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
I made these last night and I absolutely love them!!! I drizzled Greek yogurt and added a little bit of Trader Joes jalapeño pepper hot sauce! Huge hit with the fiancé. Thanks for sharing such awesome recipes.
Liz – I’m so glad you liked them! Hooray!
I just bought a Tupperware food grinder kast month, by mistake. Teaches me to order things when I’m seriously ill with the flu and pneumonia. Anyway, I was going to return it until I saw this recipe. ( I’ve lived here in the Netherlands for 14 years and have never seen ground chicken.) I’m so glad I kept because it us going to get used tons just for this recipe! These were so easy to make abd absolutely delicious!
I’m so glad you liked them! What lovely feedback, and I think you win the prize for the furthest reader to have tried them!
I just started the Whole 30 and I’m super excited to try these tonight! Also, if I were to make a vegetarian alternative, would mashed potatoes mixed with zucchini be a good idea? Thanks for sharing this recipe 🙂
Nikki – Congrats on your Whole30! I do not think mashed potatoes would work well in this recipe. Your texture would assuredly be different, and I think the flavor combination would be off. I’m sorry I don’t have a better vegetarian suggestion!
I made a version of these for my kids for lunch….I was trying to use up some leftover chicken. I shredded the cooked chicken finely in a blender, and added an egg to bind. Otherwise, I followed the recipe, cooking in a pan with some fat skimmed off a pot of chicken broth…we are mostly GAPS, so we don’t mind the fat 😉 I served them with homemade sour cream thinned with sauerkraut juice (mayo/sk juice for my df kid). I didn’t find the texture amazing (due to the chicken being precooked, but I was kind of expecting that….), but my kids really liked them, particularly my 18 month old…he had FIVE of them (there were 13 in the pan, so they weren’t super tiny). I am keeping this recipe to use again, maybe one time here I will have some ground chicken to use, even! Thanks!
These look amazing! I’m going to whip up a batch or two for snacking during March Madness and for easy lunches for work (if they last that long). I could also see adding Italian seasonings (basil, oregano) and serving with a nice marinara sauce.
They are delicious! however, I added a bit of egg to bind them together otherwise they fell apart…. also a tad of cream cheese takes it to another level.
Thanks!
This is on the menu tonight! Excited to try it out.
Holy cow these are great!! These are so easy to make. I cook them in my Forman for 3 1/2 minutes and BOOM… Done! Thank you so much!!
These are truly amazing! I’ve made them 4 or 5 times now! For me, the cumin is not optional…..it is a must! I found a jalapeño yogurt dipping sauce from Costco that compliments them beautifully! Thank you for sharing such a great recipe!
Would ground pork work as well?
Sherralee – I haven’t made them with pork, but a few readers have with good results!
For those have tried baking, I find mine stick to the baking sheet, even with oil on it. Any suggestions? Lower temp, longer cooking time? Different oil than olive? Thanks.
Get some of the Reynolds non-stick foil and line your baking sheet with it. The stuff is magic.
I made them tonight with the avocado citrus dip! Put it all on top of a salad with salsa, craisins, hearts of Palm, tomatoes, pumpkin seeds, and roasted red peppers! Amazing!
That sounds AMAZING. Yum!!!
Wow, this has been a popular post for you, it seems. 🙂 And so it should be; these are delicious. I am not a cilantro fan, but I put chopped jalapenos in mine instead. These are quite the crowd-pleaser, even among people who do not like zucchini. This is rare indeed. Thanks!
These chicken poppers are the best. This is the secon time in the past 5 days I made them, because they are so delicious. My whole family loves them! Thank you for sharing with us!!! I tried both the stovetop and oven method. Both turned out great. (The second time I squeezed the liquid out of the zucchini. )
I’m so glad you liked them!!!
Sorry, I forgot to rate it.