Chicken Meatballs with Peanut Sauce and Thai Basil

Our garden this year with all this rain is full of Thai basil and if you've never tasted Thai basil, you are missing out.  It adds a unique and authentic flavor to many Thai dishes, the flavor profile is a bit more spiced and licorice-like than your traditional basil. The chicken meatballs are a cinch to make and you simply add orange bell pepper and our Cambodian Coconut Peanut Sauce and you are basically done - other than cooking the rice.   A perfect dish for summer and if you can't get your hands on Thai basil from your local market, then substitute with regular basil - it will be just as delicious.

Ingredients:

Meatball Ingredients:

1 lb Ground Chicken
1 Spring Onion roughly chopped
1/2 tsp Ginger Powder
1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
1/2 tsp Chili Flakes
1/2 tsp Soy Sauce
1 tsp Sesame Seeds
1 Tbsp Sesame Seed Oil
Pinch Salt

Rice

1 Cup Jasmine Rice

Peanut Sauce Ingredients:

1 Tbsp Sesame Seed Oil
1 Orange Bell Pepper Sliced 
1 Bottle Wozz! Cambodian Coconut Peanut Sauce
1/3 Cup Chicken stock 

Garnish Ingredients

Thai Basil
Crushed Roasted Peanuts
Fresh Lime Wedges

Method:

Preheat oven to 450 F

Cook Rice:

1 cup dry Jasmine rice cooked to package instructions (makes two cups).  

*A tip for cooking rice which is what we do every time - boil 1.5 times the amount of liquid to the amount of rice you are cooking.  So if you are making 1 cup of rice, boil 1.5 cups of water or stock.  Wash excess starch out of your rice first. Add the appropriate water to rice ratio to a suitable sized pot with a tight fitting lid. Bring up to a boil, then turn heat down to a simmer, cook for 10 minutes with lid on.  Turn heat off, leave lid on and do not disturb for another 10 minutes.  Fluff with fork.  Otherwise you can always follow package directions. 

Make Your Chicken Meatballs:

In a large mixing bowl, combine meatball ingredients.
Roll into golf ball sized meatballs, (you'll get about 12 meatballs.)
Arrange evenly spaced on a baking tray lined with parchment paper and roast for 15 minutes or until cooked through.

Make Peanut Sauce:

Heat sesame oil and sauté bell peppers with a pinch of salt until a little soft, about 5 minutes.
Add Wozz! Cambodian Coconut Peanut Sauce and chicken stock and bring to a boil.
Add the chicken meatballs and coat with sauce.  Keep on low heat while you get your plate ready.

Serve:

Add jasmine rice to serving bowl.  Top with meatballs and extra sauce.  Garnish with roasted peanuts, Thai basil leaves and fresh lime wedges.  

Enjoy!