Tomato Chicken Meatballs
Craving meatballs in a rich sauce but worried that deep-frying adds too many calories and stalls your fat-loss progress? These tomato-sauce chicken meatballs are a satisfying, hearty dish I make again and again while cutting fat.
Ingredients
- 1 boneless, skinless chicken breast
- 2 ripe tomatoes
- ¼ purple onion
- Appropriate amount of ginger, garlic and green onion
- For meatballs: pinch of salt, ground black pepper, cooking wine, 1 egg white, 1 tbsp cornstarch, 1 tsp sugar, 1 tbsp oyster sauce, ½ tbsp light soy sauce, dash of sesame oil, pinch of dried basil, 1 tbsp water
- For tomato sauce: 2 tbsp tomato paste, 1 tsp sugar, pinch of salt, 3 bowls of water
Instructions
- Cut chicken breast into chunks and transfer to a food processor. Add a pinch of salt, black pepper and cooking wine, then blend into a smooth, fine meat paste.
- Scrape the paste into a mixing bowl. Add sugar, oyster sauce, light soy sauce, sesame oil, dried basil, egg white, water and cornstarch. Stir vigorously in one direction until the mixture turns thick, sticky and bouncy — this is the key to tender, springy meatballs that don’t fall apart.
- Heat a small amount of oil in a pot over medium heat. Sauté ginger, garlic, green onion and diced purple onion until fragrant.
- Add diced fresh tomatoes and tomato paste. Stir-fry over high heat until tomatoes break down completely and release their natural juice.
- Pour in 3 bowls of water and add 1 teaspoon of sugar. Bring to a near-boil, then lower heat to a gentle simmer to prevent meatballs from breaking apart.
- Scoop the meat paste with a spoon and shape into small balls, dropping them one by one into the simmering soup. Turn heat back to high once all meatballs are in the pot.
- Cook until the sauce reduces to a glossy, thick coating. Season with a final pinch of salt, then serve. Pair with a small portion of brown rice for a balanced weight loss meal.
Notes
- Springy texture guarantee: Stirring the meat paste consistently in one direction builds elasticity. Chilling the paste in the fridge for 10 minutes before shaping makes it even easier to handle and gives a bouncier bite.
- Weight loss adjustments: Reduce or omit extra sugar for lower calories, and skip chicken essence for a cleaner ingredient list. Ripe tomatoes already provide enough natural sweetness to balance the savory flavor.
- No food processor workaround: Chop the chicken breast finely by hand, then stir vigorously until sticky. Hand-chopped meatballs often have a better, more textured bite.
- Make-ahead option: Uncooked shaped meatballs can be frozen for up to 1 month. Cook directly from frozen, adding 2–3 minutes of total cooking time.