Chicken Zucchini Poppers (Paleo & Whole30 Approved!)
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Chicken Zucchini Poppers – My MOST POPULAR RECIPE EVER! These chicken zucchini meatballs are squeaky clean, but not short on flavor! Gluten-free, Paleo, and Whole30 friendly!
Have you heard of Whole30? I first heard about it a few years ago when the book It Starts With Food came out. In essence, Whole30 is a chance to reset your body by eating squeaky clean for 30 days, giving you a chance to see if you have any latent food sensitivities, break any unhealthy patterns you may have, clear up any food-related inflammation and start fresh.
Well, it’s making a comeback. Several great bloggers are in the middle of theirs, so I’ve seen a huge resurgence of healthy recipes floating about the web. We aren’t on a Whole30, but we eat pretty darn clean most of the time. I’ve loved the huge variety of inspiration out there lately! These Chicken Zucchini Poppers are delicious, and while they may be squeaky clean, they don’t skimp on flavor.
First off: Michael H-A-T-E-S zucchini. Hates the texture, doesn’t like the flavor. BUT he loves these. Really loves them. Enough that he always asks when we can make them again. If you’re a zucchini hater, you should still give these a try! Grated, you don’t really get much of the squash texture, and they keep the meatballs nice and tender and juicy. So if you’re a zucchini hater, don’t hesitate to give these a try!
We LOVE them. They’d make great game-day food for something lighter or a great addition to a buffet table. We love them for dinner with some veggies and a little dish of guacamole or Citrus Avocado Sauce for dipping and some sweet potatoes or salad and fruit on the side. Not a guacamole fan? No problem. They’d be great with salsa or paleo ranch. If you’re not gluten free, they’d be awesome in a pita. (p.s. anyone have a good GF pita recipe?
The Best Dipping Sauces For Chicken Zucchini Poppers:
TIPS & TRICKS FOR THE BEST CHICKEN ZUCCHINI POPPERS:
DON’T SKIP THIS STEP! Squeezing the liquid out of your zucchini is *really* important here. Why? Well, zucchini has a lot of moisture (which is one of the reason these poppers are so great), but if you don’t squeeze out some of that liquid, your meatballs/poppers will have a harder time sticking together and if you pan-fry them, you run the risk of them scorching and falling apart.
PAN-FRYING VS. BAKING. My favorite way to make these is to pan-fry them. I’m not using a ton of oil here–just enough to cover the bottom of the pan. I use my cast-iron skillet for a really nice browning effect and keep the heat on the low end. That will allow the poppers to brown while still allowing enough time for the centers to cook. Baking is *really* convenient and fast, so I do that plenty as well. Do whichever works for you!
TRY ONE OF THESE VARIATIONS! This recipe is an awesome base recipe. Over the years, people have made it with pork, beef, turkey…even venison! Use your favorite. I also list the cumin here as optional. It gives these a tex-mex flavor that’s great with salsa, ranch, and guacamole. BUT. You can also easily swap the flavors by switching the cilantro for basil to give these a Mediterranean vibe. They’re great with my favorite pasta sauce and noodles, or you can use parsley or dill for other flavor combinations!
CAN’T FIND GROUND CHICKEN? TRY THIS! I get ground chicken breast at Sprouts, but when it’s not in stock, I make my own by buying boneless skinless chicken breast (or thighs) and pulsing them in a food processor until it’s ground and no large pieces remain. It’s one extra step, but it works great!
LOVE THESE CHICKEN POPPERS? YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE…
- Citrus Avocado Sauce (Paleo, Whole30)
- Buffalo Chicken Burgers (Paleo, Whole30)
- Healthy Beef & Broccoli (Paleo, Whole30)
- Paleo Slow Cooker Butter Chicken (Paleo, Whole30)
- Slow Cooker Paleo Beef Stew (Paleo, Whole30)
- The Perfect Paleo Meatballs (Paleo, Whole30)
- Paleo Chicken Lettuce Wraps (Paleo, Whole30)
Chicken Zucchini Poppers
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 4–5 servings 1x
Description
My MOST POPULAR RECIPE EVER! These chicken meatballs are squeaky clean, but not short on flavor! Gluten free, Paleo, and Whole30 friendly!
Ingredients
- 1 lb. ground chicken breast (raw)
- 2 c. grated zucchini (leave peel on and squeeze out some of the liquid with paper towels or a clean kitchen towel)
- 2–3 green onions, sliced
- 3–4 Tbsp cilantro, minced
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 3/4 tsp cumin (optional)
- Optional (if pan-frying): avocado oil, for cooking (or coconut oil, or ghee)
Instructions
In a large bowl, mix together chicken, zucchini, green onion, cilantro, garlic, salt, pepper, and cumin (if using). Mixture will be quite wet. Scoop meatballs with a small scoop or heaped tablespoon and gently smooth with your hands. I can usually get around 20-24 poppers. You may be able to get more or less, depending on how large you size them.
To cook on the stovetop:
Heat a drizzle of oil in a medium pan over medium-low heat. Cook 4-5 at a time for about 5-6 minutes on the first side. Flip and cook an additional 4-5 minutes, or until golden brown and the centers are cooked through.
To bake:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Drizzle a bit of olive or avocado oil onto a baking sheet lined with foil. Bake at 400 degrees 15-20 minutes, or until cooked through. If desired, place under the broiler for an additional 2-3 minutes or until browned on top.
Serve with guacamole, salsa, or your favorite dip.
Notes
CHICKEN: If you can’t find ground chicken breast, you can grind your own. Simply weight out 1 lb. chicken breast and pulse it in your food processor to “grind” until no large pieces remain. You can also easily substitute ground chicken thighs, ground turkey, ground pork, etc. Use what you like and what you can find!
ZUCCHINI: Don’t be tempted to skip drying out your zucchini a bit with a paper/kitchen towel. Zucchini has a lot of moisture, and if you don’t squeeze it out beforehand, your meatballs may stick more to the pan if you’re pan-frying and have a bit more trouble holding together during baking.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: main dish, appetizer, chicken
- Method: stovetop, oven
- Cuisine: American
Ok.. So my husband (Mr. Meat and Potatoes man) and my 16 month Son (very picky eater) Love these. I could not cook them fast enough. They were on the floor in the living room popping them back and playing and coloring on the floor… *(however, I can get them veggies in them works for me). I LOVED THEM! a small salad with them and we were good to go! Thank you for sharing!
May I ask a somewhat stupid question…. does one skin/peel the zucchini prior to grating, or just grate it whole?
Brian – Not a stupid question at all! I keep the skin on. If it bothers you, you’re welcome to peel it. I think it’s pretty, and most of the nutrition is in the skin.
I am going to try these with turkey burger since that is what I have plenty of , Wondering if baking these would be better for us then frying them in a pan of oil.
Thank you for the great recipe. I am excited to see what the ladies at work will say about them. We have weight watchers tomorrow. Going to take them to try. 🙂
Baking would reduce the fat content, but will change the texture somewhat. I don’t worry about cooking with healthy oils. These meatballs are not deep fried, and if you use a nonstick pan (cast iron, enameled, etc) you don’t need much oil at all! I wish you all the best trying the recipe!
Hi – I have tried these twice and LOVE them. I baked them both times, but my challenge is that despite putting olive oil on the pan, they stick and even burn a little. Should I try a different oil on the pan? Does it have anything to do with the heat point (or whatever that is) with olive oil? Both times I served these I was asked for the recipe – it’s a hit!
Glynis – I almost always bake them these days. I line the baking sheet with foil, drizzle it with oil, and rub it all over. For some reason, they seem not to stick with the foil, at least for me. I hope this helps!
Grapeseed oil has a much higher smoke point and doesn’t add flavor as does olive oil. I use a nonstick pan.
Thanks for the tip Jean! Have a great day!
Do you wring out the extra moisture from the grated zucchini?
Thanks! These look good
Paula – Nope! I don’t wring any extra moisture out. I find they end up with a gorgeous texture this way.
Ooh. Im thinking some ground lamb fresh oregano and a Greek yogurt dipping sauce!
Do we peel the zucchini first before grating?
Michelle – I keep the peel on. Hope that helps!
I saw these on a shared link on FB and I knew I had to try them! I made them per ingredients listed. As for the cooking the only thing I did different was I browned them for about 3 mins on each side. Then I baked them in a Pyrex for about 20 mins on 350. They were perfect! Not dried out at all like I feared they would be. They were crispy on the outside and nicely moist on the inside. These are Delicious! A huge hit here at my house in GA. Thank you for this recipe!
YUM! I’ll have to try the brown-then-bake method sometime. SO glad you liked them!!!
They don’t have ground chicken here in Panama. Can you use ground beef instead? They don’t have zucchini here very often for that matter — if you find it, it is imported. I will have to stock up next time I see some at the store, and then shred it and freeze it.
Rebecca – I haven’t tried the recipe with ground beef. I think you could try it. If you have access to chicken and a food processor, you can make it yourself. I pulse the chicken until it’s pretty finely ground, but not a puree. It works great! I hope you’re able to find what you need!
I tried these today and only had ground pork on hand. And they were delicious! ! My picky toddler gobbled them down. I dipped them in guacamole and had some sauteed squash and zucchini on the side YUM!
Oh, yay! I’m so glad!
Any one try cooking these in coconut oil?
Major problem with this recipe… I made it to take to a friend’s house for a potluck – and I’m realllllly struggling not to just sit down and pig out on these! SOOOO good! made some minor changes – but don’t we all? These are a new favorite – please let me know if the other commenter ever gave you feedback on how well they freeze – because if they freeze well I’m making a double-batch just for that purpose! THANKS!
I’m SO glad you liked them! If anyone tries freezing them, I’ll let you know! They’ve never lasted long enough for us to freeze any 🙂
The nutrition info states 4-5 servings, which would appear to be more “patty” sized, like your second two photos. Any idea how many small poppers (as pictured in the first photo) this makes?
Diana – I’ve been able to get about 20-25 poppers out of the recipe. The 4-5 servings is 4-5 poppers per person. Hope that helps!
Could these be baked instead of fried?
This recipe looks delicious AND it fits the paleo autoimmune protocol (a rare thing). So, thank you! I host a weekly Paleo AIP Recipe Roundtable through my blog, and I would love it if you linked up this recipe. I’m trying to expand resources for the AIP community. Here’s the link (you click the blue button at the bottom of the post to add your recipe): http://www.phoenixhelix.com/2014/07/02/paleo-aip-recipe-roundtable-33/
Thanks Eileen! I’ll be sure to link up!
I’m so glad you linked up. You were the reader favorite, and I’m featuring your recipe at this week’s roundtable, which just went live tonight. If you have any other AIP recipes, please feel free to join us again. I host the roundtable every week.
I just made these last night from the roundtable link, and they were FABULOUS! My husband hates zucchini, and DEVOURED these, as did I. I used parsley instead of cilantro because that’s what I had on hand, and I did use cumin which was absolutely delicious. Making again – maybe even today!!
Also – I used chicken thighs that I ground up in the food processor. Worked really well.
So great! I’m glad you liked these, and I’m SO glad you tried making your own ground chicken. Awesome!
This is the best new recipe that I’ve made in a long time. Yum, yum, yum. They were a lot juicier than I expected. I’ll definitely be making this again.
Emily, you asked about a good GF pita recipe. Try myheartbeets.com . She has some amazing recipes. I just made her 3 Ingredient Paleo Naan, which I am sure you could use as pita. It was good. Although I really like it warm, I did eat some cold and it was ok. Thanks for this recipe. Will try it asap. Always looking for clean food recipes for this big family.