PREP TIME: 15 mins | COOK TIME: 30 mins | TOTAL TIME: 45 mins | SERVES: 4
The combination of the sweet and savoury flavour of this protein and the veggies-packed one-pan meal is incredible! My favourite weeknight meal – delicious cilantro chicken meatballs in an easy yet impressive mango coconut sauce.
Ingredients
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Meatballs:
1 lb 93% lean ground chicken (or lean ground turkey)
1 Egg
½ c. panko breadcrumbs (or if GF sub 2-3 tbsp coconut flour)
1/3 c. finely diced cilantro
1/4 c. finely diced red onion
1 jalapeño, seeded and finely diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tbsp freshly grated ginger (or ½ tsp ground ginger)
½ tsp ground cumin
½ tsp turmeric
¼ tsp cayenne pepper
½ tsp salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 tbsp toasted sesame oil (can also use avocado oil or coconut oil)
Coconut mango sauce:
1 (15 oz.) can light coconut milk
1 ½ c. diced mango (can use frozen, just make sure you thaw it first)
2 tbsp gluten-free soy sauce (or coconut aminos)
Add-ins:
1 red bell pepper, julienned
3/4 c. frozen peas (or edamame)
Garnish:
Chopped honey-roasted peanuts
Diced green onion
Fresh cilantro
Hot sauce, if desired
How to make Cilantro Chicken Meatballs in Mango Coconut Sauce
Step 1: To a blender, add coconut milk, diced mango, and soy sauce. Blend until smooth to make the mango coconut sauce. Set aside.
Step 2: Add the ground chicken, egg, breadcrumbs, cilantro, red onion, jalapeño, garlic, ginger, cumin, turmeric, cayenne, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Mix with your hands and shape into 16 golf ball-sized meatballs.
Step 3: Heat sesame oil in a large deep skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the meatballs to the skillet and brown for about 5 to 6 minutes on both sides. Depending on how many meatballs can fit in the skillet, you may need to cook the meatballs in batches to avoid overcrowding the pan.
Step 4: Adjust the heat to medium-low. Into the same pan with the meatballs, add the mango coconut sauce. Cover with the lid, adjust the heat to low, then let the sauce simmer for about 20 minutes.
Step 5: Take the lid off after 20 minutes. Carefully stir in the peas and red bell pepper. Continue to simmer for another 5 minutes, uncovered.
Step 6: Serve the meatballs with the sauce over brown rice, quinoa, or spiralized zucchini or sweet potato. If desired, garnish with chopped honey-roasted peanuts, scallions, cilantro. For a little kick, top with some hot sauce. Enjoy!
Notes:
For this recipe, you can replace ground chicken with ground turkey.
For the sauce, use either ripe mango or frozen-thawed mango.
If you want to make a nice sauce, make sure to only use light coconut milk.
Nutrition Facts:
Serving size: 1 serving (based on 4)
Calories: 392kcal | Fat: 21.1g | Saturated fat: 9g | Carbohydrates: 25.6g | Fiber: 3.7g | Sugar: 11.2g | Protein: 24.9g

Ingredients
- Meatballs:
- 1 lb 93% lean ground chicken (or lean ground turkey)
- 1 Egg
- ½ c. panko breadcrumbs (or if GF sub 2-3 tbsp coconut flour)
- 1/3 c. finely diced cilantro
- 1/4 c. finely diced red onion
- 1 jalapeño, seeded and finely diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 tbsp freshly grated ginger (or ½ tsp ground ginger)
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp turmeric
- ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
- ½ tsp salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil (can also use avocado oil or coconut oil)
- Coconut mango sauce:
- 1 (15 oz.) can light coconut milk
- 1 ½ c. diced mango (can use frozen, just make sure you thaw it first)
- 2 tbsp gluten-free soy sauce (or coconut aminos)
- Add-ins:
- 1 red bell pepper, julienned
- 3/4 c. frozen peas (or edamame)
- Garnish:
- Chopped honey-roasted peanuts
- Diced green onion
- Fresh cilantro
- Hot sauce, if desired
Instructions
Step 1: To a blender, add coconut milk, diced mango, and soy sauce. Blend until smooth to make the mango coconut sauce. Set aside.
Step 2: Add the ground chicken, egg, breadcrumbs, cilantro, red onion, jalapeño, garlic, ginger, cumin, turmeric, cayenne, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Mix with your hands and shape into 16 golf ball-sized meatballs.
Step 3: Heat sesame oil in a large deep skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the meatballs to the skillet and brown for about 5 to 6 minutes on both sides. Depending on how many meatballs can fit in the skillet, you may need to cook the meatballs in batches to avoid overcrowding the pan.
Step 4: Adjust the heat to medium-low. Into the same pan with the meatballs, add the mango coconut sauce. Cover with the lid, adjust the heat to low, then let the sauce simmer for about 20 minutes.
Step 5: Take the lid off after 20 minutes. Carefully stir in the peas and red bell pepper. Continue to simmer for another 5 minutes, uncovered.
Step 6: Serve the meatballs with the sauce over brown rice, quinoa, or spiralized zucchini or sweet potato. If desired, garnish with chopped honey-roasted peanuts, scallions, cilantro. For a little kick, top with some hot sauce. Enjoy!
Notes
For this recipe, you can replace ground chicken with ground turkey. For the sauce, use either ripe mango or frozen-thawed mango. If you want to make a nice sauce, make sure to only use light coconut milk.