The Best Way to Use Chicken Meatballs: In a Thai Flavored Cabbage Wrap!
Superfood cabbage + detoxifying cilantro = health goals.
These delicious and zesty Thai chicken meatball cabbage wraps are more than just a mouthful of a recipe – they’re a delicious way to enjoy savory chicken meatballs, antioxidant rich cabbage, and detoxifying cilantro, all while being gluten free and paleo-friendly too. Consider this your new favorite way to use chicken.
Meatballs have a long history in Italian dishes, but it doesn’t mean they’re solely a vessel for marinara sauce and pasta. In fact, meatballs (chicken ones to be specific) are incredibly versatile and an easy meal to make. Batch cooked chicken meatballs are a great addition to salads, soups, homemade pizza, zucchini noodles, collard green wraps, and more.
In this recipe we’re using organic and free-range ground chicken breast. When purchasing ground chicken, look for an organic source that raises their chickens without the use of antibiotics or hormones. According to the World’s Healthiest Foods, organic standards help lower risk of contaminated feed and organic chicken usually have a higher nutrient quality.
These nutrients include plenty of protein (one 4-ounce serving of pasture-raised chicken breast provides about 35 grams of protein) along with all the B vitamins, which are supportive for energy and red blood cell production.
Red Cabbage Health Benefits
Move over kale, red cabbage is a total superfood that’s inexpensive, multi-seasonal, and perfectly adaptable in the kitchen. Along with being a great source of vitamins K, C, and B6, red cabbage is also packed with fiber, potassium, folate, and antioxidants.
Compared to its green counterpart, red cabbage contains significantly more antioxidants and flavonoids, which contribute to red cabbage’s role as an anti-inflammatory superfood. In fact, a measure of antioxidant capacity shows red cabbage containing six to eight times more antioxidants than that of green cabbage.
One of red cabbage’s biggest health claims to fame is its high anthocyanin content, pigments that function as antioxidants that give fruits and vegetables a vivid blue, red, or purple color. Veggies like red cabbage and purple sweet potatoes, along with fruits like blueberries, are packed with these plant compounds.
Notably, red cabbage is killin’ it in the anthocyanin department, as the USDA’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS) has identified 36 anthocyanins in red cabbage. All of these beneficial pigments have total body support effects as well. In fact, A 2007 study found that anthocyanins in red cabbage may provide cancer protection, improve brain function, and promote healthy heart function.
Thai flavors, easy chicken meatballs, superfood red cabbage, and cleansing cilantro all come together to make this delicious lunch or dinner recipe. Feel free to add a few slices of avocado or even a drizzle of cilantro to your red cabbage wraps as well.
Ingredients
Chicken Meatballs:
Wrap:
Thai Dipping Sauce:
Preparation
- In a blender combine all ingredients for Thai dipping sauce and blend on high for 30 seconds. Add water for a thinner consistency if necessary. Set sauce aside while you prepare the meatballs.
- Combine all meatball ingredients, except for coconut oil, into a large bowl and mix well. Using your hands, scoop a large tablespoon of ground meatballs and shape into golf ball size meatballs.
- Add coconut oil to a skillet and heat over medium-high.
- Add meatballs to hot skillet and allow to cook for 10-15 minutes, flipping sides every so often to evenly brown and cook.
- Serve chicken meatballs in a cabbage leaf with cilantro and Thai dipping sauce.
