A quick, cozy meal that delivers big on flavor? Say hello to these lovely coconut gochujang chicken meatballs. Juicy, golden meatballs (bake, air fry or pan-fry, itโs up to you) are tossed with a creamy, spicy, sweet coconut sauce thatโs pure comfort in a bowl. And the best part? It takes less than 30 minutes.
There’s just something about a juicy meatball, swimming in a gorgeous sauce that hits the mark every time for me, and this lovely coconutty gochujang meatball recipe is no different. It’s creamy and comforting without feeling super heavy and hits all the best sweet and spicy flavors, making it a wonderfully satisfying meal for any day of the week. The gochujang paste is the real star here and features in both the meatballs AND the sauce. It helps (along with the ricotta) to keep the meatballs super light and juicy while also providing that signature flavor I just can’t get enough of.
What I love most about this recipe is that it feels a bit special but itโs actually incredibly straightforward and thereโs hardly anything to wash up (always a win!)
At a glance, itโs just rolling meatballs, popping them into the air fryer (or oven, or you can pan-fry them if you like), making a quick creamy sauce while they cook and then combining the two.
Itโs as brilliant for busy weeknights as it is for meal prep, but I particularly love it for entertaining. Iโve found it to be a real crowd-pleaser and you can serve it up in SO many ways. Think over rice or noodles, scoop it into lettuce cups or fluffy steamed bao buns or just serve it up with a big pile of fresh chilli-cheese focaccia.
Need more meatball inspiration? Try these juicy dumpling meatballs, one pot satay chicken meatballs, sweet and sour chicken meatballs or ‘Marry Me’ chicken meatballs next.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Ground chicken. You could swap this for ground turkey, beef, pork or a plant-based alternative if you like. Or, add 1lb of skinless, boneless chicken thighs to a blender and blitz to make your own ground chicken.
- Coconut milk. Try to use coconut milk with a high percentage of actual coconut, without added stabilizers, for the best flavor and texture. Stay away from anything labeled as ‘light’ – this will be too watery. Anything above 60% coconut will work well.
- Gochujang paste. This gorgeous, sweet, spicy fermented chili paste is one of my favorite ingredients. You’ll find it in the Asian or International aisle at grocery stores, or you can pick it up from Amazon.
- Ricotta. You can also use whipped cottage cheese, or the more typical egg instead if you prefer.
- Fish sauce. An essential one and I promise it doesn’t make anything taste fishy! It just adds a lovely savory depth that salt can’t replicate. If you really don’t want to use it, you can use light soy sauce instead. Or use a vegetarian fish sauce (often made with mushrooms) if you like.
How to Make Gochujang Chicken Meatballs
Add all the ingredients for your meatballs to a bowl, and mix to combine well. Roll the mixture into small balls. You can cook the meatballs on the stovetop, in the oven or in the air fryer. I prefer the air fryer as it’s super quick and easy, but any of the options work well.
Cook your scallions, ginger and garlic in a pan, then add the gochujang paste. Cook for a couple of minutes more, before adding the coconut milk and the other seasoning. Mix and bring to a simmer, before adding the cooked meatballs into the sauce.
Toss the meatballs through the sauce, then cover and cook for another few minutes. Serve up with lots of sweet chili jam, scallions and cilantro and enjoy while hot.
Watch How to Make Them
Gochujang Chicken Meatballs FAQs
You can! Both the meatballs and the sauce can be made up to 3 days ahead of time, so it stores and reheats well.
Gochujang is quite spicy, so if you’re worried about the heat level, you can reduce the quantity you use in the meatballs and the sauce. Cut the meatball amount to 1 teaspoon, and use 1/2 tablespoon in the sauce. If it is still a bit spicy for you in the end, add a little honey into the sauce, which should balance things out.
If you’re making this for kids, I recommend serving the sauce on the side and cutting down the amount of gochujang in the meatballs themselves.
Yes! There are a couple of ways to do this. Portion it (I like to use ziplock bags) and freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost overnight in the fridge, then reheat in a pan over low-medium heat until hot (or in the microwave until piping hot).
You can also freeze the uncooked meatballs. Pop them on their lined tray into the freezer for a couple of hours until they’re solid, then pop them into ziplock bags (this step will prevent them from sticking together to create one giant meatball in the freezer). You can then cook them straight from frozen – air fry them for 15 to 20 minutes at 400F/200C or pop them into the oven for 25 minutes at 400F/200C.
Like this recipe? Try these easy meatball recipes next
If you make this recipe, I’d love to hear from you! You can leave a recipe rating and a comment below. And remember to tag @DishedByKate on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok if you’ve made one of my recipes. Seeing your recreations really makes my day ๐.
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Creamy Coconut Gochujang Chicken Meatballs
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings
Description
A quick, cozy meal that delivers big on flavor? Say hello to these lovely coconut gochujang chicken meatballs. Juicy, golden meatballs (bake, air fry or pan-fry, itโs up to you) are tossed with a creamy, spicy, sweet coconut sauce thatโs pure comfort in a bowl. And the best part? It takes less than 30 minutes.
Ingredients
For the meatballs –
- 1lb/500g ground chicken
- 3 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1-inch piece of ginger, grated
- 2 scallions, finely chopped
- A handful of cilantro (coriander) leaves, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon gochujang paste
- 2 teaspoons fish sauce
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
- 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1/2 cup ricotta (or an egg)
- 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
For the coconut gochujang sauce –
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1-inch piece ginger, grated
- 3 scallions, finely chopped
- 1.5 tablespoons gochujang paste
- 1 can coconut milk (12oz/400g)
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons fish sauce
To serve –
- 1 lime, juiced
- 2 tablespoons sweet chili jam
- A handful of cilantro (coriander) leaves
- 2 scallions (spring onions), finely sliced
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
Instructions
- Mix the meatballs. Add the ground chicken to a mixing bowl, along with 3 crushed garlic cloves, the grated ginger, 2 chopped scallions, the chopped cilantro, 1 tablespoon of gochujang paste, 2 teaspoons of fish sauce, 2 teaspoons of sesame oil, 1/2 cup of panko breadcrumbs, 1/2 cup of ricotta, 2 tablespoons of sesame seeds and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Mix very well so that all the ingredients are combined with the ground chicken evenly.
- Form the meatballs. You can bake, air fry or pan fry the meatballs. If you’re baking them, heat your oven to 430F/220C. Line an oven tray with parchment paper. Lightly wet your hands (this will help to prevent the mixture sticking to them), then use a spoon to scoop up a heaped tablespoon of the mixture. Roll into a ball and place on the prepared tray. Repeat with the rest of the mixture.
- Cook the meatballs.ย If you’re baking the meatballs in the oven, pop them in and cook for 20 minutes, until golden brown. If you’re air fryingย the meatballs, pop them into your air fryer basket and cook at 400F/200C for 12 minutes. And if you’re pan-frying them, drizzle the olive oil into a large, high-sided (ideally) non-stick pan or skillet. Add the meatballs and cook, turning occasionally, for about five minutes, until they’ve got a lovely golden crust. They don’t have to be completely cooked at this point. Remove them from the pan and set aside on a plate.
- Start the sauce.ย Set a large, high-sided (ideally) non-stick pan or skillet over medium-high heat (if you’ve pan-fried the meatballs, use the same pan). Add the sesame oil, then add 3 crushed garlic cloves, the grated ginger and the 3 chopped scallions. Stir for a couple of minutes, then add 1.5 tablespoons of gochujang paste. Stir the paste through the aromatics for a couple of minutes.
- Add the coconut milk.ย Pour in the coconut milk, 1 teaspoon of soy sauce and 2 teaspoons of fish sauce, stir and bring to a simmer. Lower the heat, and simmer the sauce for five minutes to thicken it up slightly.
- Add the meatballs.ย At this point, add the cooked meatballs into the sauce, stirring them through. Cover the pan and cook on low for another five minutes.
- Garnish and serve.ย Finish by squeezing the lime juice over the meatballs in the pan, then dollop with the sweet chili jam. Scatter with the remaining cilantro leaves, sesame seeds and chopped scallions. Serve over rice, noodles, with fresh bread or straight from the pan.
Notes
INGREDIENT NOTES:ย Use full-fat coconut milk without any stabilizers, with at least 60% coconut extract, for the best flavor. Light coconut milk does work, but it will be a lot more watery and won’t be as creamy. Make sure it’sย canned coconut milk and not coconut milk in a bottle or carton that’s designed for drinking (much too thin for this recipe). You’ll find gochujang paste in the international or Asian aisle at large grocery stores, or you can pick it up from Amazon.
SUBSTITUTIONS:ย You can swap the ground chicken for ground turkey, pork, beef or a plant-based alternative. I love using ricotta because it makes the meatballs SUPER light and juicy, but you can use an egg if you prefer. If you don’t want to use fish sauce (I promise it doesn’t make the meatballs taste fishy!) use a little light soy sauce instead. You could use ginger and garlic paste instead of fresh if you like (though the flavor won’t be quite as good).
SERVING SUGGESTIONS:ย I love serving these over fluffy steamed rice (or even this life-changing baked rice would be great), or noodles with a smacked cucumber salad, but they’re also great spooned into lettuce cups for a low-carb option, or just served up with fresh bread (this no-knead rosemary parmesan bread or chili cheese focaccia would be excellent), or you could spoon them into fluffy steamed bao buns. Enjoying them straight from the pan with a spoon is also an excellent option!ย
STORAGE INSTRUCTIONS: The meatballs and the sauce keep well for at least three days, and you reheat them in the microwave until piping hot, or gently on the stovetop. You can also make the meatball mixture and store in the fridge for a couple of days until you’re ready to form and cook them.
FREEZING INSTRUCTIONS: There are a couple of ways to do this. Either make the whole thing, then portion it (I like to use ziplock bags) and freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost overnight in the fridge, then reheat in a pan over low-medium heat until hot (or in the microwave until piping hot).ย You can also freeze the uncooked meatballs. Pop them on their lined tray into the freezer for a couple of hours until they’re solid, then pop them into ziplock bags (this step will prevent them from sticking together to create one giant meatball in the freezer). You can then cook them straight from frozen – air fry them for 15 to 20 minutes at 400F/200C or pop them into the oven for 25 minutes at 400F/200C.
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 20
- Category: meat
- Method: air fryer
- Cuisine: american
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 250g
- Calories: 630
- Sugar: 11.9g
- Sodium: 888.9mg
- Fat: 45.4g
- Saturated Fat: 25.8g
- Unsaturated Fat: 16.6g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 29.7g
- Fiber: 2.4g
- Protein: 31.8g
- Cholesterol: 123.3mg
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