Whole30 Mango + Jalapeño Chicken Meatballs from the Whole Smiths. Such an easy recipe to make a GREAT for leftovers as this recipe makes a ton.
Aw man, not to toot my own horn but these Whole30 Mango + Jalapeño Chicken Meatballs came out SO good! To good to be true actually. The last time that I made meatballs turned up a hot mess. I used my dutch oven to fry them, they fell apart, it took forever and the kitchen was filthy. (Remember that Beverly??)
In my mind, I had bowed out of the meatball game. And you know what the worst part was? It took me two whole seconds to eat that pain in the ass meatball I had labored five minutes EACH with. They were delicious, no doubt, but maybe they were better suited for an Italian grandma’s Christmas dinner with all the work that went into them. Fuggedit. Then last week I had a yearning for some less laborious meatballs. It was then that I made up my mind that I was going to come up with something unique, EASY and paleo. ie no breadcrumbs or cheese. And for those interested, they’re Whole30 compliant.
I saw some frozen mango in our freezer yesterday and it instantly hit me. Mangoes, jalapeño & cilantro. Perfect! #Summeriscoming so that made the combo even better. (Seriously, does ANYONE get that tag?? Comment if you do.)
You’ll be amazed at how moist these meatballs come out and just how much flavor you can pack into them. Just know that chicken meatballs are going to have a different consistency than beef or pork meatballs as the ground chicken has a much looser, wetter consistency. Particularly if you choose ground thigh vs. ground breast meat. Because of that, they sometimes end up seeming more like chicken “mounds”. While I’m usually a thing gal, I say to stick to the ground breast meat for this one. I’ve made these a million times and I think it just comes down to what type of ground chicken you use, my best results have always come from the breast meat. But never fear, even if they don’t end up perfectly sphered, they will be just as delicious! I served them tonight atop of some mashed cauliflower and it was a great combo.
My final tip is that these make a LOT. You will most definitely have leftovers. So if you’re just cooking for yourself and don’t need leftovers for days, simply halve the recipe.
* I mixed all of the ingredients first without the jalapeños so I could scoop some out for the kids. Once I did that I added the jalepeños into ours. While I am usually against making any spacial meals for the kids, I did use this modification. As well, feel free to up the jalapeños on yours if you like some heat as this recipe isn’t too spicy.
If you’re looking for anther meatball recipes loaded up with flavor, make sure you check out my Thai Basil Meatballs + “Peanut” Dipping Sauce.
Don’t forget to Pin the image below to save the recipe for later! Enjoy!
mango-jalepeño chicken meatballs
Ingredients
- 2 lbs. ground chicken
- 1/2 onion finely chopped
- 1 C. mangoes chopped small
- 3 cloves of garlic minced
- 1/3 C. cilantro chopped
- 1 finely diced jalapeño* feel free to add more for additional heat
- 3 eggs
- 1 C. almond flour
- 1 tbsp. chili powder
- 2 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. cumin
- 1/2 tsp. smoked paprika
- 1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375* F.
- Lightly grease glass baking dishes (I needed two) with some olive oil to prevent sticking
- Add all ingredients into a bowl and combine thoroughly
- Once combined, form into balls about the size of a lemon. I personally like larger meatballs as they tend not to dry out as much, but that's just my opinion!
- Arrange in baking dishes and bake for about 25 minutes
- Check doneness at 20 minutes as ovens may vary
- They should be golden brown on top and cooked through
Oh my gosh, this is just what I’ve been looking for! I have almond flour I need to use up, a meatball craving I need to satisfy (sans cheese) and a mango obsession begging to be put into savory foods. Pinned!
Awesome, you are going to love them! Just had leftovers for lunch. 🙂
I just checked out your blog and I love, love, LOVE it!!!
These look delish Michelle! I’m not a mango fan, but I’m willing to try since I trust you! And FYI I love “they eat what we eat, I’m not a short order cook” same way my mom thought and because of that, I eat almost everything and will try everything at least once every few years 🙂
That’s how it was in our house too! My kids are pretty good eaters but it’s also because they don’t have the option to eat Mac n Cheese or pizza every night. Although, they probably wouldn’t complain. The mango isn’t too noticeable in the meatballs, I think you’ll like it! Just cut them into pretty small pieces. 🙂
So excited, just put them in the oven. I needed 4 pans (only had one large one. I found the mixture to be VERY loose….but pretty sure I followed everything (I did put onions, jalapeno and mango in the food processor….)
Anyway, I’m sure they will be awesome and I will finish this post in about an hour……..
OMGosh! These are amazing…..right out of the oven, although I am sure they would be better with the cauliflower mash (didn’t feel that ambitious)….wow….thank you so much! I will def be sharing this recipe 😀
I’m so glad you loved them as much as I do Karen! And I agree, when I was forming them they did seem fairly loose. In fact, I had originally planned for these to be skewered and cooked on the BBQ… you can imagine how that went! lol. I was happy to see they came out perfectly in the oven. And thank you SO much for sharing, I appreciate that!! Have a great weekend! PS Upload a pic of them to my FB or Instagram account! 🙂
Skewered…lol, yeah…maybe if you refrigerated the mixture first? After the first few, I just scooped up spoonfuls and plopped in the pan. Loved them with Chipolte mayo and cold with Guacamole! Couldn’t figure out how to post to your Instagram, but I did post to your FB. This recipe is def a keeper and I have already shared with some of my Paleo/W30 friends 😀
We made these for dinner tonight along with your Pineapple Broccoli Slaw and OH MY GOODNESS what a tasty dinner this was! It seriously tasted like summer. I can’t wait to see more from you (and make lots of tasty dinners) and ready more about your process of getting a happy tummy! Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!!!
PS you got my two year old to eat meat, and say “Mmmmmm, DEwishuos”… You’re the BEST!
Jennifer you have no idea how wonderfully happy your comment makes me!! You are SO more than welcome! After another bought of being sick this weekend your comment was such a bright spot in my day. Thank YOU!
These meatballs were delicious!
What a great flavor combination, i served them also with mashed cauliflower as suggested along with some mixed vegetables. Between my Fiance and I, 2 lbs of meatballs lasted us for days, and we didn’t get tired of them either! Will certainly make these again, fabulous recipe!
Awesome!!!! I’m so glad you loved them as much as we did! And yeah, you gotta love the leftovers. I’m all about getting the most bang for your buck when you’re gonna take the time to cook a meal. Thanks for the review!! 🙂
Thank you for this recipe! My husband and I loved it and enjoyed the leftovers for days! 🙂
Awesome!!!!! So glad you loved!!!! xo
Jalapeños and paprika are not Whole30 compliant, so I am trying this without those ingredients! Thank you they look delicious!
They actually are compliant! I’m not sure where you are getting your information from. They are NOT however part of an AIP diet.
#summeriscoming = game of thrones ?
Thanks for the yummy recipe.
Yes, you got it! I posted this last year, can’t wait for it to start up again! 🙂
These were delicious. I’d use just a little less cilantro next time but that’s just me. I don’t love cilantro. I’m a beginner cook and definitely beginner to whole 30 cooking and I surprised myself with how good the turned out. Thanks! 🙂
Have you ever tried making these with an alternative to almond flour? My daughter has nut and seed allergies and it’s so difficult to find whole30 recipes that I can make for the whole family. Do you think coconut flour could be a plausible substitution?
It’s hard to say as coconut and almond don’t sub out equally and have different properties. It’s worth a shot though, lemme know!
Just made this. Delicious!!:) I also added about 1.5 tbsp of corriander powder. Lovely combination of flavors.
Has anyone made these and froze the leftovers? I was going to make them for an upcoming party but wanted to make them ahead. Thanks! Looks like a great recipe.
Hi, I got to this recipe on your blog from your instagram photo…. they look delicious and I would’ve to try making them. You mentioned you had frozen mango. does it need defrosting first can I put in either frozen or fresh manago? lastly would these freeze once cooked to be beaten up another day? sorry so many questions, I am not a natural cook! but I am going to try these for sure 🙂
Hallelujah is finally summer that’s coming and not winter These look so good! Starting a new round Monday. Adding these to my list! We are meatball lovin’ fools in the hizzie
Would like to serve these with a pasta to stretch it out. Maybe a penne w/ sliced peppers, onion and kale?
I made these tonight for my Whole 30 Day 3 dinner. Wow! They were delicious, and my whole family enjoyed them – even my picky eater 8 year old son. My husband declared this was the best Whole 30 recipe I’ve ever made. I will definitely be making them again! (I may even try an Indian-inspired variant – maybe subbing out the chili powder for curry powder?)
HI! I am looking forward to making these! Have you tired to freeze them? If so did you freeze them before or after cooking?
I’m super pumped to meal prep these this weekend! Planning on using ground turkey, but not sure if i can use a nut-free substitute for the almond flour (bf is allergic to nuts). I saw a suggestion to try coconut flour, but wondering it there is something better to try instead. Thank you! 🙂
I am on day 13 of Whole 30 and needed something new for dinner and these were just the thing! The flavor combinations are amazing. My 1 year old and I devoured them for dinner! Thanks for a fantastic recipe. I’m sharing it with everyone that I know!!
Oh my goodness! These are freakin delish! I’ve made sooooo many different whole30 dinners and this is by far my husband’s favorite! He’s always asking me when I’m going to make this again. So thank you!
I made these a few years ago on my whole 30 round. I am starting another round soon. I created them more like a burger and put guacamole on top of them. My daughter and I love them and I am happy that I have this recipe to go back to! These long winter days need some color! 😉 🙂