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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!

Chicken Zucchini Poppers with Citrus Avocado Dipping Sauce from One Lovely Life

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.

Paleo Chicken Zucchini Poppers with Citrus Avocado Dipping Sauce from One Lovely Life

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?

Whole30 Chicken Zucchini Poppers with Guacamole from One Lovely Life

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…

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Paleo & Whole30 Chicken Zucchini Poppers from One Lovely Life

Chicken Zucchini Poppers


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4.6 from 137 reviews

  • Author: Emily
  • Total Time: 35 minutes
  • Yield: 45 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

Scale
  • 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)
  • 23 green onions, sliced
  • 34 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
Chicken Zucchini Poppers (Paleo, Whole30 approved) // One Lovely Life

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401 Comments

  1. These look amazing! I can’t wait to try them, but most likely with ground pork. Anything with cilantro in it has to be good! ^^

  2. Made these for dinner tonight exactly as written and they were a success! I found that two (large/soup) spoons worked well for scooping them into the pan. I could use the spoons to shape them into neat rounds and tidy up any trailing strands of zucchini. I started out with a regular (non-non-stick) skillet liberally coated with coconut oil but found that even after allowing them to brown quite well, they really stuck to the pan, so I switched to a non-stick pan for the rest. With sides of guacamole, roasted cubed sweet potatoes, and roasted kale these made a great dinner!






  3. I made these today and they taste great but mine were boiling in zucchini juice for a long time before they started frying . Otherwise they were very good .

  4. these make me think of the inside of a potsticker… thinking of adding some fish sauce and seeing if i can put an asian spin on them

  5. Emily, these were such a hit! I can’t get Jake to eat any vegetables except starches and he LOVED these. We need to find the right recipe to dip them in but they are so good!






  6. I made these today, but used lean ground turkey instead of chicken. I used my vegetti tool and made zucchini noodles, then diced those up. I also used pizza seasoning, a little finely diced red pepper and some grated parmesan cheese. I fried mine in a little olive oil, which is a little messy, but love the crisp outside and juicy inside. They were quick and easy to make and turned out delicious! I got 25 poppers out of mine.






    1. Patty – I’m not sure how well canned chicken will hold together. I think the egg will help, but I’m not really sure how it’ll go. I’d love to hear how they turn out!

  7. Wow! This is my favorite whole30 recipe yet!!!!! I didn’t have ground chicken, so I cubed the chicken and stir-fried it; it was unbelievable! Thx for the recipe!






  8. Hi!

    This looks and sounds delicious, and I want to cook this today. 🙂
    I am asking myself what It means to “toss”? (I am German….)
    Should I mix everything in a mixer?
    Or how do I treat the chicken to be able to mix it with the other ingredients…?
    I would really appreciate your help!

    Cheers,
    Dorothee

    1. Dorothee– No problem! So, you’re using ground chicken (or chicken mince). To “toss” you’re really just going to stir with a fork to combine the ingredients. No need to use a food processor or mixer. I hope that helps! If you have more questions, don’t hesitate to ask!

  9. I made these tonight (substituting turkey for the ground chicken) with a really good guacamole. My husband ate these stopping between bites to say how good they were! He is on a restricted diet (no diary or wheat) and it’s been very difficult finding good recipes that are relatively easy. This was a hit! Thank you so much for sharing!






  10. So easy and delicious! Perfect paleo appetizer to bring to any gathering. They were a hit! Followed the baking recipe. They stuck a bit to the tin foil so don’t skimp on coating oil. Definitely glad I used the cumin. And we omitted the cilantro. Will double the recipe next time since they were gone so fast 🙂






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