This Asian Chicken Meatball Soup recipe is so nourishing and delicious! Loaded up with healthy bok choy, it’s easily made in 30 minutes. Paleo, low-carb, low-calorie and gluten-free. 

This Asian Chicken Meatball Soup recipe is so nourishing and delicious! Loaded up with healthy bok choy, it's easily made in 30 minutes. Paleo, low-carb, low-calorie and gluten-free.

This Asian Chicken Meatball Soup is similar in flavor to wonton soup but made without wonton wrappers, keeping it gluten-free and low-carb. We add bok choy to bump up the nutrition here.

The tiny, adorable chicken meatballs are bursting with flavor! They whip up quickly and can be dropped into the simmering broth raw; or freeze them and pull them out on busy weeknights when time is short.

Why You’ll Love Meatball soup!

  1. Healthy! Paleo, low-carb, low-calorie, and gluten-free.
  2. Quick and easy to make. A 30-minute recipe perfect for weeknights.
  3. Freezer-friendly. Freeze the chicken meatballs for quick meals!
  4. The flavor! Amazing!
chicken meatball soup in bowl with dark greens, bok choy, and garnished with sesame seeds.

About the Chicken Meatballs

The little chicken meatballs take about 15-20 minutes to make. Seasoned with garlic, ginger, shallot, lemongrass and fresh chili peppers- they are a flavor bomb. Because they are so tiny, they only take a few minutes to cook.

And once in the broth they are like little bites of heavenly goodness…..so addicting and a delicious soup recipe. Please try this one friends!!!

brothy bowl of chicken meatball soup with fresh greens and chilies.

The Comforting Chicken Broth

To me, one of the most healing, nurturing and comforting things to eat is chicken broth – especially when made from scratch, with leftover organic chicken.

My very first food memory is of my mom’s chicken soup, when I was very little, and sick, and sitting in my high chair. I had both hands in the soup, fishing out the chicken and remember thinking, mmmmmmm, this tastes sooooooo good! It was my first memory of taste. Can you remember yours?  How has this shaped what you like to eat today?

To this day, chicken broth is my comfort food.

Chicken Meatball Soup Ingredients

  • Ground chicken: Or use ground turkey, ground beef, ground pork, or a mix.
  • Chicken broth or chicken stock: Use organic if possible.
  • Aromatics: Fresh lemongrass, shallot, grated ginger, and minced garlic cloves.
  • Scallions: Separate the white and green parts. For the broth you can sub leeks.
  • Jalapeño: Optional. Including the seeds add more heat. Omit them if you prefer it milder.
  • Fresh greens: Bok choy, baby spinach, arugula, Asian greens, or a combination.
  • Drizzle toasted sesame oil
  • Garnish: Fresh herbs (cilantro, basil, scallions, chives, Italian parsley), toasted sesame oil, fresh chili slices
fresh greens for chicken meatball soup- arugula, bok choy, scallions.

Here I’ve cleaned out my fridge and am adding baby spinach, bok choy, arugula and scallions to the soup. Lots of healthy nutritious greens!

How to Make Chicken Meatball Soup (instructions)

Place the ground chicken and the rest of the meatball mixture ingredients – salt, lemongrass, shallot, ginger, garlic, green tops of scallions and jalapeño- into a medium or large bowl, and using wet hands, mix until combined well.

Again, using wet hands, form into small cherry-walnut-sized balls (.75 ounces!), understanding they will swell in the broth (almost twice the size), and place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet in a single layer. See notes.

mixing bowl with ground chicken, shallots, ginger, garlic, and green onions.

Heat the broth or stock in a big pot or Dutch oven and add the white parts of the scallions (or leeks). Bring to a gentle boil. Add a pinch of white pepper and salt to taste.

Gently drop the raw meatballs (serves 2) into the simmering broth.

Gently simmer the meatballs until cooked through about 5 minutes (they will take longer if frozen). Remember the smaller the meatballs, the faster they will cook. They will float when done, but best to always test one first.

During the last minute of cooking add the greens to the pot, so they wilt and become tender– but not too long that they lose their vibrant color. Toss in the fresh herbs and remaining scallions and serve immediately.

Divide among bowls, top with a few slices of fresh chilies for heat, and a drizzle of toasted sesame oil for added depth and flavor. Red pepper flakes or sesame seeds also make a nice garnish.

Serve with a green salad!

ladling soup into a bowl.

Optional Additions

You can really add just about any vegetables to this broth-based soup. Here are some ideas for optional add-ins!

  • Sliced onions
  • Sliced mushrooms
  • Julienned carrots
  • Chopped celery
  • Soft-boiled egg
  • Rice noodles, orzo, or Basmati or Jasmine rice

How to Freeze the Meatballs

Freeze the remaining meatballs on a parchment-lined sheet pan, then once frozen, place them in a ziplock bag in your freezer for easy use during the week.   

baking sheet with parchment paper with chicken meatballs arranged evenly on the pan.

Storage

Let the soup cool completely, then store in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. Reheat on the stovetop.

FAQs

Can I use homemade chicken broth or stock?

Yes! In fact, this will make the flavor taste even better! We love using homemade broth in all of our soup recipes.

Do I need to do anything to the meatballs before adding them to the soup?

Nope! They cook directly in the broth. If you have extra time on your hands, you could always roll the meatballs in panko breadcrumbs and fry them in a little olive oil on the stovetop over medium heat to give them a nice crispy exterior.

Can I make this as a classic Chicken Wonton Soup?

You can use this same filling to make regular wontons using wonton wrappers. These can be frozen too!

How long do the meatballs last in the freezer?

The chicken meatballs will keep in the freezer for 2-3 months.

brothy chicken soup in bowl with dark greens and garnished with red chili.

A healing bowl of goodness- perfect for cold winter nights. Let us know what you think of this Chicken Meatball Soup!

More Chicken Soup Recipes

Enjoy the soup! xo

Sylvia

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A delicious brothy Asian-style chicken meatball soup with bok choy. A delicious 30 minute meal. 

Asian Chicken Meatball soup

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 10 reviews

Description

A delicious, nourishing Asian-style chicken meatball soup with bok choy. A quick & easy 30-minute dinner!


Ingredients

Units Scale

CHICKEN MEATBALLS

  • 1 pound ground chicken ( or use ground turkey, beef or pork or a mix)
  • 1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 12 tablespoons fresh lemongrass– finely chopped
  • 1 shallot- finely chopped
  • 1 tablespoon grated ginger
  • 23 garlic cloves – finely minced
  • 3 scallions, very thinly sliced ( separate white from green parts)
  • 1 teaspoon jalapeno- very finely chopped ( optional)

BROTH

  • 8 cups chicken broth or stock- organic if possible.
  • 6 scallions, sliced, separating white parts from green ( or sub leeks)
  • pinch white pepper
  • salt to taste
  • 46 cups fresh greens or bok choy ( baby spinach, arugula, asian greens)
  • Drizzle toasted sesame oil
  • Garnish- fresh herbs (cilantro, basil, scallions, chives, Italian parsley) toasted sesame oil, fresh chili slices

Instructions

MEATBALLS: Makes 24 very small balls

  1. Place ground chicken and the rest of the meatball ingredients – salt, lemongrass, shallot, ginger, garlic, green tops of scallions and jalapeño- into a medium bowl, and using wet hands, mix until combined well. Again, using wet hands, form into small cherry- walnut-sized balls ( .75 ounces) understanding they will swell in the broth (almost twice the size)  and place on a parchment lined baking sheet. See notes.
  2. Heat the broth or stock in a big pot and add the white parts of the scallions ( or leeks). Bring to a gentle boil. Add a pinch of white pepper and salt to taste.
  3. Gently drop the raw meatballs (serves 2) into the simmering broth.
  4. Gently simmer the meatballs until cooked through about 5 minutes (they will take longer if frozen). Remember the smaller the meatballs, the faster they will cook. They will float when done, but best to always test one first.
  5. During the last minute of cooking add the greens to the pot, so they wilt and become tender– but not too long that they lose their vibrant color. Toss in the fresh herbs and remaining scallions and serve immediately.
  6. Divide among bowls, top with a few slices of fresh chilies for heat, and a drizzle of toasted sesame oil for added depth and flavor.

Notes

Meatballs can be frozen on a sheet pan, then place in zip lock bags. You can also use this same filling to make regular wontons using wonton wrappers and these can be frozen too.

For faster prep- use lemongrass paste and ginger paste!

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: one bowl ( 6 meatballs)
  • Calories: 313
  • Sugar: 6.1 g
  • Sodium: 102.6 mg
  • Fat: 16.4 g
  • Saturated Fat: 3.6 g
  • Carbohydrates: 21.2 g
  • Fiber: 4.6 g
  • Protein: 23.3 g
  • Cholesterol: 96.3 mg

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Comments

    1. I would half the amount and add directly to the ground chicken. So ½ tablespoon to 1 tablespoon, dependening on how much you like that flavor.

  1. This soup is sooo good! I used ground turkey and little gem lettuce, which was perfect. I didn’t have a shallot on hand so I left that out, otherwise I followed the recipe. This was my first time cooking with lemongrass and the flavor was amazing in the meatballs. Thank you for sharing this recipe!






  2. love this recipe, it is a favourite of mine, also the tofu and bok choy i love it to. love your blog and recipes .

  3. Sylvia thank you, this is a ‘feel good soup’. The broth and chicken meatballs are full of flavour.






  4. This was so good! My teen doesn’t typically like ground meat much, so I only put a few meatballs in hers and finished hers off with some pre-cooked, frozen shrimp. The stores around us were out of lemongrass this week and didn’t have fresh lemongrass or even powdered/dried lemongrass. So I added in some turmeric instead. In addition to the veggies you listed, I added napa cabbage, a few broccoli florets, and a couple of dashes of coconut aminos. Was so, so good!!!






  5. First of all, I loved the poem too.
    I’m a beginner in the kitchen. I made this recipe for my wife for our anniversary and we both loved it. Best of all, I loved cooking it. I put on some music and had a blast cooking. From the trip to the grocery store to the final cut, I had a blast. I’m going to rock out another one of your recipes next Sunday. Thanks for sharing your art! Delicious!






    1. Hi Mark, I can’t tell you how happy it makes me to hear that you enjoyed the process of cooking this meal. That is what it is all about. Thanks for sharing. xoxo

    1. I love this soup too. I don’t think think the pictures do it justice. So easy and fun of flavor- thanks for sharing and glad you liked it.

  6. This looks SO good! Do you have any ideas on how to make this vegetarian? I’m wondering if it could be make with tofu or if that would not stick together?

    1. Like a tofu meatball?? I think it would fall apart…but I love the idea of it!! If you try doing it let me know- so curious!

  7. This soup is amazing. I have made it over and over and it never gets old- that’s how much flavor is packed in! We also put soba noodles in it to make it a little heartier. Now that it’s winter, I’ve been keeping a batch of meatballs in the freezer in case one of us starts to feel the beginnings of a cold. This soup has instant healing power!

  8. I just tried this recipe, and it was great!
    When I have a bad cold, I crave brothy Asian soups. Wonton soup has always been one of my favorite comfort foods. It’s hard to find restaurants that still serve it though. Recipe is quick and easy. I will definitely make it again.






      1. In the soup, I made this last night and put cooked quinoa in the bottom of the bowl before I added the soup, really delicious

    1. Yes, really! just drop them raw, right into the simmering broth…. they cook in a few minutes ( especially if very small) and flavor the broth too!

      1. You said separate the green from the white in the scallion. Which part do you use for the meatball. You specified using the white for the broth. What temperature for cooking the meatballs?

  9. This recipe looks delicious! I like to have wonton soup when I’m fighting a cold.
    Love the poem, too!

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