg (18%), Calcium: 103mg (10%), Iron: 7mg (39%)

© Author Elaine Skiadas

We have thoroughly tested this recipe for accuracy. However, individual results may vary. See our full recipe disclosure here.